Sara Topelson de Grinberg (assumedly born in the beginning of 1945) is a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

-born

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Biography

Topelson is born to a Russian father and a Polish mother. Her family fled

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

to Mexico, when she was three months old.Eugenia Alvarez
''Sara Topelson de Grinberg; la mexicana que preside a los arquitectos del mundo.''
(Spanish), September 1, 1996. She studied architecture at the

Faculty of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

of the

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigge ...

(UNAM),

architectural theory Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

at the

Instituto Politécnico Nacional The National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico ( es, Instituto Politécnico Nacional de México; ), abbreviated IPN, is one of the largest public universities in Mexico with 171,581 students at the high school, undergraduate and postgraduate l ...

and

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

at the

Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL, en, National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature), located in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, is the Mexican institution in charge of coordinating artistic and cultura ...

(INBA). Together with her husband José Grinberg she established the architecture bureau ''Grinberg & Topelson Arquitectos'', and created together with him several residential, educational, industrial, commercial and cultural buildings, as well as recreation centers. She was professor of history of art at the

Universidad Anáhuac The Anahuac University Network is a private universities system grouped and administered by the religious congregation of the Legion of Christ. The network is composed of several universities, some with different names and educational approaches. ...

and of its atelier of urban planning architecture. As professor she is also in charge at the

International Academy of Architecture The International Academy of Architecture - ''a non-profit-making company for performing activities for private benefit'' (IAA, bg, Международна архитектурна академия) is a non-governmental and non-profit organiz ...

(IAA).International Academy of Architecture
''Sara Topelson de Grinberg''
/ref> Since 1982, she has been responsible for international affairs of the Federation of National Colleges of Architects of the Republic of Mexico (FNCARM), and has been council member of the

Union Internationale des Architectes The International Union of Architects (French: ''Union internationale des Architectes''; UIA) is the only international non-governmental organization that represents the world's architects, now estimated to number some 3.2 million in all. About ...

(UIA) since 1990, where she was vice-president from 1993, and president from 1996 to 1999. Topelson was the first female president of the UIA.''Sara Topelson de Grinberg (Mexico): UIA President (1996-1999)''
, UIA. In May 1998 she made knighted of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system ...

.''Arquitectura y Humanidades''
Topelson was director of architecture and conservation of art estate treasures in the

. She was director of urban planning in the Miguel Hidalgo delegation as well as main coordinator of the Research and Documentation center.''Arquitecto Sara Topelson de Grinberg''
(Spanish), SEDESOL. On January 5, 2007, president

Felipe Calderón Hinojosa Felipe is the Spanish variant of the name Philip, which derives from the Greek adjective ''Philippos'' "friend of horses". Felipe is also widely used in Portuguese-speaking Brazil alongside Filipe, the form commonly used in Portugal. Noteworth ...

made her undersecretary of Urban Development and Territory Planning in the

Secretaría de Desarrollo Social The Secretariat of Welfare ( Spanish: ''Secretaría de Bienestar'') is the government department in charge of social development efforts in Mexico. The Secretary of Welfare is a member of the Executive Cabinet, and is appointed at the discretion ...

(SEDESOL).''Holcim Awards - Regional Jury 2008 Latin America; Sara Topelson de Grinberg''
September 4, 2007. She is emeritus member of the Academia Nacional de Arquitectura (ANA) and of the

Academia Mexicana de Arquitectura The Academia Mexicana de Arquitectura (AMA, ''Mexican Academy of Architecture'') is a Mexican professional architectural organization, that participates in all national debates of architects. Presidents * Joaquin Alvarez Ordóñez * Jesús Agu ...

(AMA), and honorary member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to ...

, member of the

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

(RAIC), of the Asociación Nicaragüense de Ingenieros y Arquitectos, of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela, of the

Royal Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

(RAIA), of the

Japan Institute of Architects The Japan Institute of Architects (JIA; , ''Nihon kenchikuka kyōkai'') is a voluntary organization for architects in Japan, and an affiliated organization of the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA). The institution was founded in May 1987 ...

(JIA), as well as honorary member of the

Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...

since 2002 and of the

Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España The Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (CSCAE), is the higher council of Architects Associations in Spain, and is the only established professional body of Spanish architects, located in the ''Paseo de la Castellana'', Ma ...

Awards

* 1972: "Excelencia Académica" (''academic excellence''), Universidad Anáhuac * 1996: "Woman of the year", bestowed by Óscar Espinosa Villarreal in order of

Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was 61st president of Mexico from 1 December 1994 to 30 November 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from t ...

* 1998: Chevalier of the ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' * 1988 "Bene Merentibus" medal of the Polish association of architecture * Silver decoration of the ''Colegio de Arquitectos'',

Cataluña Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the northe ...

* 25-year "Excelencia Académica" medal of academic merits, Universidad Anáhuac * 2003: "

Mario Pani Mario Pani Darqui (March 29, 1911 – February 23, 1993) was a famous Mexican architect and urbanist. He was one of the most active urbanists under the Mexican Miracle, and gave form to a good part of the urban appearance of Mexico City, with ...

" medal, Colegio de Arquitectos de la Ciudad de México (CAM) in the Sociedad de Arquitectos de México (SAM)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topelson De Grinberg, Sara Mexican women academics National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Instituto Politécnico Nacional alumni Polish emigrants to Mexico Universidad Anáhuac México faculty Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 1945 births Living people Mexican Jews Mexican people of Russian-Jewish descent Mexican people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish people of Russian-Jewish descent People from Mexico City Mexican women architects 20th-century Mexican architects 21st-century Mexican architects Presidents of the International Union of Architects