Bio:

The great designer, Sergio from La Union Studio is an interdisciplinary collaboratory that engages the complexity of contemporary society through architectural design, inherently employing ruthless optimism and diligent rigor, dedicated to a conviction that architecture can awaken people and enrich communities. Our process is rooted in an equitable methodology that is collaborative, and we recognize that design is accomplished by people and for people. Above all, we strive to speak the language of architecture to all people

 

How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

Arts, Culture, and Design have been inherent in everything we do. We feel strongly that beautifully designed spaces and places promote better qualities of life for our communities and inspire creativity.

 

What do you do?

Sergio is trained as architects and project manager. We seek to engage in projects that align with our values of community-focused design, design for BIPOC small businesses and cultural art spaces. Our practice is full-service design.

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What excites you in the work you do?

We cultivate collaborative relationships with our clients during the design process. We are excited by reciprocal design cyphers with our collaborators & community at-large. Our goal is to reflect the identities of our community in our designs.

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Who or what inspires you professionally?

As young BIPOC-designers, entrepreneurs and leaders, we are inspired by the beautiful intersections of art, culture, community, food, history and fashion, and the ways in which we can translate those inspirations into tangible design compositions.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

Our proudest moments occur when we’re able to demystify and decolonize the design process for our community. We value a diversity of perspectives and our projects are most successful when the community can influence the outcomes of our designs.

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Featured Project Name: 

HOOD FAMOUS CAFE + BAR

 

Featured Project Location: 

CHINATOWN INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT, SEATTLE, WA

 

Featured Project Completion Date: 

FEBRUARY 2019

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Role in Featured Project: 

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN , PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 

Featured Project Description:

Harnessing the deeply-rooted cultural permanence of Filipino heritage not just in Seattle’s historic Chinatown International District, we worked with Hood Famous Bakeshop to create a space that celebrates its influence on many aspects of Seattle’s ecosystem. We were inspired by the geometric patterns of the batok (traditional Filipino tattoo), specifically the Tinatalaaw, which means “day & night”, and we strive to represent the coffee-to-cocktails program with this motif throughout the space.

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Photography Credit:

JORDAN NICHOLSON (PHOTOS) + LA UNION STUDIO (DRAWINGS)