Katherine Chia FAIA and Arjun Desai AIA are the founding principals of Desai Chia Architecture. Since 1996, they have established the firm’s reputation for authentic design, creating inspiring environments expressive of their use and materials; Desai Chia’s portfolio includes cultural, residential, and commercial projects as well as commissions for product design and collaborations with artists. Projects are currently in development throughout the United States and abroad in Toronto, Bangalore, and the U.K.
In 2018, Architecture Magazine ranked Desai Chia Architecture #19 in the nation for design excellence. Desai Chia’s projects have been published extensively and received many accolades including the AIA Institute Honor Award, AAP Small Firm of the Year Award for Multi-disciplinary Architecture, numerous American Architecture Awards, AIA Design Awards, Interior Design Best of Year Awards, the IDEA Award, and several Good Design Awards. The firm’s work has been exhibited at the Center for Architecture, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Istanbul Bienniale, Salone del Mobile Milan, the Herman Miller showrooms in New York and LA, and Parsons The New School of Design.
Katherine Chia FAIA earned her Master of Architecture degree from M.I.T. and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College. Prior to founding Desai Chia Architecture, she worked for Maya Lin on numerous art and architecture commissions. Chia is a registered architect in the state of New York & Connecticut. She has also been a faculty member in the architecture department at Parsons The New School of Design, Co-Chair of the Van Alen Institute’s Program Leadership Council, and a trustee of the United Nations International School. She is currently Treasurer of the AIA New York & the Center for Architecture and Trustee Emerita of Amherst College.
Arjun Desai AIA grew up in New Delhi and Mumbai, India. Prior to founding Desai Chia Architecture, he worked at SHCA/NY on numerous civic projects in New York and Washington, D.C. He earned his Master of Architecture degree from M.I.T. and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bennington College. Desai is a registered architect in the state of New York and an active member of the AIA NY.
LOCATION: New York
LEARN MORE: desaichia.com
The Roxbury House marries art and landscape in intimate and broad moments. The house is positioned uphill and on the edge of the 12-acre property to strategically take advantage of prevailing winds for natural ventilation and to minimize site disturbance
The ZN Prototype House was designed as a kit of parts that could easily be erected on any site. We developed this concept after receiving a lot of interest in our design for the LM Guest House (completed in 2012).
The Copake Lake House engages this lakefront property through a series of framed volumetric compositions and material details that capture views to the water.
The Ledge House clients asked us to design a new home that would resonate with the history of the Connecticut Valley, include a material palette that is environmentally friendly, and works with the challenging site on a large rock ledge.
The LM Guest House integrates a number of sustainable design strategies, including geothermal heating and cooling, radiant floors, natural ventilation, motorized solar shades, photovoltaic panels, and rainwater harvesting for irrigation, in addition to an elegant structural design.
Desai Chia Architecture designed this loft for a photographer who was seeking a serene live-work environment. The 5,000 square foot industrial space was fully renovated to include a library/reception area, living and dining areas, a kitchen, a photo studio, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a powder room, and ample storage space.
We expanded a traditional shingled cottage home by marrying a new addition and a renovation project together. The design reorients the house to the garden, an existing swimming pool, and the bucolic views of the neighboring farm in order to reinforce the relationships between outdoor activities and the surrounding landscape.
Perched on a woodland bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, this home is an assemblage of three offset structures that play off each other— the ‘gathering’ structure contains the living room, kitchen and a covered ‘vista’ seating terrace; the two ‘sleeping’ structures house the master bedroom suite and three children’s bedrooms. A dining area breezeway connects all three structures.
