In this episode, meet notable contemporary architect Duan Tran who joins the show to discuss highlights of over two decades in award-winning residential architecture, from the firm’s distinctive design approach to their award-winning longevity in the industry. How they’re increasingly transplanting their California contemporary aesthetic to other parts of the world. And the ways that AI and tech are shaping the future of architecture.

“There are computers and artificial intelligence right now that are pushing the envelope about what we can now conceive as what a new building looks like,” states Duan.

Duan Tran is a partner at KAA Design Group in Los Angeles, a firm designing luxury contemporary residences in Southern California, and also in far-flung locations, from Dubai and Washington D.C. to the West Indies and Costa Rica. Known for their distinctive California Contemporary style, each KAA design is firmly rooted in the land, the climate and the unique needs and lifestyle of each client.

“Every one of our projects has our clients’ DNA in it,” says Duan. “Sometimes selfishly, the opportunity to design a house is just an opportunity to really get to know somebody; and understand how they live and what makes them tick. It’s literally a physical manifestation of their lifestyle and their personality.”

Duan shares secrets behind 30 years of success at the firm, which was founded by partner Grant C. Kirkpatrick, author of California Contemporary: The Houses of Grant C. Kirkpatrick and KAA Design (Princeton Architectural Press, 2018).

“It’s almost like another design project,” Duan Tran says of operating their organization. Hiring at KAA is strategic, with the idea of creating super teams made up of individuals excelling in particular facets of design and construction. “It’s about bringing people in that have a certain amount of elitism, or exceptionalism in terms of skill set, and how do we nurture that, and put that together with other people with elite skills,” says Duan. “It’s very exciting for us to find someone who has an exceptional skill, and figure out within our team environment about how to push that.”

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