Inspiring Conversations with Taz Khatri Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taz Khatri.

Hi Taz, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I came to America from Mozambique when I was eight years old. I’m originally East Indian and come from a large family. I have 7 siblings, 21 nieces and nephews, and 7 great-nieces and nephews. I’ve lived in Phoenix for 23 years after living in Indianapolis. I attended high school in Mesa and did my Bachelor’s and Master’s of Architecture at Arizona State University (go Sun Devils!). I lived in Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco for 6 years, but then returned to my senses and moved back to Phoenix. I live with my husband and corgi in a midcentury modest masonry home in a walkable and bikeable urban neighborhood.

Taz was a faculty associate at ASU, teaching at The Design School part-time. She also writes about architecture. You can find her writing on the blog of this site and the Design and Make Blog, an online magazine about making published by Autodesk. She is a proud member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the American Institute of Architects. Taz also serves on the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and the Arizona Historic Sites Review Committee. Taz loves being an urban dweller and enjoys going for walks, supporting local restaurants and businesses, and hanging out with her family.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My family immigrated to the US in 1984 when I was 8. My father had a high school education in Tanzania, and my mother had an 8th-grade education in India. When we arrived in the States, we had very little, and my father had to work in a factory lifting heavy boxes to support his 6 children (two of his daughters were living abroad at the time) while my mother took care of things at home. We did not come from privilege, yet through perseverance and hard work, I could go to college and study architecture. I was the first woman in my family to get a master’s degree. Being a woman of color, I am one of a tiny contingent of minorities who own their architecture firms. I face bias and prejudice routinely in my work. My husband works with me; he is the Administrative Manager at the firm. He happens to be a white man. Most of my potential clients assume he is the boss, and it is his firm!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
What differentiates us from other architecture firms is that you can expect people to be at the center of our mission and design philosophy. Our mission is to contribute to a built environment that brings people together and fosters community, whether that is designing a casita in the backyard for your aging parents, a restaurant in an existing historic building, an office renovation for your thriving non-profit, or a new bricks and mortar space for your new business. We love to work with everyone, but we take particular pride in our intercultural intelligence and working with underrepresented entrepreneurs, organizations, building owners, and homeowners. We are committed to education, mentorship, inclusion, equity, and justice in our process, whether in our office culture, partners, or clients. Our design philosophy is all about people, too. We want to make sure the end users enjoy the spaces we design. You can’t enjoy a space that doesn’t function well, makes you feel lonely, or isn’t pleasing to your senses. We promise we will always choose the enjoyment and well-being of the people who use our design spaces over arbitrary aesthetics. Our process begins with the art of listening, which dictates that we put aside our personal views to hear what you want to accomplish with your building project. Once we have truly heard you, we will apply our design, construction, and permitting expertise to help make your dream come true.

Pricing:

• Our pricing varies per project

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tazkhatristudios.com
• Instagram: @taz_khatri_studios
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tazkhatristudios

Image Credits
Personal photo by Chloe Huls; Additional photo by Jason Roehner