Project Details

Client : Confidential
Location : Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Project Type : Master Planning, Architecture
Program : Hotel, Convention Center, Retail, Residential, Office
Site Area : 71.2 hectares
Status : Concept Master Plan

Ouaga Renaissance is poised to redefine urban living in Burkina Faso as the nation’s first fully master-planned, contemporary community. Strategically located along a major freeway corridor, it will link the new Ouagadougou International Airport with a revitalized downtown core, creating a dynamic urban spine that connects commerce, culture, and community.

Envisioned as a complete lifestyle destination, Ouaga Renaissance will offer a carefully integrated mix of residential, commercial, hospitality, and recreational spaces. Residents will enjoy modern high-rise living with access to green parks, walking trails, and community gathering spaces. Professionals will benefit from state-of-the-art office towers designed to support innovation, entrepreneurship, and international business.

The heart of the project will feature a vibrant retail and entertainment district, anchored by global and regional brands, gourmet restaurants, cafés, entertainment venues, and leisure attractions. A luxury hotel will provide accommodations for visitors, business travelers, and tourists alike, further enhancing the area’s appeal as an international destination.

Drawing inspiration from California’s relaxed indoor-outdoor lifestyle, the design emphasizes open spaces, natural light, and seamless transitions between indoor comfort and outdoor activity. With smart infrastructure, sustainable design principles, and a strong focus on community wellbeing, Ouaga Renaissance will set a new benchmark for urban development in West Africa.

More than just a development, Ouaga Renaissance represents a bold step into the future for Ouagadougou—a place where people can live, work, connect, and thrive in a setting that reflects the best of modern design, local identity, and global ambition.

Project Details

Client : Vista Bank Group
Location : Freetown, Sierra Leone
Project Type : Architecture, Interior
Program : Retail, Office
Site Area : 2,889 sm
Status : Schematic Design

Iconic Design for a Modern Vision

Set to become a landmark in Freetown, the new Vista Bank headquarters is a jewel of iconic, innovative architecture. Bold yet inviting, the building is a one-of-a-kind structure that reflects the forward-thinking identity of Vista Bank. Drawing inspiration from the brand’s logo, the design combines sharp lines and soft curves to create a visual statement that is both dynamic and sophisticated. This architectural language not only reinforces the brand’s presence but positions the bank as a leader in contemporary design within the region.

Optimized for Impact

Strategically positioned to maximize the corner exposure of the site, the design frees the prime corner for a grand, welcoming main entry, while discreetly placing the parking access along Light-foot Boston Street. This approach ensures a seamless visitor experience from arrival to entrance, setting the stage for a memorable and inspiring visit. The building’s layout and form are carefully crafted to engage the public and reinforce the bank’s commitment to accessibility and transparency.

A Destination, not Just a Bank

Breaking away from the dark and insular norms of traditional banking halls, the Vista Bank HQ reimagines what a banking space can be. Infused with natural light and sweeping views, the interior fosters a sense of openness and clarity. With curated greenery, panoramic rooftop gardens, and a refined material palette inspired by Sierra Leone’s landscapes and culture, the environment feels both sophisticated and grounded. It is a space designed to be not just seen, but experienced—blending modern elegance with regional authenticity.

Exceptional Spaces for People

At its core, the building is about people—those who work there and those who visit. The headquarters offers an elevated workspace with exceptional amenities, where employees can thrive in an atmosphere of comfort and inspiration. From open office layouts to panoramic rooftop gardens, every element has been designed with wellbeing in mind. The result is a workspace that promotes innovation, collaboration, and pride.

Redefining the Banking Experience

Vista Bank’s new home represents a radical departure from the conventional. More than a financial institution, it becomes a symbol of regional pride and architectural ambition. By merging functionality with bold design and cultural sensitivity, the space offers a unique banking experience—approachable, inspiring, and truly one of a kind. It’s a new standard for what a bank can be.

Project Details

Client : Bedrock
Location : Detroit, MI
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Office, Hotel, Residential
Building Area : 487,780 square feet
Status : Completed in 2023

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

Designed by Louis Kemper in 1916, the Book Tower is one of the most recognized buildings in Detroit’s skyline. The 486,760 square-foot structure, which was originally an office tower in an Italian Renaissance style, was acquired by Bedrock in 2015, Detroit’s premier full-service real estate company.

An extensive exterior restoration included the replacement of 2,483 historically-accurate windows and full restoration of the ornamental cornice complete with caryatid statues. A historic art glass skylight will be brought back to its original splendor as part of the restoration work.

The role is to update and expand on Book Tower’s programing and existing structures, creating nearly 500,000 square feet of downtown residential, hospitality, retail and office space. The restoration of this 38-story landmark is one of the most ambitious and high-profile adaptive reuse projects in the heart of Downtown Detroit and will provide an opportunity to create a cohesive civic vision for Washington Boulevard; bringing people, place, and events together. The building’s residents and guests will share amenity spaces throughout the different levels as well as awe-inspiring entertaining spaces on the roof of the Book Building portion of the property.

The objective is to add a forward-looking mixed-use program to Detroit’s growing downtown that will meet the needs of businesses, visitors and residents alike.

The plans include a blend of public and private space, including a variety of public amenities in the form of retail, galleries, restaurants and cafe – many with open sight lines to Washington Boulevard and Grand River Avenue – adding to the city’s pedestrian experience. Accessible from multiple sides, the building will serve as a point of engagement in the city center, unlocking its potential as a link between Grand Circus Park, all the way to the Cobo Center.

Project Details

Client : Miraein, SSG Properties LLC
Location : Seoul, Korea
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Office, Hotel, Residential
Building Area : 370,000 square feet
Status : In Schematic Design

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

The winning entry of the Creative Innovation Architecture Design Pilot Project competition, this visionary mixed-use tower in Seoul, South Korea, redefines urban living through a groundbreaking integration of nature and public space. The high-rise features an open, welcoming podium and a striking sky garden that functions as a vibrant communal hub. More than a bold architectural statement, the design strengthens the connection between the building, its residents, and the surrounding city—creating a landmark that invites interaction, fosters community, and enhances the urban experience.

Project Details

Client : Confidential
Location : Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Project Type : Master Planning, Architecture
Program : Hotel, Healthcare, Research Lab, Mixed-Use Development
Site Area : 50.2 hectares
Status : Concept Master Planning

Project Overview

RMCK Healthcare City is a landmark medical and innovation district planned to catalyze healthcare-led economic development in Burkina Faso. Located within a designated free zone in Bobo-Dioulasso, the project is designed as an integrated, multi-functional campus that merges healthcare delivery, research, education, and industrial production within a cohesive urban framework.

Design Intent and Scope

The design emphasizes a modular, scalable approach to planning, incorporating key healthcare infrastructure including general and specialized hospitals, medical training institutes, biomedical research laboratories, and pharmaceutical manufacturing zones. Supporting components include pharmacies, diagnostic centers, wellness facilities, and administrative complexes, all woven into a pedestrian-friendly, green urban environment.

Key Objectives

RMCK Healthcare City is strategically conceived to position Bobo-Dioulasso as a leading hub for medical excellence, innovation, and education in West Africa. The project aims to attract and retain top-tier healthcare professionals, researchers, and academic institutions by offering state-of-the-art facilities and a collaborative environment. By integrating clinical, academic, and industrial functions, the development seeks to foster a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem that supports everything from primary care to advanced research and pharmaceutical production. Additionally, RMCK Healthcare City is designed to promote medical tourism, drawing patients and practitioners from across the region and beyond. The project also aims to facilitate partnerships across sectors to drive economic growth, while enhancing the global visibility of Bobo-Dioulasso as a center of reference in healthcare and life sciences.

Sustainability & Infrastructure

The project integrates sustainable design strategies including passive cooling, solar energy generation, water recycling systems, and adaptable building typologies that respond to climate and context. Transportation infrastructure includes internal transit systems, emergency access routes, and integration with broader city mobility plans.

Project Details

Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Project Type: Architecture, Interior
Program: Single-Family Residence
Site Area: 650 sm
Building Area: 510 sm
Status: Completed in 2021

Located in Burkina Faso, this single-family residence occupies a 650 square meter site, with a built area of 500 square meters. Designed as both an architectural and interior design project, the residence is now complete.

The primary design challenge was how to efficiently utilize the compact, square-shaped site while accommodating the full residential program. The architectural solution was guided by a desire to create two distinct outdoor environments: a welcoming front entry courtyard and a more secluded rear garden featuring a swimming pool.

To enhance the sense of arrival and provide a spatial anchor for the home, the main entrance is marked by a double-height atrium. This central space is flooded with soft, natural light filtered through a skylight above, creating a dramatic yet serene transition into the heart of the residence. The result is a carefully choreographed spatial experience that balances openness, privacy, and a strong connection to nature within a limited footprint.

The challenge of the design was how to best maximize the use of a tight square site with the desired programs. The design evolved from the desire to have two distinct gardens: a front entry courtyard and a private rear garden with a swimming pool. In order to create a welcoming sense of granduer and arrival, the main entry of the house features a double height atrium with filtered light from the skylight above.

Project Details

Location: Los Angeles, California
Project Type: Architecture, Interior
Program: Single-Family Residence
Status: Completed in 2007

**Project completed during tenure at XTEN

Hermosa Beach House appears as an abstract block of ebonized cedar a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean in Hermosa Beach. The site is very small. While typical lots in the area measure 120’ x 40’, the allowable building area for the Surfhouse measures just 33’ x 24’. The architects approached the project by subtracting the larger program areas from a solid volumetric form that conformed to the zoning regulations and sought to maximize space, light, and views while also creating a sense of privacy and retreat for the young owners on a busy beachside street.

The domestic program is stacked vertically on the lot. Services and bedrooms are on the lower floors, with larger rooms pushed to the corners for light and views in multiple directions. The top floor and decks are completely open as continuous indoor / outdoor living spaces open to the beach and ocean. The façade is made from rough sawn, black stained cedar planks with volumetric openings at primary program spaces and a system of identical vertical casement windows arrayed across the secondary elevations for specific views and ventilation. The interior is all light and air, with bamboo floors and walls of glass that slide away to bring the beachside environment inside.

Project Details

Client : One World Trade Center
Location : Manhattan, New York
Project Type : Architecture
Program : Retail, Office
Site Area: 74,328 square feet
Building Height: 1,776 feet
Number of Stories: 104
Building Area: 3,500,000 square feet
Status : Construction Complete (2014)

**Project executed while employed at SOM

Completed in 2014, One World Trade Center recaptures the New York skyline, reasserts downtown Manhattan’s preeminence as a business center, and establishes a new civic icon for the country. It is a memorable architectural landmark for the city and the nation — a building whose simplicity and clarity of form will remain fresh and timeless. Extending the long tradition of American ingenuity in high-rise construction, the design solution is an innovative mix of architecture, structure, urban design, safety, and sustainability.

One World Trade Center is a bold icon in the sky that acknowledges the adjacent memorial. While the memorial, carved out of the earth, speaks of the past and of remembrance, One World Trade Center speaks about the future and hope as it rises upward in a faceted form filled with, and reflecting, light. This tower evokes the slender, tapering triangular forms of great New York City icons such as the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building and replaces almost one quarter of the office space lost on September 11, 2001.

As the tower rises from a cubic base, its edges are chamfered back, resulting in a faceted form composed of eight elongated isosceles triangles. At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon in plan and then culminates in a glass parapet whose plan is a 150-foot-by-150-foot square, rotated 45 degrees from the base. Its overall effect is that of a crystalline form that captures an ever-evolving display of refracted light. As the sun moves through the sky or we move around the tower, the surfaces appear like a kaleidoscope, and will change throughout the day as light and weather conditions change.

Project Details

Client : MRR
Location : Manhattan
Project Type : Architecture, Interior, Landscape
Program : Retail, Residential
Building Area : 207,480 square feet
Status : In Construction, to be completed late 2025

**Project completed during tenure at ODA

126 East 57th Street spans the width of a full city block, extending from 56th to 57th Street, and is envisioned as a 175,000-square-foot residential tower. Nearly every unit will include a private outdoor terrace, animating the cast-in-place concrete façade with a sculptural composition of projections and recesses. The primary entrance on 57th Street invites residents through a copper-mirrored gateway into a dramatic six-story atrium, offering views into a lushly landscaped courtyard. A gallery leads from the atrium to the main lobby, which provides access to the 28-story tower above. A secondary entrance, located along 56th Street, features a discreet porte-cochère for convenient vehicular drop-off.

The building’s distinctive footprint and varied layouts allow for a rich sequence of amenity experiences—an array of interconnected, intimate spaces thoughtfully woven throughout the building. These moments, located just steps from each residence, provide places to relax, gather, or explore. Together, they create an ecosystem that fosters a sense of community and enhances the overall residential experience.