ABOUT
LASSA is an architecture practice based in London, co-founded in 2009 by Theo Sarantoglou Lalis and Dora Sweijd. LASSA operates at the intersection between the fields of Architecture, Landscape and Art. As a practice, we have two main concerns. On one hand, the behavioral attributes of architectural form for its capacity to stimulate the corporal experience of space, to enhance socialization and the collective and on the other hand, the politics of construction and a complete rethinking of building procedures.
LASSA is strongly engaged with technology for its pivotal role in the way we collaborate, design and fabricate architecture. Current work includes commissions from both the public and private sectors in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. With experience working in 18 countries, our team has developed expertise in the delivery of projects of great sophistication with a particular control over the manufacturing process and cost.
LASSA is concurrently engaged in academic research through the work of their Master’s studio, Diploma 17, at the Architectural Association and through workshops and lectures worldwide. Besides teaching at the AA, our team has held teaching positions at universities such as Harvard, Columbia, the Bartlett, Lund University and Chalmers. In 2010, LASSA was awarded a REA European research grant for COELUX, an advanced lighting system, in partnership with world-leading specialists as well as research institutions throughout Europe and Switzerland.
LASSA has won a number of international awards for their Villa Ypsilon and the the Khi House such as Idea-tops (Shenzhen), Big See Award (Slovenia), Design Educates (japan) Designboom and others. LASSA was a finalist for a number of international awards, including the Chernikov award and the Lisbon Biennale award. LASSA’s work has been featured at TED Brussels, a Smithsonian TV documentary on Greece(Aerial Greece) and a number of television and radio shows internationally. LASSA has been a chartered architecture company with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in London since 2004. LASSA has been a chartered architecture company with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in London since 2004.
HOW WE WORK
Our expertise lies in bespoke design combined with innovative, constructive strategies that make use of state-of-the-art digital design and manufacturing processes. Our team believes that demanding constraints of scale, budget and location can inspire innovative solutions. We are interested in the use of unconventional geometry as a means of integrating multiple design objectives into one form. These design parameters can include programmatic organization, environmental performance, structural optimization or acoustics, to name a few. Our experience in managing and delivering international projects of great complexity is supported by our network of consultants. This allows us to develop efficient working methods that benefit from both local and global expertise.