Philia
Magazine

UNFORMED DESIGN is a transdisciplinary architecture practice founded by Hassan Elgendy and Nahed Zmeter, operating between Milan and Cairo. Working across architecture, landscape, interiors, and urban design, the studio explores design as a medium for storytelling, spatial experience, and dialogue with place. Drawing on experience across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, its practice is shaped by a deep sensitivity to context, culture, and human perception, approaching each project as a response to its unique social, environmental, and historical conditions.

Working across multiple scales, from intimate interiors and installations to cultural, civic, and urban projects, UNFORMED DESIGN balances conceptual thinking with material exploration and craftsmanship. The studio has received international recognition through numerous award-winning competition entries, with projects spanning Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East. Rooted in a multidisciplinary approach, the practice continues to investigate how architecture can foster meaningful experiences while creating spaces that are both emotionally resonant and firmly grounded in their surroundings.

Javier Sánchez is the founding partner and principal of JSa, the Mexico City-based architecture studio he established while studying at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP). Raised in a family of architects, he has developed a practice that spans housing, cultural, commercial, and mixed-use projects, while playing a significant role in the regeneration of Mexico City’s historic neighbourhoods through architecture and urban development.

Over the past three decades, Sánchez has become widely recognised for his work in heritage rehabilitation and for creating resilient, mixed-use environments that respond to the evolving needs of contemporary cities. Increasingly focused on architecture’s environmental responsibilities, his recent work explores self-sustaining design strategies that integrate social, cultural, and ecological considerations. Rooted in the rich urban fabric of Mexico City, his practice continues to demonstrate how architecture can shape more connected, inclusive, and enduring communities.

Michel Rojkind is a Mexican architect and founder of Rojkind Arquitectos, an internationally acclaimed practice based in Mexico City. Since establishing the studio in 2002, he has developed a multidisciplinary approach that brings together architecture, urban strategy, business innovation, and design to create projects that respond to contemporary social and cultural challenges. His work is driven by collaboration and experimentation, transforming architecture into a platform for dialogue, community, and meaningful public engagement.

Spanning cultural institutions, hospitality, commercial, and residential projects, Rojkind’s portfolio includes landmarks such as the Cineteca Nacional, Mercado Roma, HighPark, the José Cuervo Metadistillery, and The Ledger in Bentonville, Arkansas. His work has earned widespread international recognition, with numerous awards and publications highlighting his contribution to contemporary architecture. Through Rojkind Arquitectos, he continues to explore architecture as a catalyst for innovation, shaping spaces that foster connection while redefining the relationship between people, cities, and the built environment.

Rogerio Shinagawa is a Brazilian architect and founder of Shinagawa Arquitetura, a São Paulo–based studio specializing in contemporary residential architecture and interiors. After graduating in Architecture and Urbanism from PUC Campinas and completing part of his academic training at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto, he established his own practice in 2015. His background, combined with an early exposure to architecture through his family home, shaped a design approach grounded in careful observation and sensitivity to the experience of living.

Each project is conceived as a response to its context and the people who inhabit it, balancing spatial clarity, natural light, and material expression to create environments that feel both timeless and deeply personal. Through a process that prioritizes dialogue over stylistic formulas, Shinagawa develops architecture distinguished by quiet sophistication, precision, and lasting functionality. His work has been featured in ArchDaily, Casa Vogue, and Casa e Jardim, and has received international recognition through the DNA Paris Design Awards, INT Interior Design Awards, LOOP Design Awards, and BLT Built Design Awards.

Ryan Street is an American architect and the founder of Ryan Street Architects, an Austin-based practice recognized for its thoughtful residential and commercial architecture. Since establishing the studio in 2001, he has developed a design approach rooted in a deep understanding of place, creating buildings that respond to their landscape, climate, and the people who inhabit them. His work is guided by a belief that architecture should foster a lasting connection between nature, craftsmanship, and everyday life.

Through Ryan Street Architects, Street explores the relationship between tradition and contemporary living, creating spaces distinguished by natural materials, refined detailing, and a timeless sense of permanence. Each project is shaped through a close dialogue with its site and clients, resulting in architecture that balances contextual sensitivity with enduring simplicity and warmth.