Who we are and what we do…
IT Architects is a Los Angeles based architectural practice led by Principal’s Irfan A. Shaikh & Thomas A. Bruce. The firm is fundamentally collaborative in nature and works hand in hand with the client and a team of professional engineers and consultants to provide design solutions tailored to fit the needs of each project. We are committed to design excellence based on analysis, research, quality, beauty, innovation and a rigorous attention to detail. Our work encompasses a vast diversity of both scales and building types. When we start a project, we begin with a rigorous analysis of the issues and an excitement to work towards finding innovative and beautiful solutions to the issues at hand.
We strive to turn the project's constraints and limitations into opportunities. We believe architecture and design should exceed merely the functional and programmatic requirements and that it should provide both societal and economic value to the project, and infuse our work with this belief. It is from this perspective that we are committed to improving the built environment in all its forms, regardless of scale, program, or site.
We believe providing outstanding service to our clients is an important part of this commitment to design excellence. We work both for you and with you on the project; from your budget, program, and schedule, to your overall vision of ‘what could be’. We will work tirelessly to exceed your expectations for what could be possible. Fundamentally, we understand the essence & importance of listening and ultimately learning from our clients. Hand in hand with listening, we also understand how important it is for us to communicate with you, both verbally and visually (through diagrams, models, drawings, and mockups). We like to be challenged by our clients, and we like to challenge our clients to look at possibilities they might have never imaged. That is why we see the design process is a collaborative partnership.
Building Types:
Adaptive Reuse & Renovations
Hospitality and Restaurants
Commercial, Office, & Retail
Cultural & Institutional
Laboratories & Research Facilities
Multi & Single Family Residential
We have experience on a wide range of projects type and services. But we also enjoy doing and exploring new building types along with unique and usual methods of services. We often find doing a project type for the first time allows us to rethink the basics assumptions and preconception of a program or building type. This, when paired with our commitment to rigorously investigating the programmatic needs and driving forces at work, fosters innovative solutions and ‘out of the box’ thinking. Ultimately, we find that the success of a project hinges on our ability to communicate with, understand, and address the needs of the client and other. stakeholders The building type or service is really secondary following this approach.
Services:
Master Planning
Urban Design
Architecture
Historic Preservation
Interior Design
Programming
Feasibility Studies
We have the skill and experience to guide projects through the complexities of the modern bureaucracies which all construction projects, both big and small, will encounter. This is an important part of how getting a building ‘built’ happens, and understanding and knowing how to work with this process is itself the most important strategy for its successful navigation. We will work with you to develop a strategy or ‘game plan’ for your project based on the needs of your project and schedule. This strategy also will incorporate sincere consideration to all stakeholders’ needs and concerns. In this way, we can mediate your desires with the needs and requirements of the community and the governing bodies. This fosters buildings and spaces that can be successful both successful economically and socially, and make the built environment better.
Aesthetic, Process, & Craft
While the office is firmly rooted in modern architecture & design, we eschew the confines of being pigeonholed into a single aesthetic, look, or style, and instead allow the aesthetics of our work to be transformed based on the needs of the client, program, site, and budget of each project. Our working methodology engages all the driving forces influencing of the project (economic, social, political, technological and environmental factors), and the aesthetic outcome is really a product of engaging factors, or, sometimes, just making things look cool!
We view Project and Construction Management as a continuation of our firm’s design philosophy. In this way, we create a framework that encourages innovation, quality, teamwork, and collaboration. We see how we manage a project as an important aspect of our service to our clients. We develop a work plan and schedule with the client for every project to meet the goals and schedules of the project. This is shared with all team members. In this way, everyone knows what they should be doing and when they should be doing it. It allows an owner to organize and prioritize, and it allows the design team to do the same. We use this as a structured way to meet your project's timeline while not losing sight of the project’s larger goals.
We pride ourselves on designing and detailing beautifully crafted building, and the construction phase is an important part of that ambition. We will work with you to procure and select the right contractor to you get the best possible results. We pride ourselves on providing meticulous and thorough construction documents to minimize possible misunderstandings with the contractors and fabricators putting the building together, and we will oversee the process from beginning to end. We see producing complete and accurate documents as one of the keys to building good relationships and good communications with the contractor, and ultimately getting the best quality work for your project.
Following this approach, we have successfully worked on a diverse range of projects, from strategic plans to urban designs proposals, to buildings big and small, to site-specific installations and set designs. Our flexibility allows us to thrive on unique and challenging projects at a variety of scales. Plus, we think you’ll enjoy working with us!
Leadership
Thomas Bruce | Principal
Tom’s passion for the process of ‘making’ architecture and cities is fundamental to the DNA of the firm. Rooted in a love of both the process of design and the craft of putting buildings together, he expects the same passion and rigor from his team of collaborators. He is inspired daily by his interaction with talented and dedicated teammates, friends, and collaborators.
He laughs a lot too.
He is a Registered Architect that brings over 25 years of design, construction, and management experience to all the firms projects. He received a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Temple University and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from The Southern California Institute of Architecture’s post-professional Metropolitan Research + Design program. Tom is accomplished in all aspects of project development, from pre-design through construction management. His experience includes institutional & public works projects, commercial developments, and both single and multi-family residential work.
Irfan Shaikh | Principal
Irfan’s design sensibility, talent, and artistic temperament are just a few reasons why he is a successful design leader. He has experience in large scale mixed-use, high-end and specialty retail, residential, civic and commercial developments both in Los Angeles and around the globe. With that experience, he has played a key role in the completion of numerous successful and built residential, office, retail and mixed-use developments in the United States, China, Turkey, Russia, and Egypt.
His leadership, commitment, and dedication for best practices carry into his design approach and the service he provides to the clients. Bounded by budgets, site and constraints, Irfan and his teams explore new processes by which to approach design, ensuring that the solution to each design challenge is both effective and unique.
Irfan had over 20 years of work experience with renowned architecture firms like 5+design and Davis studio. He has received numerous awards and achievements throughout his academic and design careers and have participated in workshops and exhibitions throughout India and the United States. He earned a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and a Bachelor of Architecture from SCET university, India.
Sonia Kingslien | Business Development Director
We are proud to add Sonia Kingslien as a director of Business Development to it-makes team. Sonia specializes in growth, strategy and management. Her willingness to wear all hats in the company makes her invaluable to us. Her experience in project management and business development ranges from architectural practices, advertising, to cofounding Game Art Institute with her husband. Her strengths lies in thinking Creatively and Analytically at the same time. She loves innovation and new technologies excites her. She chairs the STEAM group at her kids elementary school.
Sonia will lead strategic planning and development for the firm. She will also oversee overall strategy for marketing.
She is an Architect with over 15 years of design and management experience on such projects as the award winning $200 Million / 100,000 SF Concerto Building in DTLA. Sonia received a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from Cept University, Ahmedabad, India and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from The Southern California Institute of Architecture.