LOT-EK is an award-winning architectural design studio based in New York and Naples, Italy. Founded in 1993 by Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano, they have been involved with commercial, institutional and residential projects globally. In addition, LOT-EK has conceived and executed exhibition design and site-specific installations for major cultural institutions and museums, including MoMA, the Whitney Museum, the Walker Art Center and the Guggenheim. They have achieved high visibility for their sustainable and innovative approach to construction, materials and space, through the adaptive reuse (“upcycling”) of existing industrial objects and systems not originally intended for architecture.

And the Winners of the 2021 Dwell Design Awards Are...
We’re thrilled to share the projects that wowed our expert judges panel and our readers this year.
A Shipping Container Penthouse Lists for $995K in New York City
Formerly a mechanical room and overhauled by LOT-EK, the Manhattan pad recasts a 20-foot shipping container as an upstairs...
The Pioneers of Shipping Container Architecture Make a New Case for the Genre With This Prefab House
In upstate New York, LOT-EK tests a new prefab production process, installing an efficient prototype that merges six Cor-Ten...
5 of Our Favorite Shipping Container Companies in North America
From the Hamptons’ first shipping container house to a pop-up cargotecture bar, the innovative projects from these North American...
Stacked Shipping Containers Create a New Model For Urban Living in South Africa
This modular building composed of 140 shipping containers is designed to revitalize and revamp the downtown core of Johannesburg,...
An Amazing Home in Brooklyn Made Out of 21 Shipping Containers
Sited on a typical 25-by-100-foot corner lot in Brooklyn, this 5,000-square-foot residence was built with 21 stacked shipping...
Explore the World of Shipping Container Design With a New Architectural Book
Featuring built, unbuilt, and in-progress projects, the new monograph on architectural studio LOT-EK offers an in-depth look at...
Discover 5 Public Buildings in South Korea Made Out of Shipping Containers
In South Korea, shipping containers have been used to build amazing projects including an art school, low-cost housing, a...
A Brooklyn Carriage House Is Revamped With a Penthouse Made From Shipping Containers
On a tree-lined street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, a former carriage house from the 1930s is now a colorful modern home that...
Tunnel Vision
To maximize every square inch in this Manhattan apartment, LOT-EK knocked down walls, added dozens of recycled doors, and built...
Village People
Amidst the pedestrian-friendly maze of leafy streets in New York City’s West Village, LOT-EK, a firm whose designs focus on the...