Balodemas Architects

Lou Balodemas, AIA | Veena Shahsavarian, AIA

Veena Shahsavarian, AIA; Micheal Holliday, RIBA, International Assoc. AIA

Balodemas Architects is an architecture and design studio led by Lou Balodemas and Veena Shahsavarian.

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Balodemas has practiced in DC his entire career. He founded the firm in 1988 and Shahsavarian, a Virginia Tech graduate, joined in 2012.

Along with a staff of five, the principals bring a unique balance of experience and fresh design insight to their practice, achieving creative solutions while avoiding a defining look. Designs are developed with clients in an open, interactive manner and refined to ensure the results suit personalities, aesthetics and lifestyles. “We want clients to be drivers of the finished product rather than just sounding boards,” Balodemas relates. “And we want their perspectives and experiences to guide solutions.”

The firm embraces projects that pose unique programmatic, siting or budgetary challenges and require a creative and rigorous approach. “We enjoy restoring and refining a period home as much as we do transforming a lackluster one into something with character,” says Balodemas.

Whether working on a new home or a renovation, the architects carefully consider each design decision and material selection and its impact on function and aesthetics. “We work through these decisions with both in mind, balanced against the goals and overall concepts we set for the project,” explains Shahsavarian, who was a recipient of the 2021 Emerging Professional Award from Potomac Valley AIA.

The firm’s residential work has been featured in Dwell, Atomic Ranch, Washingtonian and The Washington Post.

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