Founders Alison Von Glinow (left) and Lap Chi Kwong (right).

They may not have even reached their paper anniversary, but Kwong Von Glinow Design Office has already made waves having won a few high-profile competitions including the 2016 Chicago Prize. Founded by Lap Chi Kwong and Alison Von Glinow in December of 2016 (which for those that are counting, is all of 5 months ago!), the two Harvard GSD grads have impressive CV's including stints at Herzog & de Meuron, Wang Shu, and SOM.

For obvious reasons, we have included them in our weekly-series, Small Studio Snapshots. Read on as the duo discuss collaborative working models, getting clients to support innovative design, and simply, enjoying architecture. 

How many people are in your practice?

We began Kwong Von Glinow Design Office last December 2016. Currently, our office is comprised of the two founding design partners – Alison Von Glinow and Lap Chi Kwong. When we began, the two of us took on several competitions and won 1st Prize from the Chicago Architecture Club for our project Lattices on the Drive and the 1st Prize for our project Table Top Apartments for Affordable Housing in New York City. From these two wins, we have received a lot of recognition and media coverage, which has helped to get our name out there and bring in several projects. We are in the works of planning to add to our office once we finalize some of our upcoming projects. In the meantime, we continue to work on several competitions and invite friends to collaborate with us. This model of collaborative working has been very effective for the fast-paced design nature of competitions. 

Why were you originally motivated to start your own practice?

We love to create. Our passion is to create architecture people will enjoy spending time in. Since beginning our office, our working motto has been "Enjoy Architecture." Very simply, this is what we want to do: create and enjoy architecture.

Very simply, this is what we want to do: create and enjoy architecture.

What hurdles have you come across?

Having clients accept innovative and interesting design is a challenge. From the many offices and cities in the world that we have lived in, we have developed a strong aesthetic for what we believe is beautiful and good design. What our office is creating is an aesthetic that people do not come across everyday. To convince clients of our designs, we are using many different design mediums to show what the experience of the space will be like through models, drawings, renderings, and even VR in some cases.

Is scaling up a goal or would you like to maintain the size of your practice?

For sure, the aim of our office is to grow significantly. Two people alone is not enough to create many great pieces of architecture. We aim to reach an optimum team where we can help everyone grow together as architects and designers to create more beautiful buildings that can make a significant and positive impact on our society.

What are the benefits of having your own practice? And staying small?

We have learned tremendously from all the offices that we have worked for in the past. From Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland, we saw how the office created a culture of strong design where every team member worked tirelessly to find a solution for every single detail of the building – nothing was overlooked. Now, as an independent office, we are putting together our favorite aspects of our previous workplaces and curating our own office culture. The office also held two communal breaks per day, where everyone would gather for bread and tea. This created an amazing social environment for people to talk about the projects they were working on and share knowledge and ideas. While at Amateur Architecture Studio in Hangzhou, China, Wang Shu worked very hands on with every design project and encouraged others in the studio. From SOM New York, Alison learned from the strong organization of an office that successfully produced quality pieces of architecture from clear directions, a fully integrated team, and in-house expertise. Now, as an independent office, we are putting together our favorite aspects of our previous workplaces and curating our own office culture.