History of Laguarda.Low
Laguarda.Low, headquartered in New York, USA, is an award-winning global architectural practice created in 2000 by a close-knit group of design-oriented architects with extensive shared knowledge and experience. It was founded by Pablo Laguarda FAIA, and John Low AIA.
The practice has completed projects in over 25 countries across five continents. Large-scale master plans, mixed-use centers, retail & entertainment venues, transportation-oriented developments, office complexes, residential precincts, private resorts, and public projects are just a few of the many types and sizes of developments in which Laguarda.Low is constantly evolving and expanding their expertise. They have an associate office in Tokyo and a satellite office in Beijing to support their global practice.
Laguarda.Low has an open-ended, comprehensive design philosophy. They embrace the particular context and constraints of every project rather than conforming to a single style in and of itself. The spatial experience of the end user is central to the practice’s approach, with the space created inside a city being the first and ultimate consideration.
Pablo Laguarda, FAIA
Pablo, Founder and Principal of Laguarda.Low, has over 40 years of architectural and planning experience. Pablo’s unique design style frequently challenges industry standards, demonstrating a profound understanding of the profession. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the profession of architectural design, he has been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is registered as an architect in the states of Texas and New York. Pablo completed a year-long global architectural site trip as part of the school’s yearly world tour before graduating with a degree in architecture from the Facultad De Arquitectura y Urbanismo in Montevideo, Uruguay.
John Low, AIA
John is the Co-Founder and Principal of Laguarda.Low, with over 25 years of experience as an architect and planner. He has extensive experience in all stages of project development, with a strong emphasis on design. John is in charge of developing and carrying out design concepts on a broad scale over the course of a project. He is a registered architect in both Texas and New York. John obtained his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University and his Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Company Culture at Laguarda.Low
Laguarda.Low upholds the age-old notion that excellent projects begin with excellent clients. Their goal is to retain clients by combining unmatched service with extremely imaginative value-added design. One aspect of the practice’s flexibility and agility is its capacity to operate without interruption in almost any setting at any time. Their roster of recurring customers is evidence of their proficiency operating in the international market.
We believe the best way to solve any design problem, large or small, is to break out the sketch pens and sketch paper, roll up our sleeves, and draw by hand until we’ve discovered a clear direction forward.
At the heart of the practice is a charrette-based methodology that facilitates rapid and efficient idea communication both among team members and with customers. The early sketches are always the foundation of a solid design, even while they use the newest technologies to advance a project later on.
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Architect-US is proud to work in close contact with Laguarda.Low and to be able to ensure the firm gets to know and work with amazing young architects like Chung Yan Grace whom we helped process and sponsor her J1 Visa as well as find a job in the US through our Job+J1 Visa Program!
Laguarda.Low’s Selected Projects
Sanya River Island – Hainan, China
There are particular difficulties in creating a retail complex with a distinctive character on an island resort situated on a single river. There are two possible outcomes: Recasting the tropical villages of Bali or the Maldives, or, at the other extreme, recreating a medieval island city akin to Paris’s Ile de la Cite. These ideas gave rise to Medieval Island, Island Resort, and Tropical Paradise, three alternatives based on tried-and-true planning principles that combine humanist living with a thriving retail environment. Extensive urban and retail planning produced a plan that has worked incredibly well in the past. That solid plan will be realized when architecture eventually takes center stage. The newly coined design may be described as «retail tropical modernism»—an architecture of both place and pleasure—a contemporary reinterpretation of vernacular traditions that combines the best of both worlds.
Photos by Laguarda.Low
Grandberry Park – Tokyo, Japan
Grandberry Park (南町田グランベリーパーク) is a mixed-use lifestyle complex situated in the Machida neighborhood of Tokyo. It features a number of public plazas that are positioned between retail stores and an accessible above-ground parking structure. In order to maintain the center’s activity and variety and to provide engaging experiences for the whole day, week, and year, the design is centered around the creation of areas where the community can congregate for business, recreation, and entertainment. The landscape concept includes a library, an official Snoopy museum, several playgrounds for kids, a forest garden, sports areas, and a large lawn in addition to upscale stores and food and beverage options. An estimated 14 million tourists are anticipated to visit this premium mixed-use location annually.
Photos by Laguarda.Low
O’Plaza at Shunde OCT Harbour Plus – Shunde, China
«Resort village lifestyle» is the key word for the concept of Shunde OCT Harbour Plus, which means offering a nice community while respecting Shunde’s vernacular language. On its southern facades, the O’Plaza shopping complex is thoughtfully divided into smaller scale parts. This makes it possible for it to blend in with the numerous other village structures. The mall’s interior architecture is intended to embrace the surrounding natural environment. There are several areas where individuals feel like they are outside, even when they are inside a mall. The natural light, bright indoor environment, inside watercourse, and views to the outdoors create a visual connection to the village’s internal rivers that lead to the lake. The roof top of the mall is designed as a green roof garden.
Photos by Laguarda.Low
We will be posting more projects by Laguarda.Low in the upcoming weeks and months, so keep an eye out for more of their incredible work! Every Friday we will be posting a new Featured Company, so join us again next week!
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