Sepideh Asadi

Associate

Sepideh “Sepi” Asadi, AIA, WELL AP earned her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Shahid Beheshti University in her hometown of Tehran (the capital Iran), then emigrated to Chicago, where she obtained her master’s degree at Illinois Institute of Technology while picking up several notable awards.

Her exposure to many different cultures has helped Sepi create places “where everyone can cherish their moments regardless of their differences.” She believes that “instead of users adapting to the environment, the design should adapt to users.”

Sepi’s design experience at Legat ranges from a children’s garden at an arboretum to concepts for a new hotel that complements its historic downtown and tells the story of the region’s indigenous population.

Our teams often call on Sepi for her visualization skills—her realistic renderings, inspirational collages, and spatial diagrams incorporate user needs and help departments see the bigger picture. For one graduate school of business, her team studied nearly 100 massing solutions to respond to the owner’s goals and create a timeless design. Sepi also relies on her graphic design know-how to design everything from fundraising posters to client announcements.

At the age of 10, Sepi realized she wanted to become an architect during a family road trip around Iran. When she encountered a monument called Chehel Sotoun (translates to “40 columns”) Palace, she knew that she wanted to create environments where people “feel this deep calmness seasoned with excitement.”

Outside the office, Sepi enjoys swimming, hiking, and occasionally mountain biking. Occasionally, she volunteers for Habitat for Humanity builds.