Behind the Build: Katherine Chia - Desai Chia Architecture

Katherine Chia, FAIA, is the co-founder and co-principal of Desai | Chia Architecture, a New York City practice she leads with her husband and partner, Arjun Desai.Her path to architecture began with a childhood immersed in creativity. Inspired by her grandfather’s woodworking and Chinese brush painting, Kathy developed an early love of making. At Amherst College she pursued a liberal arts education—studying art, math, philosophy, anthropology, and more—before spending a formative year in Copenhagen with the Danish International Studies program. That experience led her to the Master of Architecture program at MIT, where she met Arjun.Graduating during the recession of the early 1990s, Kathy began her career on small but formative projects, including three years working with Maya Lin on both architecture and art. In 1996, she and Arjun founded Desai | Chia Architecture. Their early work included a children’s learning center for a Native American tribe in California and a Manhattan apartment renovation. With no business plan but strong conviction, they grew organically—balancing risk, grit, and design excellence.Over the past three decades, the firm has produced award-winning projects across residential, commercial, cultural, and institutional sectors. Landmark works include the LM Guest House (powered by geothermal systems and recipient of multiple national awards), the Michigan Lake House (featuring dramatic inverted butterfly roofs that manage stormwater while creating vaulted interiors), and ongoing commissions for Columbia University. Their work has received an AIA Institute Honor Award, ranking in ARCHITECT Magazine’s “Top 50 in Design,” and an Architizer A+ Award for Best Small Firm.Kathy’s philosophy emphasizes trust, collaboration, and timelessness. Every project is an iterative journey that fuses clients’ aspirations with inventive, enduring design. Beyond practice, she has taught at Parsons, served civic and cultural institutions, and raised two children—balancing motherhood with the pursuit of architecture that connects people, place, and community.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

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