Ernesto Carvajal Maldonado

Ernesto Carvajal is an Ecuadorian designer and co-founder of Efimero, a design studio based in Cyprus and the US. His work spans a broad range of projects, including academic buildings, public installations, international symposium planning and a series of interviews with architects from around the world. His work has been exhibited at Harvard University, the Larnaca Biennale, Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana and the Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Ernesto’s practice and teaching are shaped by his professional and cultural background, with a focus on the themes of uncertainty and crisis. He approaches design as a process informed by the past, present and future, embracing intuitive and exploratory methods. Rather than viewing uncertainty and doubt as limitations, he sees them as opportunities to question, learn and reinterpret.

He believes the classroom is a space for critical dialogue and a celebration of diverse voices. Ernesto holds a Master of Architecture II from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, an MSc in Sustainable Design (with distinction) from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad San Francisco de Quito.