Figure takes a humble and collaborative stance in the global architecture scene
San Francisco studio Figure champions the concept of collaboration and humbleness in the architecture world through quiet observation, listening and debate

At the heart of San Francisco studio Figure, sits the concept of collaboration. Co-founders James Leng and Jennifer Ly explain: ‘We have been as large as five people, and as small as just the two of us. However, over half of the projects we do are design collaborations with other architects and designers, so it feels like our team is big even though our organisation is quite small.’
Leng and Ly, who came together to established Figure in 2018, both teach as well as practice, and take a particularly humble and flexible approach to their profession: ‘Perhaps for the moment we’re more aware of the events that have redefined the world around us - COVID, BLM, The Climate Crisis - they forced us and our peers to confront the limitations of the architectural medium, and as a consequence, also reevaluate the value of architecture,’ they say.
Figure on 'quietly observing, listening and debating'
‘For us, this has meant operating without a manifesto, and letting the contingencies of each project unfold into the appropriate intervention. We might have a tendency to be careful or even timid - we try to build lightly and practice softly. Our family backgrounds as US immigrants from Asia also means that we understand making the most of limited resources. We realise that architecture is not equally accessible to all, so therefore we strive towards good design with an economy of means.’
Quietly observing, listening and debating are important means to gather information and produce work for the team. It led them to become finalists in the competition for the Los Angeles Memorial for the Chinese Massacre of 1871. ‘Our proposal was one of an ongoing series of collaborations with Studio J.Jih, and was our collective first time working on something so culturally personal,’ the pair says. ‘We discussed our individual heritages and drew inspiration from not only memorial precedents in the Western world, but also Chinese ritualistic practices and landscape forms.’
Leng and Ly also recently received their first commission for a community centre in a small coastal town in Northern California that was burned down earlier this year. The duo sees this as a milestone for their small practice, which was hit by the pandemic, being less than two years old when COVID hit. ‘It feels like the culmination of previous smaller projects - working with nonprofits, fire rebuilds, engaging in the public process, and finding creative ways to source and work with material economically. For a young firm, it is so difficult to get ground-up work and convince public stakeholders that we can do the job. So this commission was definitely a milestone for us and we’re really looking forward to developing the design in the coming months.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Dr Tetris’ on the biggest ever iteration of the puzzle in London
Tetris comes to 360-degree, 23,000 sq ft, 16k LED screens in London; Craig McLean speaks to Henk Rogers, the man who’s kept the game alive
By Craig McLean Published
-
Hot news: Claridge’s Bakery is set to open this summer
Claridge’s, London’s grand dame of hotels, announces the opening of its very own bakery, led by British baker Richard Hart
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
New Superhouse show captures the rebellious spirit of Dan Friedman’s Manhattan apartment
In the late 1970s, graphic designer and artist Dan Friedman transformed his apartment into a Day-Glo laboratory of ideas. Now, a new exhibition at Superhouse in New York revisits his vibrant, rebellious world
By Ali Morris Published
-
On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreat
Dekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to know
We profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A light-filled New York loft renovation magics up extra space in a deceptively sized home
This New York loft renovation by local practice BOND is now a warm and welcoming apartment that feels more spacious than it actually is
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist setting
We explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ new project will be Miami’s priciest condo
Construction has commenced at The Delmore, an oceanfront condominium from the firm founded by the late Zaha Hadid, ZHA
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A West Austin house invites you to commune with nature
Westview Residence by Alterstudio, a West Austin house among trees, makes the most of large windows and open-air decks in a verdant setting
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Apple’s new Miami store employs the principles of biophilic design
Apple’s first mass-timber store connects shoppers to nature while echoing the Art Deco architecture of Miami
By Anna Solomon Published
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the list
Every two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
By Anna Solomon Published