Studio L A is an architecture studio founded by architects Lorien Beijaert and Arna Mačkić.
For L A, the practice of architecture is a device through which to investigate societal issues, phenomena and narratives, and to place them in renewed perspectives. Their projects often relate to the subject of ‘collective identity’. Self-initiated projects and spatial interventions arise from thorough research in which they cooperate with different user groups and specialists from various professional fields. Their spatial designs do not aspire to be off-the-shelf structures, but are allowed to cause friction. L A applies architecture as an experimental space in which they use spatial models to work towards an more inclusive society.
Studio L A has won several awards, including the Dutch Design Award 2014, Best Dutch Book Design 2014 and the Maaskant Prize for young Architects 2017:
"The jury awards Studio L A with the Maaskant Prize for Young Architects 2017 for their quest for an ‘inclusive architecture’ and new forms of public domain. L A does not only design, they also conveys their ideas through writing and public speaking. They are a connecting voice, healing the wounds of the past without brushing away its scars."
Studio L A is connected to the Architectural Design department at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Arna Mačkić as head of the department and Lorien Beijaert as tutor.