Our Journey
The story behind Local Parti Architecture —
our values, our mission, and what drives us to create.
Emily Chang, AIA
I have always been guided by curiosity, empathy, and the belief that rigor and intuition are not opposites. My early studies at Columbia University in economics and mathematics taught me to look for the systems beneath what we see—how people, resources, behavior, and value interact. That way of thinking continues to shape my work today. As more of our social lives are mediated through technology, we lean deliberately into the humanity of the built environment.
My time in Paris, working alongside a theoretical architect, expanded my understanding of space as both an intellectual construct and a lived experience. Graduate school further clarified the distinction between encountering public art and inhabiting architecture: architecture surrounds us, holds us, and becomes part of the rhythm of daily life. At Local Parti, we continue to research and explore how the built environment can act as an active force—shaping how we feel, move, connect, recover, and belong.
SCI-Arc · AIA NY · Passive House
Architecture should not simply be beautiful. It should support the people who inhabit it and honor the people who bring it into being. We see every project as a continuous loop of human experience, beginning with the first conversation and extending through design, construction, and occupancy.
I founded Local Parti to pursue that conviction with greater clarity and care. Our work begins with close observation—of the people, the place, the climate, the existing conditions, and the patterns of life a project must support. We bring together beauty, environmental performance, wellness, and long-term stewardship, treating design as a conduit between intention and experience, people and place, and present needs and future possibilities.
Today, I lead a collaborative practice working across bespoke residences, refined interiors, cultural spaces, and adaptive reuse. I am interested not only in what we create, but in how we create it: deliberately, collaboratively, and with respect for the clients, consultants, craftspeople, and team members who make the work possible.
We combine high design
with high performance.
As a Passive House certified studio, LEED AP and AIA NY certified, we bring elite energy efficiency to every blueprint.
