Concept Design
Spatial concept · Narrative framework · Atmosphere & reference
Defining the world of a project — its spatial idea, its story structure, and the imagery and references that set its tone.
Three disciplines.
One spatial practice.
Exl Studio is an independent spatial design studio based between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, bringing together architecture, production design, and engineering. We use space as a medium for narrative – combining spatial thinking, storytelling, and systems to shape environments that are experienced, not simply viewed.
SERVICES / CONCEPT TO DOCUMENTATION
Schematic Design
Drawings & models · Material studies · System validation
Carrying the concept into developed design — technical drawings, physical and digital models, and testing of materials and mechanical systems.
Construction Documentation
Construction documents · Details · Specifications
Translating developed design into the coordinated drawings, details, and specifications required for construction.
STORY × SYSTEM × SPACE × STRATEGY
Production Design
Narrative, image, atmosphere, character, sequence.
Design Engineering
Mechanics, movement, prototyping, feasibility, fabrication.
Architecture & Interior
Space, scale, circulation, material, detailing.
Business & Data
Market, audience, positioning, analytics, growth.
THE PRACTICE
Effa
Founder / Production DesignerTrained across Hong Kong, Edinburgh, and Los Angeles, with practice experience spanning Shanghai, Hong Kong, and LA, including time at Gensler Hong Kong.
Effa leads the studio across production design, spatial storytelling, and visual world-building, translating narrative into space, atmosphere, and experience. Her practice moves between architecture and production design, with a particular interest in how environments shape character, movement, and story.
Leo
Co-Founder / Architectural Designer & Design EngineerTrained across Hong Kong, Europe, and Boston, with a background rooted in architecture, spatial design, and engineering-led experimentation.
Leo works across architecture, kinetic systems, and mechanical design, developing environments that move, transform, and respond. His practice bridges spatial thinking and engineering through mechanisms, prototyping, and material experimentation.
Jo
Business & Data StrategyTrained in Data Sciences & Business Analytics through the joint ESSEC Business School × CentraleSupélec program in France, with professional experience in Hong Kong.
Jo works across business intelligence, data analysis, and strategy, translating project and market information into frameworks for positioning, growth, and decision-making. She brings a quantitative perspective to how the studio evaluates opportunities, audiences, and new directions.
Trinity
Spatial & Interior DesignerBased in Hong Kong, with professional experience at Benoy across interior design, spatial development, and project delivery.
Trinity works between spatial concept and physical realization, developing interiors and installations through material, detailing, coordination, and on-site implementation. Her role brings the studio’s spatial ideas closer to the realities of making and building.
Awards
2025Architizer Vision Awards – FinalistData Democracy: The Memory Centre
2024International Design Awards – BronzeArchitecture Project Development / Mixed Use
2024International Design Awards – Honorable MentionCommercial Interior Design / Workspace Design
2024International Design Awards – SilverArchitecture Project Development / Industrial & Infrastructure
2024International Design Awards – Honorable MentionCultural / Community Interior Design
2024Architecture MasterPrize – Student Architectural Design AwardSmall Architecture
2024Architecture MasterPrize – Student Interior Design AwardRooms and Zones
2024Architecture MasterPrize – Student Architectural Design AwardOther Architecture
2024Architecture MasterPrize – Student Landscape Architecture AwardConceptual Landscape
2024AYDA – Asia Young Designer AwardsHong Kong Gold Award
2024Design for Asia – Hong Kong Young Design Talent AwardFinal Round
2024PolyU School of Design – Best Conceptualization Award
2023SHJD–4C International Design Competition – Second AwardFirst Place in Hong Kong
2023Sustainable Hospitality Challenge – Semi-Finalist
2023PolyU School of Design – Manual Design Technique Development Award
Exhibitions
2025PolyU School of Design ShowJockey Club Innovation Tower · Hong Kong
2024The Art of Sketching – Architectural NarrativesRIBA Hong Kong Chapter / DX Design Hub
2024Urban Design International Workshop & ExhibitionPolyU Design × Ewha Womans University · Seoul / Hong Kong
2024PolyU School of Design ShowJockey Club Innovation Tower · Hong Kong
2024The Global Research in Design Innovation ExhibitionHong Kong, China
2024PolyU-SD-EID Exhibition of Best Studio WorkHong Kong, China
2023SJTU-SD-4C Challenge – Award-winning Works ExhibitionShanghai, China