As a designer and general contractor, creating and building are passions for Francisco – one of the two principals and founders of FM STUDIO. He holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Architecture from the prestigious SCAD, Savannah Campus, where he graduated in 2004. Following graduation, he moved to Atlanta and worked with a number of design firms before spending 10 years with Perkins + Will from 2006 to 2016 as a member of their Healthcare Studio and Higher Education Studio teams. In 2016, Francisco added Licensed Contractor to his list of skills and talents – further broadening the scope and level of service he provides to design and build clients.

“It doesn’t matter whether the work is for friends, family, or clients here in the Atlanta area and beyond, I am drawn to the way people and communities interact with one another,” says Francisco of his approach. “To me, people and spaces share a fascinating connection that I try to celebrate in the designs and buildings I create.”

Francisco is originally from Santiago, Chile and first moved to the United States with his family at the age of 6. At the time, they lived in Ft. Lauderdale then briefly back in Chile before permanently returning to America around the age of 14. It was also around this time that Francisco took his first woodshop class in high school, and a life-long interest in building was born. He then followed that interest with studies in art, design, and eventually to art school and pursuing degrees in architecture. “The advantage of studying architecture in an art school environment is that everyone you interact with helps influence your perspective – even if they are studying painting, graphic design, or sculpture – everyone relates to the expression of artistic vision.”

It was in architecture school that Francisco first met FM STUDIO co-founder and his wife, Miriam. The two worked on several student projects together – a collaboration that has now grown into designing and building their own projects, which both find extremely rewarding.

Outside of work, Francisco enjoys spending time outdoors biking, wakeboarding, snowboarding, traveling, and enjoying concerts and music shows. He also draws tremendous inspiration from his travels – visiting different neighborhoods, observing how communities interact, and tapping into the creative spirit of a destination.