Studiae is an international architecture and design practice whose published portfolio covers commercial buildings, residential developments, offices, interiors, and large-scale master planning. Its current leadership includes architect Ed Jenkins as Partner/Design Director, Khaled Nahas as Partner/Regional Director, and Abdullah Maddan as Senior Associate.
The name also creates some confusion online because “Studiae” resembles Latin words connected with study and because recent websites have described it in unrelated educational contexts. The most clearly verifiable active entity using the exact name is the architecture practice operating through Studiae.com, with work connected to Europe, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Kosovo, Armenia, Turkey, Nigeria, and other international markets.
What Is Studiae?
Studiae is an architecture studio focused on creating buildings and environments according to the needs of each site, client, and use rather than applying one fixed architectural style.
The studio describes its portfolio as spanning places for culture, living, learning, and work. Its public project index includes commercial architecture, residential developments, offices, mixed-use schemes, and master-planning assignments.
This distinction is important because a search for “Studiae” can produce pages describing it as an educational concept or learning platform. Those descriptions should not automatically be treated as information about the architecture firm. The architecture practice has an identifiable official website, named leadership, contact information, and a detailed project portfolio.
Who Leads Studiae?
The firm’s official website currently identifies three senior figures:
| Person | Published role |
|---|---|
| Ed Jenkins | Partner / Design Director |
| Khaled Nahas | Partner / Regional Director |
| Abdullah Maddan | Senior Associate |
Ed Jenkins also has a publicly visible professional profile identifying his work with STUDIAE AMERICA and describing him as an architect with more than 25 years of international experience. His education includes Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
The official Studiae website does not currently provide a detailed corporate history, exact founding date, shareholder breakdown, or comprehensive explanation of its legal ownership structure. It would therefore be inaccurate to assign a founding year or describe a particular individual as the sole founder without stronger documentation.
Where Is Studiae Based?
Studiae presents itself as an international practice rather than a studio confined to one city.
Its About page describes the practice as being based in Europe and the United Arab Emirates. The website footer separately lists STUDIAE America at 1270 Avenue of the Americas, 7th Floor, Suite 1026, New York, NY 10020.
This international positioning matches the geographic spread of the work shown in its portfolio. Published projects are located in places including Abu Dhabi, Prishtina, Yerevan, Ankara, and Lagos.
The public information does not establish that every location mentioned in connection with the practice represents a separately incorporated Studiae company. Readers researching legal entities, licenses, or contractual responsibility for a particular commission should verify those details directly with the firm.
Studiae’s Approach to Architecture and Design
Studiae says its projects begin with the specific circumstances of the site and brief rather than with a predetermined visual formula.
Its stated philosophy emphasizes three ideas: context-sensitive design, spatial coherence, and material consideration. According to the studio, projects can range from small interiors to major public and urban developments, but the design process remains centered on how people will use and experience the space.
Hand Sketching Before Digital Development
One unusually specific part of Studiae’s published process is its emphasis on drawing ideas by hand.
The studio says projects initially develop through sketches and collaborative design discussions, including a charrette-style process in which ideas are explored and refined collectively. Digital tools are then introduced to develop those concepts while retaining the intent of the original sketches.
That workflow is common in experienced architectural practices because early hand drawing allows designers to test proportions, circulation, massing, relationships, and alternatives without becoming prematurely committed to detailed computer models.
Digital modeling can then be used for more precise development, coordination, visualization, and documentation.
Major Projects Associated With Studiae
One of the most important things to understand about the Studiae portfolio is attribution.
Several projects displayed on the firm’s website were designed by its current architects during earlier positions at other architecture practices. Studiae often states this directly on individual project pages. Therefore, describing every displayed project simply as “designed by Studiae” can erase the role of the original architecture firm.
The following examples illustrate the distinction.
| Project | Location | Type | Published attribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prishtina Mall | Prishtina, Kosovo | Commercial | Laguarda.Low Architects; Ed Jenkins credited as lead designer |
| Al Lulu Island Master Plan | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Master planning | Ed Jenkins and Khaled Nahas while at LLA |
| International Residence | Prishtina, Kosovo | Residential | Ed Jenkins while Principal-in-Charge at LLA |
| Orbeli 23 | Yerevan, Armenia | Residential | Ed Jenkins while Principal-in-Charge at LLA |
| National Theater Master Plan | Lagos, Nigeria | Master planning | Ed Jenkins while Principal at ACP Jenkins |
| EGE Corporate Center | Ankara, Turkey | Office | Ed Jenkins while Principal at ACP Jenkins |
Prishtina Mall
Prishtina Mall is one of the highest-profile projects shown on Studiae’s website, but the original architectural credit deserves clarification.
The BLT Built Design Awards lists Laguarda.Low Architects as both the design company and architecture firm, with Ed Jenkins as lead designer. The project, located in Pristina, Kosovo, received an Honorable Mention in Architectural Design/Commercial in the 2024 awards.
Laguarda.Low’s own project archive also lists Prishtina Mall as a retail project and credits the firm with architecture and interior design.
The mall opened in March 2023. Its design draws on natural features associated with Kosovo, including mountains, forests, valleys, and water, while using elements such as glazed atriums, daylight, wood, and stone to create different zones within the very large development.
For readers researching Studiae, Prishtina Mall is best understood as part of Ed Jenkins’ architectural record rather than a project that originated solely under the current Studiae name.
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Al Lulu Island Master Plan
The Al Lulu Island project is a competition proposal for a 420-hectare master plan in Abu Dhabi.
Studiae describes a concept based on eight islands, with roughly 85 percent of the development assigned to luxury villas and 15 percent to a central commercial district. The proposed development contains approximately 1.5 million square metres of buildable area.
The project page specifically says it was created by Ed Jenkins and Khaled Nahas while they were respectively Principal-in-Charge and Senior Designer at LLA.
That disclosure is useful because it demonstrates how Studiae’s online portfolio includes the professional body of work of its senior architects as well as work connected with the current practice.
International Residence in Prishtina
International Residence is a residential development in Prishtina focused on contemporary urban housing.
The design uses geometric volumes, terraces, large openings, natural light, and a mixture of modern finishes and warmer materials. Studiae currently labels the project as under construction and attributes its creation to Ed Jenkins while he was Principal-in-Charge at LLA.
Laguarda.Low’s own portfolio also lists International Residence in Prishtina and describes its scope as architecture design, providing independent confirmation of the project’s earlier firm connection.
Orbeli 23 Residential Complex
Orbeli 23 is planned for a hillside site near the center of Yerevan, Armenia.
The development replaces a deteriorated Soviet-era military hospital site and is designed around 20-storey residential blocks arranged along a central organizing spine. Studiae states that the concept was developed by Ed Jenkins while Principal-in-Charge at LLA.
The project illustrates another recurring theme in the portfolio: large residential and mixed urban developments intended to respond to rapidly changing cities and populations.
National Theater Master Plan in Lagos
The National Theater Master Plan concerns development around Nigeria’s National Theatre in Lagos.
Studiae’s project description includes proposals for a multi-level shopping center, waterfront office park, cultural center, and resort hotel. The project is dated 2013 and is attributed to Ed Jenkins while he was Principal at ACP Jenkins.
It demonstrates experience at the urban-planning scale rather than architecture being limited to individual buildings.
EGE Corporate Center
The EGE Corporate Center was a competition proposal for an international company’s office headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
Its concept places three office components of different heights around a central courtyard. Studiae says the architectural form was developed as a larger organic mass that was strategically divided to give the separate office blocks their own identities.
Like the Lagos master plan, the project dates to 2013 and is identified as work led by Ed Jenkins while at ACP Jenkins.
What Services Does Studiae Provide?
Studiae does not currently publish a conventional price-and-services catalogue, so it is safer to describe its capabilities from documented project categories rather than assume every possible architectural service is offered.
Its portfolio provides evidence of work involving:
- Architecture
- Commercial developments
- Residential buildings
- Office projects
- Master planning
- Mixed-use developments
- Interior and experiential environments
The Hyper Active project at Prishtina Mall, for example, combines interior architecture, entertainment environments, circulation, and experiential branding. Studiae attributes the design to Ed Jenkins during his earlier position at LLA.
Pricing is not publicly listed. That is normal for architecture practices because fees usually depend on project size, location, scope, required consultants, planning requirements, construction value, and the particular stages for which the architect is appointed.
Is Studiae an Education or AI Study Platform?
There is currently much stronger primary evidence for Studiae as an architecture and design practice than for descriptions of the term as a generic AI-powered academic platform.
Some recent third-party articles use “Studiae” to describe study organization, academic productivity, or educational technology. Those claims should not be merged with the architecture company unless a source can demonstrate an actual organizational relationship.
The similarity in spelling probably contributes to the confusion.
What Does Studiae Mean in Latin?
“Studiae” should not be described as the standard Latin plural of studium.
The Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary defines studium broadly in terms of application, zeal, eagerness, pursuit, and study. Its plural studia is widely used for studies or intellectual pursuits.
Therefore:
- studium is the Latin singular noun
- studia is its standard nominative/accusative plural
- Studiae is the modern architecture brand discussed here
The architecture firm’s public pages do not appear to provide an authoritative explanation stating that its name was deliberately formed according to a specific Latin grammatical construction. Any claim about the exact intended etymology should therefore be treated cautiously.
How to Evaluate Studiae as an Architecture Practice
For developers or clients considering an architecture studio, a portfolio alone should not be the final basis for a decision.
Studiae provides useful transparency by identifying where certain projects originated during the careers of its current designers. Prospective clients should still clarify which projects were completed directly under the present Studiae organization and which represent earlier professional experience.
It is also sensible to request information about the proposed project team, local architectural licensing, engineering partners, scope of services, design stages, consultant coordination, fee structure, deliverables, construction administration, and previous projects comparable to the planned development.
This is particularly important for international projects, where architectural regulations and professional registration requirements differ considerably between jurisdictions.
Current Status of Studiae
As of September 2026, Studiae’s official website is active and continues to display an international architecture portfolio, current leadership information, recruitment links, contact details, and a New York contact address for STUDIAE America.
Its published portfolio spans multiple decades of professional work associated with its senior designers, including both current practice material and projects created during their positions at previous firms.
Public information remains more limited regarding the firm’s formal founding date, corporate ownership, employee count, financial information, and complete legal structure. Those details should not be inferred from the architecture portfolio alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Studiae
What is Studiae?
Studiae is an international architecture and design practice. Its published portfolio includes commercial, residential, office, master-planning, mixed-use, and interior projects.
Who runs Studiae?
The firm’s official website identifies Ed Jenkins as Partner/Design Director, Khaled Nahas as Partner/Regional Director, and Abdullah Maddan as Senior Associate.
Where is Studiae located?
Studiae describes itself as based in Europe and the UAE, while its website also lists STUDIAE America at 1270 Avenue of the Americas in New York City.
Did Studiae design Prishtina Mall?
The attribution is more specific than that. Prishtina Mall was designed by Laguarda.Low Architects, and the BLT Built Design Awards credits Ed Jenkins as lead designer. Studiae now includes the project in its portfolio in connection with Jenkins’ professional design record.
Is Studiae a study or education platform?
The authoritative first-party presence examined for this keyword is an architecture studio. Third-party descriptions of a “Studiae” education or productivity platform should not be assumed to refer to the same organization without independent evidence.
Does Studiae publish its prices?
No standard architectural fee schedule is displayed on its official website. Architecture fees normally depend on the project, location, scale, construction scope, design stages, and required professional services.
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