OU Architecture alumni and Julie Tran and Khoi Nguyen were recently awarded the Young Architects award and two Best of Design Awards from The Architect’s Newspaper. Their New York City-based design firm, Future Projects, received recognition for the projects Another Seedbed and Studio Loutsis.
This project-based awards program recognizes the year’s best buildings, landscapes, interiors and installations. The winning projects are selected by a diverse jury of architects, designers and other prominent industry professionals. Entries are judged based on the strength of the presentation, evidence of innovation, creative use of new technology, sustainability and good design.
Read on to learn more about Tran and Nguyen and their award-winning projects.
Studio Loutsis, designed by Future Projects. Photo by Andrew Bui.
Tran and Nguyen both graduated from OU in 2013 with bachelor’s degrees in architecture. Post-graduation, they made their way to New York City to start their own studio dedicated to creating spaces that are genuinely personal, socially engaging and finely crafted.
“Our education at OU GCA has been foundational to our development as architects. The school taught us to see the discipline of architecture as a collaborative practice that is rooted in a place and fostered a culture of experimentation that we try to carry through in our own studio,” Nguyen said.
Since its foundation, their firm has been featured in a variety of publications, including Architectural Digest, Dwell, Domino, Dezeen and AN Interior. From intimate and cozy apartments to bold and colorful office spaces, they have designed an impressive variety of projects across New York City.
“Founding our own design firm was a tremendous leap of faith and stemmed from a desire to have more control over our creative lives. We also thought that we could contribute to the diversification of voices within the profession,” Tran said.
Studio Loutsis, designed by Future Projects. Photo by Andrew Bui.
Studio Loutsis, an intricately designed office space in Brooklyn, received an award in the Interior Workplace category. From daily operations and physical production to collaborative pin-up sessions and hosted events, this space is equipped to support a range of activities with its efficient layout and flexibility for future expansion. With its illuminating colors, translucent polycarbonate doors and lofted storage, this design rethinks how to enhance an existing office space.
Another Seedbed, designed by Future Projects. Photo by Imagen Subliminal.
Another Seedbed, a multipurpose Brooklyn apartment designed in collaboration with Ignacio G Galán and Jesse McCormick, received an award in the Interior Residential category. Located in a renovated industrial building that previously served as a hat factory, this loft doubles as a performance space. The owner of this apartment had been living in a similar industrial space in Bushwick, where he frequently hosted parties, performances and other events.
He dreamed of a space in which he could live, work and host artist friends to develop their work, which inspired the collaborative design of his new loft. Neither just a private studio nor an art gallery, the renovated loft is equipped to welcome gatherings that operate between a dinner party and a public performance.
Another Seedbed, designed by Future Projects. Photo by Imagen Subliminal.
“Both projects that received awards are great examples of how our design process is not the result of a single author, but rather a conversation,” noted Tran. “A conversation between Khoi, myself, exceptionally visionary clients for which we are lucky to have, and a myriad of multidisciplinary designers, artists and craftspeople. By inviting these voices to the table, we can create a built environment based on shared values.”
Nguyen and Tran were also recognized with the Young Architects award, which recognizes outstanding designers who have graduated from an architecture or design school within the past 10 years.
“Of course, it’s amazing to receive acknowledgment for the hard work that we put into our projects,” Nguyen said. “The Young Architects Award is particularly rewarding, as it is perhaps an indication that we are starting to develop a distinct point of view with our body of work.”
Stay up-to-date with Future Projects on Instagram (@futureprojectsarch) or by visiting the firm’s website at futureprojects.com. View the full list of this year’s Best of Design award winners at archpaper.com.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
