Philia
Magazine

Fan Beilei is the founding partner and principal of genarchitects, a Shanghai-based architecture practice established in 2013. A China First Class Registered Architect, RIBA Chartered Architect, and International Associate of the AIA, she holds a Master of Urban Design from Technische Universität Berlin and a Master of Architecture from Tongji University. Her work explores architecture as a calm and thoughtful response to site, material, and contemporary living.

Led alongside KONG Rui and XUE Zhe, genarchitects works across educational, cultural, commercial, and residential projects. The practice has received numerous international distinctions, including the WA Chinese Architecture Award, the World Architecture Festival Award, the Brick in Architecture Awards, and THE PLAN Award. Their work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Venice Biennale of Architecture and Harvard University, and widely published in journals and monographs by publishers such as Thames & Hudson and Birkhäuser.

Sausset Leou is an architecture practice founded by Kim and Rémy, born from a shared affinity for a poetic, vernacular, and radical approach to spatial design. The duo first began collaborating during their architectural studies at ENSA Paris Val de Seine, developing alternative design projects through shared studio workshops.

Defined by a rigorous sensibility and a precise form of poetry, Sausset Leou combines formal discipline with narrative freedom, rejecting hierarchies between architectural typologies. Each project is conceived as a sensitive reinterpretation of the histories of places and people, with the ambition of making beauty accessible to all without distinction.

Lim Shing Hui is the founder and principal architect of L Architects, a Singapore-based practice she established in 2016. Born, raised, and educated in Singapore, her work is grounded in a sensitive and intuitive approach to space, with a particular interest in how architecture can foster emotional connection and a sense of intimacy in everyday environments.

Before founding her own practice, she gained experience working in established local firms, shaping a foundation that combines technical precision with a more exploratory, human-centred perspective. Through L Architects, she has developed a body of work that is both restrained and expressive, often characterised by a careful attention to materiality, light, and spatial narrative.

Her projects have received both local and international recognition. In 2022, she was awarded the SIA Design of the Year, becoming the youngest recipient to date. In 2024, L Architects was selected by Wallpaper* as one of 20 emerging practices worldwide to join its Architects Directory. More recently, the studio’s “In a Park” project received the Small Residential Interior of the Year award at the Dezeen Awards 2025, marking a significant milestone for a Singaporean architectural practice on the global stage.

Specht Novak is an Austin-based architecture and design studio known for its thoughtful approach to contemporary living. Founded by Scott Specht and led alongside partner Jakeb Novak, the practice creates work defined by clarity of form, material sensitivity, and a strong connection to place.

Rooted in a philosophy of elegant and timeless design, the studio shapes environments that balance rigor and warmth, responding to both context and the people who inhabit them. Over the past decades, their work has gained international recognition through award-winning and widely published projects.

Drew Lang is the founding principal of Lang Architecture, a New York–based practice recognized for its thoughtful approach to spatial design and material expression. He holds a Master of Architecture from Yale University and is a licensed architect in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.

At the helm of the studio, Lang defines the conceptual direction of each project, working closely with collaborators and clients to create spaces that are both grounded and enduring. His work reflects a sensitivity to context, where architecture becomes a medium to shape lived experience through light, material, and form.

Born in New Orleans, Lang’s early connection to place continues to inform his practice, particularly in the way natural and built environments intersect in everyday life. Beyond his architectural work, he founded the Faubourg St. Roch Project, a non-profit initiative dedicated to the revitalization of one of New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods, reinforcing his ongoing engagement with community and cultural continuity.

Nicolas Bossard is a Paris-based architect (HMONP) and founder of Nicolas Bossard Architecture, established in 2018 following his experience with LVMH and Studio Vincent Eschalier. His practice is rooted in transformation, engaging with projects that present both structural and contextual complexity, where existing conditions are reinterpreted through a precise and contemporary architectural language.

Working across a wide range of scales and typologies, the studio develops projects that span compact living environments, large-scale refurbishments, rooftop extensions, heritage interventions, and mixed-use programs. Each intervention is approached as a dialogue between constraints and possibilities, with a particular attention to spatial clarity, material expression, and the relationship between architecture and its environment.

In 2024, the studio was selected for the Bpifrance Accelerator Architecture & Design – France 2030, further supporting its development within the contemporary architectural landscape. Operating through an agile network of independent experts, Nicolas Bossard Architecture adopts a flexible and collaborative structure, enabling each project to be shaped by a tailored combination of skills and perspectives.