Office dA is a Boston-based architecture and design firm led by
principal partners Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani. The firm’s work
ranges in scale from furniture to urban design and infrastructure, with a focus
on architectural craft, detailing, and precision. Office dA seizes on the
challenges unique to each project—the peculiarities of a site, requirements of
program, and the specifics of a target audience—as the catalysts for transformation
in architecture. An investigation of the potentials of materials and
construction techniques, often imported from fields outside of architecture, is
the foundation for every design. Much of the firm’s research is
dedicated to an exploration of how to improve on contemporary modes of
construction, investigating both industry standards as well evolving
technologies derived from digital manufacturing processes. The firm’s
focus on detailing, materials, and technology has established a unique design
process that encourages architectural invention and the production of
knowledge. Office dA’s simultaneous rigor and sensitivity have allowed
the firm to develop a portfolio of projects around the world—from Boston to
Caracas to Beijing—which uniquely marry local craft and tradition to global and
contemporary techniques.