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About

SVESMI is a Dutch office for architecture, urbanism, and education based in Rotterdam.

Architect Alexander Sverdlov and designer/researcher Anastassia Smirnova-Berlin founded it in 2007 to initiate and realise projects across disciplinary, national, and cultural frontiers, bringing together a broad variety of experts who are interested in the responsible production of space.

SVESMI explores the role and potential capacity of the architectural profession in the era of fast-paced technological innovation, with the prospect of radical climate change and dwindling of natural resources. With the experience of working in harsh Northern environments, the office has its own network of specialists in climate-specific designs and constantly expands its expertise in the field. 

In the day-to-day practice, SVESMI deals with a diverse set of briefs, ranging from architecture and urban planning to research projects and development of educational programs. Within the office agenda, special attention is given to preservation, rebuilding, and reprogramming of the existing structures – protected heritage as well as buildings of no obvious public value. 

SVESMI team works for municipalities, educational and cultural institutions, but also private entities, helping its clients to formulate tasks effectively. At the same time, SVESMI founders also initiate projects themselves, based on the research and projective exploration of specific contexts and situations, finding investors and forming communities of users for concrete cases.  

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