As an architect and builder, his work incorporates environmentally responsible, sustainable and energy efficient technologies. Starting in 1976 with a first solar heated home in the hills of Corrales, New Mexico, he has over thirty years of professional experience.

An author of three books and countless articles published in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the theme of sustainability, his work, both written and built, has received numerous awards in architectural biennials and competitions, as well as recognition from the American Institute of Architects.

He has taught and lectured at academic institutions in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean, including: the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and the Universidad Autonoma de Guadaljara; the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria and Ricardo Palma in Peru; the Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro and the Universidade Nacional de Brasilia in Brazil; and Ball State University and the University of Texas at San Antonio in the US, among others. For almost a decade, he served as Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico.

Professionally he has been recognized with three Fulbright Fellowships and numerous grants and awards from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Community Development Initiative/Enterprise Foundation, and the American Institute of Architects, among others.