Arch-SoHo | Architecture & Social Hope

West Berkeley Mushroom Factory

California - US

Harvesters' Place (AIA East Bay Design Award Nominee)

Khorasan - Iran

Blurred Corners

Lugano - Sweden

West Berkeley Mushroom Factory

California - US

Studio Statement

Arch-SoHo starts from a hunch: that the inherited descriptions of architecture — as cultural expression, critical record, or container of programs — no longer do enough work. I've come to think of architecture instead as a social practice of imagination: a way for people to redescribe their situations and give form to futures worth living.

The studio is curated by designer, researcher, and artist Amin Mojtahedi. The following is a selection of its art, architecture, research, and writings.

What counts as innovation in architecture On the difference between market-fit novelty and projects that refuse the assumptions of the brief	Architecture without a destination Thoughts on architecture as a practice of hope, without utopian endpoints or final destinations.	Against the pragmatism of the inevitable A Quick Review of Albena Yaneva’s The Making of a Building
Architecture and community in times of social divide	Where knowledge resides Exploring architecture of learning and knowing from the Community of Practice perspective	12 tips for building an innovation space
3 things design thinking can learn from action research	Article Design Thinking and the research application problem	Re-placemaking Creating a new system of bonding with places
From Solving the Puzzle [of workplace] to Designing the Game [of work]	Designing for extremes	Social connectivity and the future of workplace
Design Thinking and social selection of scientific truths	Network of works Co-creating hybrid teams' social dynamics, collaborative behavior, and work culture	Caregiver/family agency Rebuilding confidence, play, familiarity, and passion in a healthcare system