MISSION & VISION

A Natural World for Architecture

Established in 2019, OZRUH is committed to creating architectural designs that are both novel and intelligent, made by the principles of divergent evolution, advanced computational processes, and innovative manufacturing techniques. We understand that our planet's material realities necessitate a redefinition of architectural design and construction practices in a way that values the bottom-up material driven innovations. To do so, we strive to develop anti-fragility against disorder and decay in the form aesthetics, structural performance, and material cycles, altogether forming the backbone of our creations. In a world rich with biological and cultural diversity, we believe that contemporary architecture should mirror this diversity. This belief drives our designs and places us at the forefront of technological creative thinking. For us, architecture must transcend the typical, convergent modernity and embrace divergence, pluralist evolutions just as nature does. With our research driven design approach, we're at a pivotal juncture where creative research on material and computation propels us to generate new architectural species beyond the traditional limits of the human mind.

TEAM

Levent OZRUH, MA (Hons), MArch (Dist)
Founding Director

Levent studied architecture at the University of Edinburgh, the Bartlett - UCL, and the AA. Having worked for Carlo Ratti, MIT Senseable City Lab and Coop Himmelb(l)au, he developed a diversity of interests in architecture under the overarching umbrella of using technology to bring together a divergent understanding of novel form and space. At the Bartlett, Levent delved into divergent evolutionary systems and material re-utilization, using outer space as a unique context. This work was exhibited at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, leading to the founding of OZRUH, a company centered on material-driven design research. After graduating from the Bartlett's MArch programme, he continued to teach there at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Building upon his past teaching experiences as well as recent collaborations with Xavier de Kestelier in the space industry, Levent co-founded the Moonshot Visiting School at the Architectural Association. This initiative aims to expose design students to the space industry and its agile engagement with design innovation.

Evan PREUSS, BArch, MArch
Architectural Designer

Evan is a multidisciplinary architectural designer with architecture degrees from Pratt and the Bartlett, UCL. After a broad scope of professional experience from design roles to editorial work to robotic research, he joined OZRUH to lead the development of bottom-up modular assembly systems. Evan's interests deeply engage with manufacturing processes, combining intricate assemblies with natural elements to challenge conventional construction methods.

Elise WEHOWSKI, BSc
Architectural Designer

A recent graduate of the Bartlett, UCL, Elise is an architectural designer at OZRUH with a focus on exploring alternative building materials and part-based architectural systems. Her interests lie in using computational design to translate the digital into the physical by allowing a single set of assembly materials to be contextualised into a built form.

ACADEMIC INITIATIVE

AAVS Moonshot
Architectural Design in
the Second Space Age

OZRUH, in collaboration with the Architectural Association, presents the AAVS Moonshot program. This initiative is designed to infuse architecture students with entrepreneurial thinking, taking cues from the dynamic innovation found in the Second Space Age. Students are prompted to explore beyond conventional architectural frameworks, considering the interplay of socio-cultural dynamics, artificial intelligence, and off-world contexts. The goal is to cultivate architects who are not only design thinkers, but also innovators and disruptors, actively shaping the future of the industry.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.aaschool.ac.uk/academicprogrammes/visitingschool/moonshot

Unless otherwise stated, all image & video courtesy of OZRUH Limited, a company registered in England & Wales - CRN: 12287651