Seeking Connection: Nastaran Mousavi on Rapid Growth, Belonging, and Optimism
By Julia Gamolina
Nastaran is a designer and a licensed architect. She grew up in a small Iranian city bordered by the Alborz Mountains and the Caspian Sea. Aside from running her practice, Studio BANAA, Nastraran actively jurors at the Academy of Art University, California College of the Arts, and UC Berkeley. She is a board member of Deborah Slater Dance Theatre. Her love for the community and the diversity of our city keeps her involved in a range of community-based projects and nonprofit organizations. In her interview, Nastaran talks about establishing her practice and building on small steps, advising those just starting their careers to explore what happiness means to them.
JG: What did you learn about yourself in studying architecture?
NM: I learned that architecture is not the only thing I am passionate about. Going to California College of the Arts opened my eyes to other art mediums such as furniture, film-making, and drawing. Living in San Francisco let me explore all kinds of crafts and skills such as weaving, pattern making, and dancing. Working in the field of architecture allows you to interact with a wide range of industries and trades, and they are all so interesting and intriguing!
Something else I learned about myself while studying architecture is that it takes me a long time to start something. My mind sometimes wanders, and I have a hard time putting my pencil on the paper to get started - this is why I work well with my partner Dane. Still, I am very good at helping define and grow a concept, dissect ideas out of people's heads, criticize and elaborate on them. Sometimes I find myself reiterating what somebody says and translating it back to them in a much clearer way to them and others.
The very first project designed by Nastaran & Dane; that prompted them to start their firm. Photography by Ryan Rosene.
Concept Design for the future of the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco, a 6-story ground up building. Courtesy of Studio BANAA.
How did you get your start in the field?
When you are about sixteen years old in Iran, you have to decide what field you want to get into because you need to select your focus in high school: Arts, Humanities, Biology or Math & Physics, each yielding a specific range of occupations. I had two choices in my head - either become a dentist and make lots of money or listen to my father's encouragement to do what he told all of his kids to do: follow in his footsteps and become an architect. I didn't necessarily grow up building models or playing with Legos, drawing buildings, or anything like that, but I did have a lot of exposure to the profession, growing up in a family full of architects. My dad is the kind of person who values his personal life and family more than anything. He is also an artist, and for most of his career, he worked from home. Our house was his official office, with clients visiting our house regularly and him working out of our kitchen table or other parts of the house.
As a teenager, I had a very limited understanding of what it means to be an architect, aside from the interactions I saw from my dad and his clients and him drafting, sketching, and working on his drafting table (and later on his computer). But I knew I loved problem-solving, math, and physics. I ranked very well in a nationwide exam to enter college, and friends were encouraging me to study electrical engineering (the most highly acclaimed field in Iran), but I definitely was not an engineer deep down; I wanted to be an artist. I was seeking connection with my environment and people.
“I wanted to be an artist. I was seeking connection with my environment and people.”
Tell me how your firm came about.
It's kind of a cliché story but unique in its own way. Dane, the co-founder of Studio BANAA and my now husband, and I were dating for a couple of years working at different firms when we were approached by one of our friend's parents to design a retirement home for them in Pebble Beach, California. Dane's first reaction was to refer them to his firm, which does beautiful high-end, single-family homes. The parents rejected it and said, "We want you guys to design it!". Hesitant and already busy working at other firms, we decided to do it. There were three of us, and we felt we could pull it off. This was back in 2014. The project took a very long time to finish - in fact, we just photographed the finished building a few months ago - but it initiated something larger. Shortly thereafter, we decided to quit our jobs, charge full steam ahead, and go after our own projects.
Where are you in your career today? What is on your mind most at the moment?
Today I need to take on a lot of studio management responsibilities. We are a small but growing firm, and this year has been a very different one in many ways. One is obvious - a year impacted largely by the pandemic and a year where we are slowly moving out of it. The other has been landing a couple of large, ground-up projects in the typology we have been dreaming about and always wanted to get into - publicly funded projects driven by nonprofit organizations. Hence, the rapid growth of our company, more toggling between multiple projects and clients, bringing more collaborators on board, and growing our team.
For me, one challenging and exciting part has been team building and creating a sense of belonging for everyone involved. Our goal has become not only bringing in a diverse group of people to the team but also making sure they work on project types and aspects of the process that they are most passionate about. We currently are a majority women-run business! Three women and one Dane, he is a minority .
Nastaran & Dane with their clients at their newly designed coffee shop, Voyager Craft Coffee, in Santa Clara. Photography by Mikiko Kikuyama
Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you manage through a disappointment or a perceived setback?
The first six months after moving to the US from Iran was probably one of the most challenging times I have experienced. I had my bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Tehran. Even though I had studied English for almost ten years by the time I moved to the US, it was incredibly hard for me to understand my professors talking about dense architectural theory and concepts in English. It was hard for me to switch my brain to think about architecture in a different language. I recall recording every desk crit and every single class and then going back to my dorm room to listen to the recordings again, taking notes and translating them to make sense of them. That was time-consuming, difficult, and draining. I was ready to move back right after finishing up my master's degree. But, I didn't because I saw improvement over time and got used to my new situation.
Ever since we started Studio BANAA, getting projects has been a continuous challenge, especially projects we really want to work on. Fortunately, it is starting to get a lot easier for us as we become more and more specialized in the field we are focusing on and as we build a more cohesive portfolio of work. It's still hard for us to say' no' to a project, but we are getting better at seeing the value a project brings to us as a firm and anticipating the value we can bring to a project. Both Dane and I are generally very optimistic people, and our focus is on looking at the glass half full. I feel like one thing that helped us was taking risks and taking on projects that at first seemed to be of no value because they often ended up leading to another more valuable project opportunity.
“...significant changes come from making changes on a smaller scale first.”
Who are you admiring right now, and why?
I admire all the immigrants coming to this country to build a life they want to live, especially women from the middle east. There are a lot of obstacles they have gone through and need to go through that are beyond a lot of people's imagination. I am also extremely impressed by the work of young architects who live and work in Iran. Despite all the social and economic challenges they have to deal with and overcome, they are creating some outstanding innovative work.
What is the impact you'd like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?
I don't necessarily live my life with a core mission and long-term goal; I think significant changes come from making changes on a smaller scale first. Whether it's a small or large project that I'm working on, I think about how I, as a human being, can make a small difference; whether it's by involving myself with a minority group, working on a pro-bono basis with local nonprofit organizations, or crafting groundbreaking ideas to contribute to the process of solving homelessness. If I can positively impact these issues through my career and life, I can call myself a successful person.
Nastaran sketching in her studio space. Photography by Danny Le.
Nastaran & Dane at their new studio in San Francisco’s Mission District - the Box Factory - with their dog Bella. Photography by Katja Bresch.
Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?
Work on things that you are passionate about, and don't worry too much about making milestones and setting up big huge goals. The path you take is unique to you, and it always is fruitful in its own way. For some people, money is passion and a necessity, and for others, a purpose in life and giving back to their community is all it matters. Whatever it is, sticking to the happiness you create for yourself, and the people around you should be a driving factor to your career success. For women, gender discrimination is out there, and we all know it! Instead of withdrawing or playing the victim, my attitude has always been to channel that negative energy into a motivating factor and light the fire to work harder and prove the value that you know you bring to the table. Hopefully, that experience will have a positive impact on that person's perspective.