About
Studio SSAM is an architecture and design practice founded by Alejandra Murillo and Susannah Stopford with studios in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Conceived of on an auspicious July day in 2017, and almost a year in the making, Studio SSAM exists to ask (and repeatedly endeavour to solve) the question - how can we make better architecture and design, now?
Whether working in the fields of residential and commercial architecture, or as part of a greater collaborative pursuit, at Studio SSAM it is our belief that one can make more with less. And that in doing so the work can still be thoughtful, and beautiful, and good. Fundamentally it is our intention, regardless of scale, to make design that provides well-being for both the human that uses it and the environment that surrounds it, in an engaging, thoughtful and responsible way.
This ethos extends beyond the architectural practice, and has inspired the formation of SSAMxPIA and ECOxH2O, the not for profit and educational outreach initiatives focused on design-led innovations in water security and education.
find us at hello@ss-am.com
the founders
Alejandra Murillo received her Bachelor in Architecture from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia where she’s from. During her studies she also attended L’École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Grenoble in France and ventured into Sustainable Design studies at the Cooper Union. She started her career as an Architect in Colombia before relocating to Brooklyn. Since her arrival in NYC she has worked as an Architect and Interior Designer across the country and abroad.
Susannah Stopford holds a Master of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, during which time she also attended the Architectural Association, and the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to this she received a Master of Arts concentrated in Architectural History from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. She holds a Bachelor of Art from Trinity College Dublin and has lived and worked in London, Jakarta, Frankfurt, Dubai and New York. Through her work and travels she has developed a sensitivity and respect for the idea of place, placelessness, and a value for context be it cultural or environmental. This feeds both her architectural and design practice and well as her interest in travel, exploration and global collaboration.