PONCE ARCHITECTURE

An award-winning, research-driven design practice exploring the intersection of culture, context, and the built environment.

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 FEATURED WORK

Woodlands Christian Center

Spec House
      2019 AIA Houston Award
2020 Texas Architect Studio Award

Zina Garrison Tennis Academy
      2017 AIA Houston Award

  

Four Leaf Towers

Rise Academy of Dance

 PUBLICATIONS

“Seeing Double,” Cite Magazine

“Breathing Lessons,” Texas Architect

“Both Sides Now,” Cite Digital

“In the Air,” Texas Architect ACADEMIC RESEARCH

“The National Trunk Line”

University of New Mexico Exhibition

Hot Ticket














Ponce Architecture is an architecture and design practice informed by research, exploring the intersection of infrastructure, mobility, cultural landscapes, and the built environment. From residential and commercial projects to research initiatives and civic collaborations, the practice approaches every project with the belief that architecture is strengthened by a deep understanding of its cultural, environmental, and historical context.

Working across architecture, urban research, and civic engagement, Ponce Architecture embraces research, writing, photography, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary collaborations as extensions of its design process. This ongoing exchange between design and research deepens an understanding of how individual buildings relate to the larger systems that shape communities, influence movement through cities, and preserve, adapt, and reimagine cultural landscapes.

Every project begins with understanding context. Ponce Architecture believes that meaningful design emerges from thoughtful inquiry, careful observation, and academic rigor. By continually engaging in research alongside practice, the design process creates architecture that is responsive and rooted in the unique character of each place.
Celeste Ponce, founder and principal of Ponce Architecture, is a registered architect. She earned her Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where she was awarded honors for Excellence in Design. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Houston. Celeste is a faculty member at the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design and is a LEED Accredited Professional and a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Her research, "Seeing Double: A Journey Along the Rio Bravo," was featured in Cite 103 (Rice Design Alliance, 2022) and exhibited in a solo exhibition at the University of New Mexico’s School of Architecture and Planning in 2018. Her writings on Houston’s East Side have appeared in Texas Architect magazine’s March/April 2021 (Nature/Culture and Commercial) and July/August 2023 (Public/Private) issues.

Ponce's current research initiative, Paved Over, documents the Old Spanish Trail across Texas through photography, archival investigation, and site-based research. Conceived as a photographic and academic exploration of one of the state's earliest highways, the project examines mobility, cultural memory, environmental change, and the overlooked landscapes that define everyday life.

Collaborators: Raghad Al Gaood, Cynthia Cruz, Allison Gander, Jon Henning, Mitzi Jimenez, Sharon Lott, Asmaa Olwi, Sharon Philip, Greg Tauriac, Sheryl Tucker de Vazquez, Elizabeth Westmoreland, Austine Yu.