NEW: Design Excellence Feature - Desai Chia Architecture

We are pleased to announce a new feature on our forum: the Design Excellence Feature will highlight projects from mentors in our community. Projects will showcase notable design that has often been recognized in publications and/or with awards.

We want you to get to know even more about our mentors through their impressive portfolios of work.

We are kicking off the Design Excellence Feature with Desai Chia Architecture, who has been recognized in Dwell and Interior Design this year for their design of the Ledge House, and have received the Honor Award in the 2020 Residential Design Architecture Awards for their collaboration with Environment Architects on the Michigan Lake House.

Desai Chia is run by Katherine Chia, FAIA and Arjun Desai, AIA. Together they have established the firm’s reputation for authentic design, creating inspiring environments expressive of their use and materials. We recently spoke with Katherine about the designs of the Ledge House and Michigan Lake House as well as the recent recognition and accolades these projects have received. Katherine shared,

“The designs for both the Michigan Lake House and the Ledge House evolved from a study of the local ecology, natural and vernacular features embedded in the region, and the client’s lifestyle and aspirations for the project. Each project had a “muse” that influenced the relationship of the architecture to the surrounding environment.”

In the Ledge House, the muse was an existing boulder- a prehistoric “glacial erratic” that was deposited along the ledge hundreds of thousands of years ago when the glaciers formed the Appalachian Mountains. The Ledge House was built tight to the boulder which became a rugged companion to the house and presides over the uphill forest views.

In the Michigan Lake House, the muse was the property’s steep bluff overlooking Lake Michigan-- we designed the form of the roof to capture and divert stormwater away from the bluff, preventing erosion along this vulnerable precipice.

Katherine will lead the discussion, along with Nadia Jarrett, in our January 21, 2021 Mentoring Seminar, where Katherine will discuss how work in the field is the best teacher.

If you haven’t already registered, you can register here.