Associate Director
BArch, Dip Arch, ARB
London, UK
Arya Safavi
Photograph by Frederic Aranda ©
Render by Negativ
Outdoor Activity Plaza of the new Science Centre - A venue for Placemaking and Community Events. Render by Negativ. The image is an artist’s impression, and final design may be subject to changes.
Arya approaches projects as both architectural propositions and technical investigations on spatial innovation, computational methodologies, material performance, and fabrication techniques. He has directed the façade design for The Grove Residences in Qatar and co-led the execution of the Hangzhou Seamless City masterplan in China. His expertise extends to the development and integration of performative and exoskeleton façade systems for residential towers in Mexico and Australia.
Working across multiple scales, Arya ensures that design intent is preserved while engaging with material, geometric, and structural conditions. Beyond his project work, he leads teams in workflow optimisation, material articulation, and production strategies, actively contributing to ZHA’s evolving design repertoire.
Prior to joining ZHA, Arya gained extensive experience at Amanda Levete Architects.
Render by Negativ
Outdoor Activity Plaza of the new Science Centre - A venue for Placemaking and Community Events. Render by Negativ. The image is an artist’s impression, and final design may be subject to changes.
Featured Projects
From apartments offering panoramic views of Qetaifan Bay and the Lusail skyline, to a science centre providing unique STEM education and experiences, discover highlights of Arya's notable projects at ZHA.
Arya completed his Bachelor of Architecture with First-Class Honours from the University of Westminster and his Diploma in Architecture with Distinction from the Architectural Association (AA) in London.
His research at the AA, where he co-teaches an Intermediate Unit 18, aligns with his professional work and explores systematic design methodologies, hybrid materiality, and controlled performance. He has been an invited critic at institutions such as the AA, University of Westminster, and University of Brighton.
Having worked across global contexts, Arya sees architecture as an evolving system of interactions that responds to cultural sensitivities, environmental conditions, and material constraints. His interests extend to furniture and product design, where he explores fabrication, performative geometries, and material logics to inform architectural space.
Photograph by Virgile Simon Bertrand
Projects
All scales, all sectors, all budgets. All around the world, and into the virtual world. From small product collaborations to grand masterplans. Whatever the iteration, ZHA’s core commitment never wavers: we are designing a better world.