About the studio
Every site has a character of its own. Less obvious is that every site also keeps stories that are hidden, untold, and impossible to repeat. The studio works to scratch beneath the manifested layers of a place and recover what lies concealed within it.
These layers surface in unexpected forms: in films and folk tales, in music and poetry, in crafts and proverbs, and even in jokes.
We pursue them not to celebrate the unknown for its own sake, but because we believe this is how a barely known past can be connected to an as-yet-unwritten future.
We do not believe in final statements, least of all in architecture. The paragraph that follows is left blank on purpose, to be written as our journey unfolds.
One day, this space will tell you about
Derzawi Architecture is an independent research-based practice established in Tokyo in 2016. The studio works across cultural, educational, residential, landscape, and speculative architecture, connecting each design to the particular conditions and narratives of its place.
The practice works internationally through design commissions, competitions, collaborations, and architectural research.
The studio is led by Mohamed Derzawi and works as an open practice: collaborators — architects, engineers, researchers, and makers — join each project by invitation. The model is closer to film production than to a conventional office: one consistent directorial voice, with a team assembled for each work.
Selected writing and academic research: Academia.edu →