Architizer Awards Desai Chia as Top Small Firm

Desai Chia Architecture has been awarded the prestigious Architizer A+ Award for Best Small Firm, recognizing their continued excellence in thoughtful, conceptually bold architecture. The New York-based studio, founded by Katherine Chia and Arjun Desai, has cultivated a design approach that bridges material authenticity, environmental awareness, and social responsiveness. The work of Desai Chia Architecture often reflects a sensitivity to material, light, and context.

Design with Purpose and Poetic Simplicity

Since its inception in 1996, Desai Chia Architecture has produced a broad portfolio spanning residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional projects. The studio is celebrated for its graceful architectural language—anchored in natural light, context, and the expressive use of materials. Their designs seek to enrich the collective experience of space, delivering environments that resonate on both functional and emotional levels.

Multidisciplinary Thinking and Sustainable Strategies

The firm’s ethos draws from a multidisciplinary background, allowing them to challenge conventional typologies and rethink the relationship between architecture and nature. Their work often incorporates passive strategies and advanced building technologies to create sustainable and lasting impact. Across projects, light becomes an organizing force, not just a visual element but a means of shaping atmosphere and behavior.

Process-Focused, Client-Centered

Desai Chia Architecture’s method is rooted in close collaboration, managing every phase from initial concept to final construction. This end-to-end approach ensures the architectural language evolves with the client’s needs while maintaining coherence with the firm’s larger design narrative. Each project is seen as an opportunity for experimentation and research, contributing to a growing archive of ideas and techniques.

Impact Beyond Aesthetics

The Architizer A+ Award for Best Small Firm is a testament to the studio’s ability to deliver designs that are not only visually striking but deeply humane. Their work supports communities, institutions, and individuals by crafting spaces that elevate everyday experience. Katherine Chia and Arjun Desai continue to lead the studio with clarity of vision, shaping architecture that speaks to both present-day challenges and future possibilities.