Story of Design

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 innovation.

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 tech-aided approaches. These experiences serve as a foundation for his continuous growth in the field, shaping architecture into a catalyst of change and meaningful transformation.

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 Mitchell Hall, one of the partners at KPMB, highlights the role of people in architecture, emphasizing the creation of functional, inspiring spaces that contribute to a better world through thoughtful approaches and innovative solutions.

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 tailored to each project's unique requirements.

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 everyday essentials. 

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 design, consistently emphasizing construction and design excellence, and focusing on affordable housing, low-carbon construction technology, adaptive reuse, and public-interest design, he shares further on being genuinely responsible as an architect influenced by multipotentiality in this Story of Design series.

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 cultures across the globe.

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 is their mission to harmonize functionality and responsibility in the field, as shared in this Story of Design series. 

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 it means to Design for and with Clarity to achieve long lasting impact.

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, people, and processes to an enriched environment.

Serie is an international practice based in London, Mumbai, and Singapore, founded by Christopher lee and Kapil Gupta, specializing in architecture, urban design, and research. with heavy exploration on architectural typologies and evolution, and the belief that studying historical building precedents becomes a strong basis for new solutions, Christopher Lee shares about creating life-changing habitations or buildings that are contextually tight and relevant, drawing from his years of experiences.

Alexander Lamont is an English designer known for his organic and tactile product designs that are deeply rooted in touch. His childhood experience of having lived in different places around the world has allowed him to embrace the dynamism of materials and craftsmanship from many cultures, places and times, resulting in designs that are infused with unique vitality, soul, and character.

Sandellsandberg is a Sweden-based architectural design studio founded almost three decades ago and constantly aims to deliver a wide range of projects and solutions with careful attention to craftsmanship and timeless design. the firm creates thoughtfully-designed multiscale projects while crafting and nurturing meaningful architectural identities, as Johan Strandlund shared in this story of design series.

"Sustainability for us comes in three flavors: performance, arts and crafts, and local materials, and it is all about integrating all these elements into a design. This is where Southeast Asia should focus on being the driving force in the design process. to design meaningfully and to make a significant impact on grassroots level.” Patrick Keane, founder, and principal architect at Enter Projects Asia.

Born and inspired by the Japanese word, “KiKi”, which means appreciation towards many aspects of our lives, KiKi ARCHi is a multinational design studio that internalizes design for wellbeing through thoughtfully crafted simplicity. Their mission is to introduce a rationale and responsible design language for the senses that are beyond poetic and timeless at heart, as Yoshihiko Seki shared in this story of design series.

GG-loop is an interdisciplinary architectural studio based in Amsterdam founded and led by Giacomo Garziano. The studio delivers an eclectic approach with vision focused on biophilic, regenerative, and environmentally conscious design to essentially create spaces that are not only inspirational and functional, as Giacomo shared further in this story of design series.

Casatibuonsante is a design firm born out of broadening architecture and design from domestic to urban landscapes and simultaneously finding the balance in between. Through building a deeper understanding of the ever-changing environment and users, Antonio and Federico, the two founders, shares how they create more livable, flexible, and inclusive domestic spaces inside a dynamic urban environment in this story of design series.

With its dynamic group of collaborators, Delve has completed a range of projects in private and public sectors across london with each project seeking a projection of joy and connectivity. As the name “Delve” stems from being explorative, curious, and investigative, Alex Raher shares how the approaches architecture as a space for learning for future generations in this story of design series.

Ecomantra is a tale of passion, mission, and regeneration.  Since 2014, the company aims to become the pioneer in environmental engineering consultancy and specializing in environmentally sustainable design to create better thought-out properties with significantly less carbon footprint. In this Story of Design series, Maitri Fischer lays open what makes a thriving environment and his thoughts on sustainability.

Berlin-based Sigurd Larsen developed his practice from small to large-scale projects involving a lot of integrated solutions from architecture, interior, furniture, and detailed designs. Ever since the beginning of his journey, Larsen had always had his eyes on details and human-scale features, which led him to always immersing himself into every design process, being hands-on with every project, and becoming responsive to every project needs or those that arise along the way.

NimTim Architects is a London-based architecture, landscape, and interior design studio led by a high-spirited duo, Nimi Attanayake and Timothy O'Callaghan. With every project celebrating uniqueness that resonates with the people who inhabit it, Tim further shares about embracing diversity at the center of process to create lively-designed spaces in this story of design series.

For more than decades, Mecanoo has highlighted the philosophy of People, Place, Purpose, and Poetry to constantly adapt to the ever-changing needs of the environment. In this Story of Design series, Nuno Fontarra, one of the partners at Mecanoo, shares his thoughts on making sustainable choices through embracing technology and innovation as a way to behold future architecture.

Bonell+Dòriga was founded in 2013 by Laura Bonell and Daniel López-Dòriga with the belief that small can do big. Through intention and curiosity, the studio has constructed a body of work that emphasizes the importance of the human scale in architecture.

Jakob's primary approach is based on the belief in connectedness of things, living beings, and phenomena where he sees a kind of body language in terms of physicality in every process. This became more and more apparent as he shared more on celebrating imperfection and making a ‘good-enough' architecture through mediating, understanding, and accepting the different forces as a way of building mindfully.

Park Associati always stimulate an open design methodology and combine analytical and practical techniques while also nurturing traditions to generate new designs and methods involving people. In this story of design series, Matteo Arietti, as head of research and architect at Park Associati further talks about humanities as an intangible part of architecture that drives changes while preserving mankind.

Since its founding in 2004 by Robert Humble and Joel Egan, Hybrid has always stood upon cultural, economical, social, and environmental values to drive livability. In this story of design series, owner robert humble and director of development alex herbig share the story of their hybridized practice with constantly adapting to the evolving needs of the city and people.

Inspired by Balinese culture and traditions, IBUKU always sees bamboo as an architectural material and constantly spreads its vernacular language through beautifully built structures. The studio was founded by Elora Hardy in 2010, hand have built up to 200 bamboo structures; bringing local Indonesian techniques, processes, and materials to the rest of the world to build sustainably as a way of connecting with nature.

Singaporean Wallflower Architects founders', Robin Tan and Cecil Chee share their experiences and philosophy on generating impactful space in one of Southeast Asia's most highly urbanized environments, Singapore. 

Born in Venezuela and with a bankfull of experiences around the world, Maximilian Jencquel found Bali to be a sanctuary to grow and practice his architecture and therefore established Studio Jencquel in 2010. from there, he builds and reiterates a heartwarming architecture that accentuates storytelling predominantly inspired by his own life journey. 

Throughout their journey, CEBRA's philosophy is centralized around creating a balance between the brain and the heart, between something intellectual and emotional - it should never be one of the two. In this story of design, Mikkel Frost shares his elegiac thoughts on seeing architecture as an object that moves people and as an art form that enhances emotional connections among us. #sustainability #architecture #design 

Taina Campos believes that sustainability is all about thinking in a circular way, a changing mindset, habits, consumption, and our way of life, as she shared her thoughtful approach and biomaterials exploration in design to improve wellbeing. #sustainability #architecture #design 

The forgotten nature is the forgotten soul. Nature has always been there for us and before us. Inspired by Mexico and beyond, Elias Kalach and Teddy Nanes of Vertebral shared their thoughtful approach to bringing craftsmanship and nature into the built environment to enhance timeless dialogue between humans and mother earth.