Javier Arizmendi, FAIA leads the design of a significant portfolio of architecture and urbanism projects in various geographic locations and practice areas. His built and active design work is located in North America, China, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
Over the past 20 years, Javier has designed and executed a significant body of work, demonstrating that regionalism and technology are not exclusive, but complementary to each other. He has designed advanced, innovative architectural and engineering solutions that resonate with place. Anchored in their specific environmental, cultural, and urban context, his buildings have improved and strengthened our cities and the spaces in which we live and work, with a humanistic architecture that recognizes and supports the diversity of cultures, people, and places.
Javier’s work leverages passive environmental strategies such as self-shading, natural ventilation, daylighting and thermal mass to effectively shape and orient buildings. His study and adaptation of local and traditional environmental responses to specific sites has resulted in an architecture that is technically innovative and culturally resonant.
Javier is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he earned degrees in Engineering Science and Art History. His interest in the integration of engineering and art led him to seek a Master’s Degree in Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design. Javier is currently a Design Principal at Skidmore. In addition to architecture, Javier is a professional painter, a practice that allows for the free exploration of meaning through color, form, writing and gesture.
Architect Wanda Dalla Costa (she/her) is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation. As an advocate for Indigenous peoples, her goal is to employ design to uplift Indigenous culture, while ensuring authenticity in the built environment. She oversees Indigenous design and research in both TAWAW offices (Phoenix and Calgary). With a passion for design, and degrees in both Architecture (U of C) and Urban Design (Sci-Arc) she works at all scales, from custom interior elements to master planning. Before forming her firm in 2010, she worked in Calgary for over a decade building high rise residential, commercial projects, and designing culturally driven buildings for nations across Canada. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, and licensed to practice in ON, AB, SK, CA and AZ.
Hana Kassem, FAIA, NOMA, is a Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, with three decades of experience, leading the design of projects globally and in the United States. She examines how we affect our environment and how in turn our built environment impacts us. Her architectural approach centers on human-centric, and sustainable design, aiming to elevate well-being and meet societal needs, fostering enriching and equitable spaces.
Her portfolio spans academic, research, cultural, hospitality, residential, and mixed-use projects in Brazil, the USA, France, the Philippines, the UAE and China. Kassem’s work has earned awards and recognition in projects like the Red Hook Houses Resiliency and Recovery for NYCHA and the HKUST University Academic Center.
Kassem serves as VP for Design Excellence on the AIANY Board of Trustees and is founding chair of the AIANY annual Leaning Out | Women in Architecture panel. She also serves on the Van Alen Institute Executive Board of Trustees, where she spearheaded the initiation of the Neighborhoods Now project, mobilizing architects during the COVID-19 pandemic to aid communities. Kassem was tapped to join the Mayor’s Advisory Council for NYC’s post-COVID-19 reopening.
Kassem has taught at Yale School of Architecture, The Cooper Union and Parsons School of Constructed Environments, emphasizing experiential engagement with the environment, particularly in marginalized communities. She co-edited the book “Architect d.b.a | On Re-defining the Roles of the Architect Today,” reflecting her passion for reshaping the architectural landscape.