Story of Design

Vietnamese architect Pham Huu Son views tropical architecture as a way to blend traditional wisdom with modern functionality. This approach not only promotes sustainability but also fosters a deep connection between people and their surroundings, shaping a future where architecture complements and sustains natural beauty.

Based in New Delhi, India, Spaces Architects@KA was founded by architect and author Kapil Aggarwal and is renowned for its innovative and user-centric design approach. The firm has crafted a series of spaces that evoke emotion, power, and playfulness, blending fresh challenges in architecture, furniture, lighting, and institutional buildings while fostering a culture of perpetual learning and inno...

Established in 2014, Mumbai-based atArchitecture focuses on sustainable and efficient architecture, landscape, and urban design solutions. The founders, Avneesh Tiwari and Neha Rane, emphasize narrative over image, advocating for simplicity, clarity, and dialogue between user and context, shaping meaningful solutions across all projects in India. 

HAS Design and Research, a global design studio based in Bangkok and Shanghai, was founded by Jenchieh Hung and Kulthida Songkittipakdee, who grew up surrounded by traditional Asian architecture. They've redefined modern Asian design by exploring the vitality of self-built shelters, celebrating the region's rich architectural identity and harmony with nature.

Founded in 2008 by Bernardo Quinzaños Oria, CCA Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica is a Mexico-based architectural studio focused on societal impact. They emphasize research, conceptualization, and execution, blending interdisciplinary methods for sustainable projects. In this Story of Design series, Bernardo envisions a future where collaboration shapes better environments.

Cutwork Studio, founded by Antonio Yuji Maeno and Chelsea Crawford, combines diverse backgrounds to create a successful business synergy, showcasing the strength of diversity. The studio collaborates with innovative companies, reshaping living and working spaces, as explored in this Story of Design series.

i/thee, a global design firm founded by energetic trio, Neal Lucas Hitch, Martin Hitch, and Kristina Fisher, celebrates interconnectedness in the environment. In the Story of Design series, Neal and Martin challenge distinctions between living and nonliving, past and present, and self and others.

Alsar Atelier is an architecture studio based in Boston & Bogotá led by Alejandro Saldarriaga. The studio adjusted its focus during the global pandemic to meet the growing demand for outdoor spaces. Emphasizing the need for alternative materials and recycling catalyzed material innovation while directly engaging with communities, deriving joy from the transformative building process.

Drew Seskunas, founder and principal designer of SAW.EARTH, drew his early admiration for urban architecture from having lived in various cities across the United States and Europe. With the exposure to such a notable commissioned project in the western city of Berlin at a young age, Seskunas immersed himself in diverse environments, constantly engaging with architecture using both traditional and...

Mumbai-based Malik Architecture, founded by Kamal Malik, seamlessly integrates architectural brilliance with a deep connection to Shimla's landscapes. With four decades of pioneering design, the studio, now led by Arjun Malik, focuses on meaningful connections, sustainability, and well-being. Their design philosophy centers on drawing natural inspiration while acknowledging the global context...

Established in 1987, KPMB is a globally recognized Canadian architectural practice committed to enhancing lives through thoughtfully built environments. The firm addresses challenges like climate change and indigenous community reconciliation with a focus on sustainability. In 2023, KPMB continues its dedication to collaborative innovation, sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion, as Mitc...

Lim Cheng-Kooi of AR43 Architects delves into design's transformative impact, particularly in empowering educational spaces. The firm's mindful approach recognizes architecture's connection to humanity and is demonstrated through sustainable practices, including preserving natural elements and passive design strategies.

Urban Praxis is a Bangkok-based architecture studio founded in 2015 by Suchada Kasemsap and Sasiwimol Utaisup. The duo emphasizes a design and architecture philosophy rooted in curiosity, collaboration, and creativity. Their approach involves extensive design research, guided by the belief that curiosity is a driving force, allowing them to explore various perspectives and adopt dynamic methods ta...

Chris Shao is a New York - Shanghai-based designer whose practice seeks to balance contemporary classics with avant-garde spirits. His journey was rooted in passion and sincere admiration for design and grew into a global-scale studio with projects scattered around the world, through the crafting of culture in pared-back aesthetics and respect for materials that lends out a signature twist to ever...

Atelier LAVIT is a Paris and Milan-based Architecture and Design firm led by Marco Lavit since 2014 and driven by a humanistic approach. After years of studying and traveling the globe for work, Lavit established an admiration for wood and prefabrication techniques as he sees it as a remarkable vessel for a more sustainable future, as he shared further in this Story of Design series. 

Jesús Vassallo is a Spanish architect, writer, and professor of architecture studies at Rice University. Throughout his career, he has been writing and publishing architecture books - one of them well known as Seamless: Digital Collage and Dirty Realism in Contemporary Architecture - before eventually establishing his firm in 2019. With works ranging from private and public buildings to urban desi...

Jaque Studio was founded in 2017 by Jesús G. Acosta Martínez and has been committed to creating spaces that provide unique and comfortable user experiences by pursuing true forms, aesthetic innovation, and natural materials surrounded by context. In this Story of Design series, Jesús shares how he crafted a biophilic identity in modern architecture, through his extensive experiences in different c...

Faire is a Paris-based Architecture firm founded by French architect Nikhil Calas and Italian architect and urbanist Federico Diodato. Through a multicultural background and extensive experience in carpentry and teaching, the firm utilizes a multidisciplinary approach combining architecture, crafts, research, and political advocacy to reduce boundaries between architecture and related fields. It i...

HYLA Architects is an award-winning architectural practice based in Singapore founded by Han Loke Kwang. With over thirty years of practice, the firm has strong experience in designing high-end landed residential projects and delivering individuality to each one of the projects through thoughtful attention to details, requirements, and context. In this Story of Design series, Han speaks about what...

Inspired mostly by his French and Mexican roots, Ludwig Godefroy  further explores monolitism and monomateriality to channel concordance in architecture. In this story of design series, he shares about using vernacular architecture to find authenticity to connect with people and culture through the process. 

As the name “Tales” suggests, Lingli, founder and principal architect at Tales hopes to make great stories through each design piece she created. Her background in art school gave her the eye to truly sense the world and help establish a greater understanding that every design in the hospitality industry is part of a bigger story; it is about putting a sequence of experiences and connecting place,...