Living Together

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Studio Weave were founded through designing public art installations. Over the last 15 years we have grown to take on larger projects with increasing scope and responsibility – we are currently working on housing and public buildings with a century-long lifespan.

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Our early work was centered on co-design and engagement processes – we have had the pleasure of meeting, engaging and working closely with a wide range of different people. From residents’ associations to business owners and market traders, campaign groups, to client groups, from school children and patients to built-environment professionals and artists.

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Today, Studio Weave is one of the leading practices contributing to the field of architecture and landscape design. Our background of working in the public sphere informs our values and design approach. Through a series of past projects, Je will discuss how both disciplines have evolved together; inform one another, in close collaboration with all users of our built environment.

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Studio Weave is an award-winning RIBA Chartered Architecture Practice based in London. We balance a joyful, open-minded approach with technical precision, to create a diverse body of work across the world for public, private and commercial clients. We recognize that every project is a transformation and we enjoy working through this process with all involved; clients, users, funders, neighbours, contractors, consultants and collaborators. We aim to make a place the best version of itself, playing to its inherent strengths and not imposing preconceived ideals.

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We value idiosyncrasies: From the characteristics that make somewhere unique, to the particular skills of a master craftsperson. We harness the strengths of a project to create something distinctive and of exceptional quality.

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We are also fascinated by the powerful role that stories can play in creating a sense of place, both as a design tool and a way to communicate. We are always on the lookout for alluring stories that grow from the inherent characteristics of a place and its people.

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We seek opportunities from what may seem mundane situations or elements, and find a way to bring them to the life. We find that negative perceptions or seemingly insurmountable logistical issues can be catalysts for something creative and characterful.

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Over the last 10 years, we have developed a wide expertise. We work on projects ranging from urban strategy planning, to 250unit housing developments, to smaller scale pavilions and art installations. We approach all our projects with a degree of flexibility, driven by a strategy that is scalable and adaptable to client, brief and contextual requirements.

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Our work has been extensively published in trade, local, national and international press and television, and our projects have been acknowledged by numerous awards.

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Je Ahn – Founding Director

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Je is a founding director of Studio Weave. Over the fifteen years of building the practice, Je has gained extensive experience designing and delivering a range of projects in the built environment, both large and small, as well as for a variety of clients including schools, charities, hospitals, museums, local authorities and housing associations.

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This has led to a diverse portfolio ranging from pavilions, public realm improvements and place-making strategies to large-scale housing schemes, such as a 250+ unit development of social housing in West London, a context where a very limited number of social housing schemes have been delivered over the past decades.

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Alongside art and architecture projects, Je has led masterplans and development studies for London Boroughs such as City of London, Croydon, Hackney, Havering, Merton and Tower Hamlets, translating his ‘bottom-up’ knowledge into guidelines, frameworks and policies. Increasingly, Je is leading broader strategic studies in relation to our built environment, including recently published “Living Closer: The many faces of co-housing”, Transport for London’s “Small Change, Big Impact” and Hull Vision 2037 “Learning without Borders”.

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Je is experienced in leading projects with complex stakeholders, where he is especially interested in enabling the benefits of successful collaboration between the project team and a range of wider partners. When responding to complex briefs, often within challenging contexts and with hidden constraints, Je always seeks opportunities to engage with innovative solutions for the delivery of projects, from historic crafts to cutting edge digital technology.

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Je is a design review panel member for numerous government institutions offering critical review of development proposals across UK.  He is also a director of Impact Hub Islington a co-working initiative for social ventures, and collaborative design studio Project00.

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