Yasaman Esmaili

Yasaman Esmaili is an architect, independent researcher, educator, and the founder of Studio Chahar. She received her architectural education at the University of Tehran, the University of Arizona, and the University of Washington. Her work examines the systems embedded in place, including climate, material, craft, water, ecology, and memory, to develop design processes that are innovative, equitable, and context-driven. She believes architecture has a role to play in empowering communities and shaping broader social change.

Alongside Studio Chahar, Yasaman co-founded Color My Home in 2019 with Darnaa, a community-based initiative exploring the meaning of lost homes as experienced by immigrants and refugees through architectural thinking. She is also a founding member of united4design, an international design collective formed in 2013 to design a housing prototype in Niger called Niamey 2000.

Before establishing these initiatives, Yasaman worked for firms such as Blokable and Hewitt Architects in Seattle, and AE Mimarlık in Istanbul for over seven years. She is an elected committee member of the ICOM ARCHI-TECHS (International Council of Museums). Her current research focuses on World Heritage sites and the intersection of architecture, water, and cultural memory.

Recent recognition includes the Digital Futures Professional Practice in Architectural Design Award (2024), the University of Washington Graduate of the Last Decade Award (2023), and the Tamayouz Excellence Award, Rising Star (2020). Her project work has been shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and has received the ICOM Creativity Award, the LafargeHolcim Global Silver and Regional Gold Awards, the AIA National Award of Honor, the Architect Magazine R+D Award, and the AIA Seattle Award of Merit. She currently teaches at Wentworth Institute of technology. She has also taught architecture at Keene State College, Roger Williams University, and the University of Washington. She has been a guest critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Washington, Washington State University, Portland State University, and Yale University.

Kimia Amini

Kimia Amini is a project manager and curator based in Tehran and Isfahan, Iran. She holds degrees in archaeology and museology from the Higher Education Center of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism in Iran, and is currently pursuing further studies in international relations.

Kimia has conducted digital archaeological research at Isfahan's Jameh Mosque (ADAMJI), a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has contributed to the expansion of several museum and archaeological projects, including Shahdezh Castle in Isfahan and archaeological studies in Gur Firozabad, Fars province. Since 2011, she has been a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and has held responsibility for the specialized museum education committee at ICOM's National Committee of Iran. She organizes educational design workshops at national and international levels, in collaboration with universities and ICOM committees around the world.

Kimia has also worked closely with the National Museum of Science and Technology, leading multiple exhibitions and international projects, and currently serves as secretary of the University Museums Council at the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology.

Kimia joined Studio Chahar in 2021 as museum project lead, project manager, heritage expert, and exhibition and event facilitator.

Current Collaborators:

Samira Abedi (Architecture), Amirhossein Pasha(Media), Raha Shabani(Media)

Salon Mademoiselle Mars (Brooklyn, NY), Studio Zoj (Tehran, Iran)

Community Partners

Ali Pouzan, Issa Barzandeh, Issa Hedri, Ebrahim Hedri, Nakhoda Ali Somal, Nakhoda Mohammad, Mohammad Gourani, Ali Gourani, Arman Pouzash

Alumni

Ronak Arjooni, Ideh Khajevand, Saba Robati

Previous Collaborators:

Daarna, The Apprenticeshop (Rockport, ME), 6018 North (Chicago, IL), Studio DAMA LLC (Seattle, WA), atelier masomi(Niamey, Niger)