EC3 is a Los Angeles-based architecture and design office founded by Edwin Chan, the veteran design partner of world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. The firm draws from Edwin Chan’s extensive experience in delivering arts and cultural buildings to inform the design and execution of projects in all scales, from urban design and mixed-use buildings, to exhibition designs and sculptural commissions. Since its inception in 2012, the cross-disciplinary design practice has developed a diverse portfolio with a roster of international clients in California and across the US, as well as in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
EC3’s design approach prioritizes tactile timeless experience to abstract theoretical trends; and aims to balance creativity with feasibility from concept to execution. EC3’s design team uses physical models extensively to promote a hands-on interactive design process in close collaboration with clients, expert consultants from other disciplines, as well as artists and curators; while leveraging digital technology as a tool to evaluate design scenarios and optimize the most effective approach to organizing program, streamline project delivery, and achieve long-term sustainability beyond energy efficiency.
EC3’s recent designs include True North, an internationally awarded live/work community for creative entrepreneurs and makers in Detroit (2017); The Bass Museum’s DESTEFASHIONCOLLECTION 1 to 8 exhibition in Miami Beach, which presents all eight of the Deste Foundation’s fashion capsules for the first time in the United States (2018); a proposal for the two million square foot Dalang Cultural & Sports Center in Shenzhen, China (2018), and the concept design of a 35-story Net-Zero Tower for a tech-company in Sydney, Australia (2019).
EC3 and Edwin Chan have been recognized with numerous awards and distinctions, including the honor of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France, a grant recipient from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies for the Arts, winner of a 2017 Progressive Architecture P/A Award, winner of the 2017 AN Best of Design Award in the Residential/Multi Unit category; and named one of six finalists for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) 2018, awarded biannually to the most distinguished and impactful project in North and South America. In 2021, EC3 and the design team of the Net-Zero Tower in Sydney, Australia was recognized by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction as a winner in the Asian-Pacific Region.
Edwin Chan is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), while EC3 is a certified 100% Minority Owned Business and a registered Small Business Enterprise.