Contract Magazine - May 2018 - 42

Designer
You
Should
Know
Fauzia
Khanani

Fauzia Khanani leads New
York-based design firm
Studio Fōr. The firm's commercial work includes MSCI
Hong Kong (bottom right)
and The Bloc (above and
bottom left).

As the principal and founder of Studio Fōr, Fauzia
Khanani believes that design is a tool for change.
The daughter of refugees from Uganda, Khanani
studied sociology and public health before
graduating with her Master of Architecture degree
from the University of California Berkeley. She now
leads a flourishing firm of seven designers who
tackle a range of projects, while advocating for
diversity in the industry.
You recently changed the name of your
firm from Fōz Design to Studio Fōr. What led
you to this decision?
The original name was based on the root word
of my first name in Arabic, fōz, which means
"success." But as we started to grow, I didn't like
that the name focused on me. Our motto is that
the projects aren't "for us," they are "for you."
We worked with a branding company that helped
us come up with a name that kept the long
"O" sound, in order to keep part of the heritage.
Why did you start your practice?
It just evolved from my first project, which was
a ground-up residential project in the Hudson Valley.
I had been living on the West Coast and decided
to move back to do this project, and more projects
came about as a result. There was a point at which
I had to stop and think, "Do I really want to run
a firm? And if so, why?" I decided that I wanted
to make a place that would provide opportunities
to people who may not otherwise have them
in our field, and push for diversity and inclusion.
And I wanted to be able to change people's quality
of life through architecture.
What in your background has informed
the way you approach design?
A lot of my approach stems from my background
in sociology and public health, and thinking about
people and relationships-whether it's relationships
to each other or relationships to space. My parents
grew up abroad and travel was a big part of my
childhood, so I visited remote places that most kids

42

who grew up in North Carolina didn't get to see.
I have first cousins who grew up in a village in Africa
and lived in huts. I was able to see amazing
architecture on those trips, and that was pretty
influential on my work.
What are some of the most important aspects
of workplace design today?
Everyone talks about the open office scenario
being ideal, but I think it has its limitations as well.
Acoustics are a big challenge that can produce some
interesting solutions. I think a consideration for
wellness is also important: giving people ways to leave
their desk and go somewhere quiet or just to take
a break. Cafes and pantries have become a big focus,
as well as social spaces.
What is a problem you solved that you are
proud of?
Our first commercial office project, The Bloc, had
an open office floor plan with 360-degree windows
that they wanted to utilize for public space while
also accommodating their all-office meeting.
So we custom designed a bench system that goes
over the radiators along the windows and provides
two layers of stadium seating. The bench also has
some undulations in it that allow for different seating
positions. It addresses a couple of design problems
at different scales.
What does the future hold for you?
We just finished a project with our first global
client (MSCI) in Hong Kong and now we are working
on offices for that same client in Geneva and Mexico.
It is really interesting to design for a single company
but in places with really different cultures.

contractdesign.com

MAY 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: AMY K BOYD PHOTOGRAPHY (MSCI); GARRETT ROWLAND (THE BLOC)

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Contract Magazine - May 2018

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