Archello Podcast

Archello connects with Daniel Lobitz, partner at Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), a firm known for its contextual designs that reference history and place, especially for projects in the office's hometown of New York City.

Since joining the firm in 1986, Lobitz has led transformative projects across the country, including the tallest residential tower in Lower Manhattan at 30 Park Place, One Bennett Park in Chicago, and the reimagined Lovejoy Wharf in Boston. His work spans from large-scale urban developments to award-winning product design, with a focus on creating spaces that enhance the public realm.

Listen as Lobitz discusses the evolution of multifamily residential design and the enduring importance of context in architecture.

In this episode, Archello connects with Dimitri Roussel, founder of DREAM (Dimitri Roussel Ensemble Architecture Métropole), a Paris-based architecture studio blending environmental responsibility with bold, modular design. Known for projects that prioritize both people and the planet, DREAM’s work often showcases innovative use of timber to create sustainable, dynamic buildings.

Notable projects include l’Arbre Blanc in collaboration with Sou Fujimoto and the recently completed Athletes Village for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, both of which embody DREAM’s commitment to ecological design and fostering community connections.

Listen as Roussel discusses his founding of DREAM, the office's pioneering use of timber in architecture, and some of the exciting projects taking shape in Paris and elsewhere in France today.

In this episode, Archello connects with Chris Hardie, Partner and Design Director of Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s China studio in Shanghai.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL) is known for creating human-centered, innovative designs that balance cultural heritage with contemporary needs. The office’s projects pay a particular attention to sustainabilty and yielding a reduced embodied carbon content.

Listen as Hardie reflects on his path to China from Scotland, the founding of the China studio, and leading projects like the Beijing Performing Arts Centre and Shanghai Library East, one of the world’s largest libraries and a vibrant community hub.

In this episode, Archello connects with Seattle-based architect Alan Maskin. Maskin is a principal and owner at Olson Kundig, a design powerhouse known for pushing the boundaries between architecture and art. With projects that span the globe like the iconic renovation of Seattle’s Space Needle and the Bill & Melinda Gates Discovery Center, Maskin’s work brings a fresh perspective to how we interact with space. 

Olson Kundig is renowned for its commitment to materiality, sustainability, and storytelling in design, making Maskin a fascinating guest to explore these ideas with.

Listen as Maskin reflects on his unconventional path to architecture, his passion for drawing and hands-on design, and his transformative projects. 

In this episode, Archello is in Paris with Canada-based architect Omar Gandhi of Omar Gandhi Architects. Gandhi was born in Toronto and studied architecture in Nova Scotia. He started his own design studio in 2010, which is today based in Toronto and Halifax. In addition to his practice, he often teaches and lectures and has held appointments such as the Louis Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Architecture.

Gandhi and his studio have garnered significant recognition for his projects both in Canada and abroad. The studio earned among other honors, the Governor General's Medal in Architecture, one of Canada's most important achievements for built projects. 

Listen as Gandhi speaks about background, and a number of his projects which are known for being site specific and for their clever use of natural materials.

In this episode, Archello is in Paris with Odile Decq of Studio Odile Decq, who established her own office shortly after graduating from architecture school in Brittany in the 1980s.

Decq is a prominent French architect renowned for her bold, avant-garde designs. Her notable projects include the extension of the Macro Museum in Rome and the Phantom Opera Garnier restaurant in Paris. In addition to her architectural practice, she founded the Confluence Institute for Innovation and Creative Strategies in Architecture, which emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches in architectural education.

Listen as Decq speaks about her background, her integration of striking forms with practical design, and her motivation for introducing a new model of architectural education in France.

In this episode, Archello is in Paris with Dominique Perrault, who founded Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA) in 1981 after graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts. 

Over forty years, Perrault has become a key representative of contemporary French architecture, both in France and internationally. He first gained widespread recognition for designing the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris in 1989. Other notable projects include the Velodrome and Olympic Swimming Pool in Berlin, the EWHA Women's University in Seoul, and the DC Tower in Vienna. Perrault received the Praemium Imperiale award in 2015, among other recognitions.

Listen as Perrault speaks about his experience with design competitions, his explorations with natural topography, his new book, and his work for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

In this episode, Archello visits the newly-launched London office of Sordo Madaleno, a leading Mexican architecture firm based in Mexico City, and one of Mexico's largest practices with over 200 architects.  

The interview is with Fernando Sordo Madaleno de Haro and Rosalba Rojas, two leaders in the office of Sordo Madaleno, which was founded by Fernando’s grandfather in 1937. Fernando, who is a partner in the firm, moved to London last year to set up a new international office for the practice. Rojas is an architect based in the Mexico office, where she directs the Sordo Madaleno Foundation and leads its archival work.

Listen as Sordo Madaleno and Rojas discuss Sordo Madaleno’s history, its projects in Mexico and Europe, the experience of opening a UK office, and the foundation it established after discovering a lost treasure trove archives containing both built and unbuilt projects.

In this episode Archello is in London with Mario Cucinella, who runs his own practice Mario Cucinella Architects which he first founded in Paris in 1992, and then moved to Italy, where it now has offices in Bologna and Milan.   

With over 20 years of experience, MCA excels in architecture that emphasizes sustainability and environmental impact. Its portfolio includes acclaimed projects in product design, buildings, and urban master plans. In 2015, Mario founded the School of Sustainability (SOS) in Bologna, a post-master's program for training professionals in sustainable design. His contributions to the field have earned him the Honorary Fellowship from the American Institute of Architects and the International Fellowship from the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Listen as Cucinella speaks about background in Italy, his writing, some of his recent and upcoming projects, and how he approaches design by considering the environment and technological innovations from today as well as historically.

In this episode Archello is in London with Alison Brooks, Principal and Creative Director of Alison Brooks Architects, the office she founded in 1996.  

The works produced by Alison’s practice are experimental and sophisticated. The projects exhibit forms and materials that are sensitive to their neighborhoods yet unique enough to make one pause and appreciate a building that is unexpected, well designed and invigorating. The practice’s work has garnered awards that range from the RIBA house of the year to the Stirling Prize. 

Listen as Alison speaks about her newly-published monograph, her constant process of experimentation, and the evolution of the practice of architecture.