13/02/2025
This year is about me embracing the idea of being a “professional amateur” again, a term I found inspiring while learning about Edward Said’s thoughts on amateurism.
Last fall term felt like losing myself in an ocean of knowledge, curiosity, and occasional doubt. Yet, it has been both refreshing and uplifting. Thanks, GSAPP!
Since graduating with my bachelor’s degree (or maybe even since high school), these past few years have been filled with the most questions for me.
What am I doing? What have I done? What will I do? Trying to connect the dots and find clarity in my direction has never felt this challenging.
Still, I genuinely enjoy this state of uncertainty and find it liberating.
Through this post, I want to announce that I won’t be open for any architectural commissions in 2025.
After six years of running SB301 Office (), including the last two years managing it remotely from two different continents, I feel like I need to take a little break. I honestly never imagined it would last this long, a fact that both amazes me and fills me with so much gratitude (and is a pain in the ass).
That said, I realize it’s time to pause, reflect, and realign my vision for future goals—ones I hope will bring more meaning to those who collaborate with this studio in the years to come.
During this hiatus, I’ll use the privilege of this study and scholarship (re: my Indo friends’ tax!) period to focus on absorbing knowledge rather than creating designs.
Hopefully, this will become the foundation I need to deliver better architecture and build a healthier studio for future collaborators.
I’ll do my best to make your tax worth it,
So yeah, wish me luck!
Wishing everyone a very good day!
Best,
Fikri Izza
Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 2025
