Astrid Piber, Partner and Senior Architect at UNStudio, graduated from the Technical University Vienna in 1997 and received her MS in AAD from Columbia University, New York, in 1999. Since joining UNStudio in 1998, Astrid has worked closely with Ben van Berkel on a wide range of projects globally. Her first was the now completed Arnhem Central Station masterplan. In the intervening years, she has worked on numerous projects in Asia and Europe, from the initial urban study and competition phase, through to realization. She is currently in charge of several large-scale design projects globally. In transport and mixed-use projects, such as the Raffles City development in Hangzhou, China, the interdependency of functional, economic, and future-proofing criteria led to organisations that go beyond segregated typologies. In such projects, Astrid has worked with a trans-scalar approach—from infrastructure and urban design to custom-crafted interiors—where user experience adds value to design and becomes distinct to its location. Such sophisticated place making strategies form part of the design approach for numerous integrated transport and mixed use projects.
