The Pandemic Changed Our Architecture Studio. We Never Went Back.

The pandemic changed the way PIEKNO works. We moved fully online—and never went back.

For a creative studio, I discovered that quality of work matters much more than the number of hours someone spends sitting in a particular chair.

Remote work changed the studio, not the standard

Our projects still require site visits, technical coordination, supplier meetings and construction experience. Remote does not mean disconnected from reality.

Remote doesn't mean junior. I prefer working with experienced architects who have not only learned how to draw a detail, but have seen that detail built.

Architecture still needs “la calle”

There are things you only learn on site: how contractors actually interpret drawings, how materials behave, how different trades collide, and how quickly a small unresolved detail can become an expensive problem.

That practical experience matters enormously in a studio that handles renovations and construction.

Flexibility can make a creative team stronger

My view changed even more after becoming a mother. Creative work does not always happen between 9 and 5. Deadlines matter. Accountability matters. But flexibility can help experienced people stay in the profession and do excellent work.

In our team, that flexibility has been especially valuable for women balancing architecture, family and professional life. I see this as my experience, not a universal rule for every studio.

A boutique studio can stay genuinely personal

Working remotely also reinforced something I already believed: I do not want PIEKNO to become a factory producing dozens of interchangeable projects.

We intentionally take a limited number of projects so I can stay involved in the design. Every project should be strong enough that we would want it in the portfolio.

The office is not the culture

Culture is how the team communicates, makes decisions, solves problems and protects the quality of the work.

The pandemic removed the physical studio. It did not remove the standards.

Meet our team, see our projects, or contact PIEKNO Studio.