Design Opera Architects is a collaborative architecture and design firm based in Los Angeles, California. Our work specializes in integrating both the progressive and the traditional to create contemporary design projects. Founded in 2006, Design Opera develops unique solutions for each project through a process of research, development, and design that tell our client’s story. Design Opera, focuses on creating architecture and design of our time which is critical to the ever-changing conditions of climate, culture, and technology.
Our name represents the complexity in coordination and collaboration that is required to achieve a great project, similar to conducting an Opera.
STAFF
Gregory de Peña
AIA, NCARB | Principal & Founder | Greg studied vernacular architecture, earning a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the University of Arizona. He gained experience with residential and commercial architecture while working with Ronchetti Design and Line & Space Architects. He served a 2 year term on the CCAC Advisory Board for the CCDC Redevelopment Agency in Downtown San Diego. He also worked as an adjunct instructor at the New School of Architecture and Design prior to moving to Los Angeles. Mr. De Peña is currently serving on the Advisory Council to the San Diego Commons, a non profit group looking to reconnect neighborhoods displaced by the Federal Freeway Act of the1950’s. Greg is a Licensed Architect in California.
Christian Santini
Principal Designer | M.Arch 2 | Christian holds a Bachelor's degree in architecture from the University Iberoamericana and a Master of Architecture from The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Prior to joining us in 2008, he worked as a designer for the award winning design and research firm Estudio Santander. In 2014, he became a partner and is the principal designer in the Los Angeles office and is a licensed architect in Mexico.
Bernardo Enriquez
Principal | Bernardo received a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the Universidad Iberoamericana. He develops creative design solutions with his design-build experience that combine the artistic and the practical into realistic and cost conscious solutions. He became a partner in 2014 and is in charge of overseeing projects in Mexico while also coordinating all Design-Build constructions. Bernardo is a licensed architect in Mexico.
Hector Hernandez
Designer | Hector received his Bachelor's degree in Architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana. Prior to working with us, he worked at T38 Studio and Proyectos Calli, where he worked on a diverse range of residential projects and collaborations with artists and art institutions. Hector's passions lie within creating simple and minimal forms and seeing how people interact within them. Hector joined Design Opera in 2021.
Kacim Benhachmi
Designer | Kacim holds a Master of Architecture from The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from McGill University in Montreal. Prior to joining us, Kacim developed an expertise in design research through architecture practice and teaching. He worked on notable projects internationally, including: a museum in Sölden and concept stores in New York and Los Angeles. Kacim joined Design Opera in 2023.
Litsy Mireli
Drafter | Litsy received her Bachelor's degree in Architecture in the Sustainable Projects Program at the Instituto Tecnologico Tijuana (ITT). She is mostly interested in designing social projects and her thesis focused on Interiors applied as Mediums of Spatial Identities. Litsy joined Design Opera in 2022.
Liz Smilek
Drafter | Liz holds a Bachelor's degree from Pitzer College, where she studied Environmental Analysis with a focus on Sustainability and the Built Environment. She is currently pursuing a Master's of Architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Her coursework has concentrated on histories of urbanism, community-centered planning, and equitable design practice. She is interested in the accessibility of both the physical and social spaces of architecture. Liz joined Design Opera in 2023.
Stefan Zazueta
Head of Marketing & Drafter | Stefan is currently studying at Woodbury University and will receive a Bachelor's degree in Architecture in 2024. His passion for creating ranges from architectural design to graphic design and screen printing with hopes to venture into furniture design in the near future. Stefan joined Design Opera in 2018.