A proud and exciting moment for our team, this past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign. Rooted in the reputation and leadership of renowned designer Mehrdad Yazdani, the Yazdani Studio is a dynamically creative laboratory for exploration and experimentation in architecture.

Working alongside Mehrdad Yazdani, Mimi Lam, a senior designer in our Yazdani Studio, led the design of the Anne Frank exhibit at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. In what she calls both an honor and a challenge, the experience taught her much about what it takes to create successful exhibits, and how design can be harnessed to educate, inspire and entice.

Urban Land, the official magazine of the Urban Land Institute (ULI), features our Lassonde Studios in a piece on leading student housing projects from across the globe that demonstrate how universities can provide high-quality housing that emphasizes engagement, mixed-use programming, sustainability, walkability and student success.

Mehrdad Yazdani recently presented as part of AIA New York’s Cocktails & Conversations series at the Center for Architecture in New York City. The dialogue series pairs pairs an architect with a critic, journalist or architectural historian to discuss current architecture design issues over cocktails. Mehrdad was joined by Sam Lubell, a staff writer and contributing editor to The Architect’s Newspaper for the conversation.

To accommodate a heightened demand for STEM education space, Santa Monica College is building a new 110,000-sf Math and Science Building. The building is designed to consolidate programs previously scattered throughout the campus and create an interdisciplinary STEM community adjacent to the college’s existing Science Complex.