about
The intention behind our work is to give agency to people in the spaces where they live their lives. Whether designing housing, infrastructure or public space, we consider the space, materials and light in relation to the body and its movement through the areas of occupation. We believe well-designed spaces can enhance people’s everyday lives and that this effect accumulates, thereby provide better and more successful cities.
AIR studio is a small studio located in Chinatown, Vancouver, whose principals are Inge Roecker and AnnaLisa Meyboom, both are professors at the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, at the University of British Columbia. Our work includes multifamily housing projects in Canada and Germany and Design for Inclusion research Initiative, in collaboration with Jessica Chen of Wabi Sabi Planning Laboratory.
Inge Roecker
Architecture Inge Roecker - Principal
Architect, AIBC - Canada
Architekt, AKBW - Germany
Professor, UBC SALA
Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Inge Roecker is the founding member of AIR studio, formerly ASIR Studio. Inge’s research is focused on sustainable forms of urban habitation and their relationship with evolving social and cultural forces. She develops an architecture that embodies an independent form of modernism and is free of stylistic compulsions. Her interventions demonstrate a commitment to sustainable building practice and an investigation into its relationship with cultural issues. Her architectural practice focuses on contemporary programming, cultural context and sustainable building. There has been a strong commitment to multi-generational housing and research on ageing and changing societal needs.
Roecker is also the co-founder of the interdisciplinary research collective, living lab, which centres its inquiry and works on her interests in urban living and urban communities. The social, cultural, and material significance of her practice’s work has been recognized internationally through awards, publications, and exhibitions. Roecker is a Passive House trained professional.
Roecker is a Professor at the University of British Columbia and leads a community outreach studio in partnership with communities for example with the City of Vancouver's Chinatown Revitalization Program to explore the possibilities of transforming the historic district into a contemporary neighbourhood. Roecker is a Board Member at the Vancouver Chinese Garden, Chinatown Society Buildings Revitalization Committee, Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee and S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Annalisa Meyboom
AIR Infrastructure - Principal
PEng
MRAIC
Professor, UBC SALA
AnnaLisa Meyboom is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA). She holds a degree in engineering from University of Waterloo and a Masters of Architecture degree from University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the impact of technology on our built environment both at the scale of building structure as well as infrastructure. With her research group TIPSlab, she looks at the design of public transportation infrastructure and its critical and catalytic relationship to public space. Her research interests involve the state of the art in robotic fabrication of wood as well as integrated design of future transportation infrastructure, She teaches architecture design studios looking at the future language of wood, the core structural engineering courses for the School of Architecture as well as the seminars in Future Transportation & Urban Form and Advanced Structures and Digital Methods.
Follow the link below for more information on Meyboom’s research for the University of British Columbia:
Jessica Chen
AIR Housing - Research Partner
MCP (City Planning)
Founder of Wabi Sabi Planning Laboratory
Jessica Chen is a Canadian city planning professional currently based in Montréal Quebec. Her career focus has been social inclusion and urban strategies that encourage pluralistic understanding of the cities. Jessica holds a Master Degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and started her professional career in the public sector, first in Philadelphia, United States, then in Vancouver Canada. Her 12-year planning career at the City of Vancouver focused on regeneration of historic inner-city neighbourhoods tackling issues of gentrification, heritage conservation, affordable housing and social inclusivity. She relocated to Montreal in 2013 and founded her consulting practice Wabi Sabi Planning Lab soon after. The philosophy behind Wabi Sabi Planning Lab is to embrace the beauty of things unconventional, and the focus of its practice is to create housing and urban spaces that provide a sense of belonging and allow human diversities to thrive. Her work through Wabi Sabi Planning Lab often researches and advocates for cultural and community-owned assets, including housing, to help shape a more resilient urban landscape and inclusive city economy. Wabi Sabi Planning Lab is currently based in both Vancouver and Montreal. Design for Inclusion initiative is a research-to-action venture by Jessica Chen and Inge Roecker to innovate design processes toward new inclusive housing models.
See the following link for Community Housing for Resilient Communities initiative (2019)
https://www.bchousing.org/research-centre/library/housing-affordability/community-housing-series-for-resilient-communities&sortType=sortByDate
See the following link for Wabi Sabi Planning Lab’s website:
http://www.wabisabiplanning,com (website to be re-launched in April 2021)
Paula M. Rubio
Public Relations Manager