Why Why? Where Architecture Loves People

The work and philosophy of WHY, a bicoastal architecture firm specializing in museums and cultural centers

WHY is a wildly interdisciplinary architecture, design and landscape studio with global projects of every scale. Founded in 2003 by Thai-born, Los Angeles–based Kulapat Yantrasast (born 1968), the firm is committed to creating lasting connections between people, culture and place. Among other projects, the practice worked with civic leaders and urban planners to revitalize the historic Portland Warehouse District near Louisville, Kentucky. In 2017 and 2018, the firm won two international competitions to design large-scale urban parks: West Princes Street Gardens and the Ross Pavilion in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Rees Ridge Waterfront Park in Toronto.
A reflection of WHY’s pluralistic approach, this first comprehensive monograph consists of multiple interviews with its founder, clients, colleagues, thinkers and supporters, conducted by longtime WHY friend and collaborator Katya Tylevich. The book is conceived as a collage of the designs and dialogues fostered by the studio, reflecting the exchanges and close bonds between people dedicated to making better places, and making places better.