Meet Albert Sawano | Founder and Principal Architect

We had the good fortune of connecting with Albert Sawano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Albert, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My career trajectory had led to my working in very large, national and international architecture firms on some of the largest projects in California. What I began to realize after so many years of that was that these companies tended to focus on revenue and expansion as the goal, ahead of common sense things like actual design innovation and quality, client satisfaction, and a high-quality of construction documents as a means of construction cost control. It finally reached a point where it made perfect sense to start from scratch with a blank slate. It still feels very much like a startup company whose story is still being written. Can we succeed and grow organically by placing values first and the traditional structures of some of our big business competition second? I do very much feel that falling back on “business as usual” and the soulless pursuit of profit has brought our society to the brink of collapse. It helps to know what you don’t want to bring focus to what you do want.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

I started off with just me at a desk in a WeWork in Pasadena and, now in our sixth year, have grown to an elite, handpicked team in four time zones spread out around the country and the world. “Crafted” and “craftsmanship” are key words I like to use in describing our work. Using sophisticated hardware and software, we craft our buildings in virtual form with the same care and love as, let’s say, a master Japanese swordsmith. It’s not about revenues on a ledger, it’s about applying our talents and skills to give meaning to our energy and time, hopefully making our clients happy that their needs are more than met, but also leaving the world in a better place than when we started. Our company is modest, organic, and its story is about the potential for the underdog to change the world by putting values first.

Last year I branched off to also startup a company Inhabio (https://inha.bio) to manufacture some of our buildings, mostly market rate and affordable apartments in “slices” inside a factory that are shipped here and arranged horizontally and vertically up to create buildings up to seven or eight stories in height. By using much lower cost overseas labor and the strong U.S. dollar exchange rates, the intent is to disrupt the high cost of construction in California by at least 20% below the most economical of traditional construction techniques. Our first project using the Inhabio system, for 82 units of permanent supportive housing, is in the works now for a site in Midtown Los Angeles.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
What remains of LA Noir as a vibe is probably its strongest suit as a unique place. It’s the gritty area around the LA River at dusk, the Art Deco bridges crossing the river and railroad tracks, the old brick warehouses now converted to other uses. Zinc Cafe in the Arts District has tasty vegetarian fare. Urth Cafe, also amid the warehouses of the Arts District is a popular spot to meet a friend over coffee or a light lunch. Culturally what make’s LA so strong is it’s extreme diversity and influences from Central America and East Asia. I would definitely try and check out Alameda Swap Meet for cheap shopping and a snack and then take a jaunt to absorb 626 culture on Valley Boulevard in Alhambra for an amazing selection of Chinese Restaurants for dinner. One recent hole-in-the-wall gem I bumped into was Luyixian Mandarin Restuaurant a 2 E. Valley Boulevard. It is the antithesis of atmospheric, but that is part of the charm. Afterwards get a boba drink at any number of shops on Valley or It’s Boba Time on nearby Main Street at Garfield Avenue.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I recently joined a very interesting international group called the Human Gathering and, from, that had the privilege to meet entrepreneur Richart Ruddie who gave me a shoutout. It’s a pretty amazing group of people and unlike some sort of typical business networking thing, it’s focus is on how to bring together some of the most talented and accomplished people from the world of business to solve some vexing societal problems like racism, human trafficking, and homelessness.

Website: https://synchronis.design and https://inha.bio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synchronisdesign/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synchronis-architecture

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