Explore our latest ‘In Practice’ feature as CUAIK shares insights into their practice, workflow, challenges, and how Programa has streamlined their design process.
In Practice
CUAIK | CDS
Mexico City, Mexico07 October 2024
CUAIK is a multidisciplinary design office, handling a wide range of projects including residential spaces, restaurants, hotels, and even urban master plans. The firm’s diverse offerings include Quarit, their construction arm; Piztola, a furniture line they design in-house; and Cadequilo, which specializes in art for the spaces they create.
The company’s journey began with Santiago, one of the founders, who initially focused on designing restaurants. His success in that domain led to expansion into residential houses, apartments, and hotels, both in Mexico and abroad. CUAIK’s approach is unique in that they deeply understand their clients’ needs and preferences, adapting their expertise to deliver projects that align with their clients’ visions while enhancing them with CUAIK’s refined style.
“Programa has streamlined our workflow, giving us a clear structure that was missing before. It’s made managing multiple projects more efficient and less stressful.”
Maria ZamudioResidential Director
Role of Programa
Programa has transformed CUAIK’s workflow by bringing order and efficiency to their processes. Before Programa, the team struggled to maintain clear structure with other project management tools. Now, with an organized system for managing everything from furniture and materials to plans and renders, they operate much more smoothly.
A key feature of Programa is its real-time client communication. CUAIK can instantly update clients on project stages, ensuring they always have the latest information. This has been crucial, especially as CUAIK manages 12 residential projects across Mexico and internationally.
The platform’s user-friendly interface has simplified project management, making information clear and well-organized, leading to better internal communication and project outcomes.
- Project Management—CUAIK manages over 20 projects simultaneously, Keeping their studio on track from spec to site and concept to completion. The Studio view is essential for navigating each project phase.
- Client Dashboard—Streamline stakeholder communication by centralizing all key project documentation, including Shared Schedules, Pinboards, Canva files, and more.
- Schedules—Organize specs for Hardware, FF&E, Appliances, Materials, and both Interior & Exterior elements, ensuring every detail is covered.
- Pinboards—CUAIK uses Pinboards to share swatches, render exports, and on-site progress imagery, keeping visuals accessible and up-to-date.
“We transitioned completely to Programa for our project management. The platform significantly reduced our time spent on administrative tasks, allowing us to focus more on design and client interactions.”
Maria ZamudioResidential Director
Design Process and Client Collaboration
CUAIK places a strong emphasis on understanding their clients’ needs. They hold multiple meetings at the start of each project to gather insights into how clients live, their style preferences, and what they wish to achieve. Programa’s mood board feature plays a crucial role in this process, allowing the team to combine client inputs with their own design ideas. This collaboration leads to a fusion of styles that often results in a final product that surpasses the client’s initial vision.
Programa has enabled CUAIK to seamlessly integrate client feedback into their designs, ensuring that the final outcome is both personalized and professionally executed. The platform’s capabilities have been instrumental in helping CUAIK deliver high-quality, cohesive projects that resonate with their clients’ expectations.
“Programa has brought a new level of organization and clarity to our projects, making it easier for us to manage everything from design to client communication in real-time. It’s a game-changer for our team and our clients.”
Daniele GarciaProject Manager Senior
