The Studio
FORMA
Elena Marchetti · Founder & Principal Architect
Biography
Elena Marchetti founded FORMA in 2008 after a decade working with Tadao Ando in Osaka and Herzog & de Meuron in Basel. Her practice is defined by an obsessive attention to material truth — the idea that a building's honesty is felt before it is seen.
Born in Trieste and educated at the Politecnico di Milano and the ETH Zürich, Elena brings a distinctly European sensibility to her New York-based practice. From intimate residences to civic cultural buildings, the underlying language remains consistent.
FORMA's projects have been recognized with the AIA National Award, the World Architecture Festival's Residential Award, and the Dezeen Award for Architecture. The studio currently operates with a team of twelve, taking on a deliberate number of projects annually.
Awards & Recognition
Dezeen Award — Residential Architecture
Dezeen
AIA National Honor Award
American Institute of Architects
AR House Award
The Architectural Review
WAF Completed Buildings Award
World Architecture Festival
Wallpaper* Design Award
Wallpaper Magazine
Philosophy
Architecture is an act of profound responsibility.
We believe buildings are not objects but relationships — between people and place, between now and memory, between the constructed and the natural. Every commission is an invitation to make something that outlasts the moment of its making.
Our process begins with listening: to the site, to the client, to the program. We do not impose an aesthetic. We excavate the latent potential of each situation and give it form.
We work slowly and intentionally. We take on fewer projects to give more to each. The difference between good and extraordinary architecture is always the accumulation of decisions most people never consciously notice.
The People
Team
Elena Marchetti
Founder & Principal Architect
James Okafor
Senior Associate
Yuki Tanaka
Project Architect
Marcus Heide
Design Lead
History
Timeline
FORMA Founded
Studio established in Lower Manhattan with a focus on residential architecture and material-driven design.
First AIA Award
The Holloway Residence in Connecticut received the AIA New York Chapter Award for Architecture.
International Expansion
First European commission: a private residence in the Luberon, France. Beginning of ongoing international practice.
Cultural Work Begins
Commissioned to design the Westport Arts Pavilion, marking FORMA's entry into civic and cultural architecture.
WAF Award
The Lakeshore Cultural Centre wins the WAF Completed Buildings Award in the Cultural category.
Tokyo Studio Opens
Established a satellite studio in Shibuya to support growing practice in Asia-Pacific.
Dezeen Award
Casa Serena wins Dezeen Award for Architecture — Residential category.
Interested in working together?
We accept a limited number of commissions each year. We'd love to hear about your project.