Omar Gandhi Architects

Crafted by Place presents the work of Canadian architectural firm Omar Gandhi Architects as a body of work characterized by a seemingly paradoxical duality. On one hand, the projects are rooted in their respective contexts; on the other, their materiality and form embody a constant search for new iterations of the familiar. Regardless of whether their projects are located on the rugged coastlines of Nova Scotia or the urban cities in Central Canada, they always share one thing in common: a delicate balance between landscape and craft, resilience to changing climates, and a sensitive approach to local narratives.

To achieve this balanced interplay between tradition and contemporary form, vernacular buildings as we know them are transformed according to functional requirements or are bent, shifted, or reassembled—or reinterpreted through contemporary craftsmanship. The constant comparison with the existing ensures that the materials and traditions—the spirit, so to speak—of the respective site shine through on different levels. The goal of this practice of "listening" and responding to the site is to create buildings that endure because they are in harmony with their environment.

In the exhibition, drawings, models, and sketches of built and speculative buildings, rural retreats, and everyday objects illustrate the broad spectrum of an architectural practice that is both "sensitively raw" and "quietly radical." The expansive installation simultaneously conveys how Omar Gandhi Architects thinks about architecture and how precise and yet "wild" details can be—always with the goal: good design doesn't simply adapt—it constantly evolves.

Omar Gandhi founded his eponymous firm in Halifax, Canada, in 2010. A studio in Toronto followed in 2016 and in Berlin in 2025. Omar Gandhi Architects has received numerous awards, including the Canada Council's Professional Prix de Rome and the Governor General's Medal in Architecture. In 2018, Gandhi was the Louis I. Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Architecture. The firm's current projects include the Riverbend Library in Edmonton, Alberta; the Outlier Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; and the Adams Residence in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Opening: 16.10.2025, 6 p.m.

Welcome: Ulrich Müller (Architektur Galerie Berlin)
Exhibition talk: Omar Gandhi (Omar Gandhi Architects), Jette Hopp (Snøhetta), Anupama Kundoo (Anupama Kundoo architects)
Moderation: David Basulto (ArchDaily Founder)