Front Studio Architects

Front Studio began in 2001 in New York City. A decade later Yen Ha and Michi Yanagishita merged the partnership with Art Lubetz, founder of Lubetz Associates in Pittsburgh, PA. The three principals met at Carnegie Mellon University.

Front Studio believes architecture to be an interactive and creative process that places the welfare of a community and its inhabitants at the forefront of the design. The firm prioritizes the experience of the user and the lasting effect of their projects on the surrounding environment. We do this across a broad variety of project types, from libraries to lofts, from single family homes to multi story housing.

Yen Ha

Yen is a founding principal of Front Studio, started in New York, NY in 2001. She completed her undergraduate work at Carnegie Mellon University with honors, followed by post-graduate work in urbanism at L’École d’Architecture la Villette in Paris, France. Yen is a licensed architect whose work has been featured in Interior Design, Icon Magazine, Wallpaper and the NY Times. She is a member of the Board of Directors for play:groundNYC, a non-profit seeking to transform the city through play. She has been a visiting critic at Washington University in St Louis and Rice University. Her work as a writer and artist can be found at yhaduong. 

Michi Yanagishita

Michi has been a principal of Front Studio since 2005. Michi is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and studied at the Glasgow School for Art in Scotland. A native born Japanese speaker, she is a licensed architect whose work on the Harlem Townhouse was featured in the New York Times Real Estate section. Additional projects under Michi's purview have been published in AIT, Arch+ and AD Magazine.

Art Lubetz (1940-2025)

Art joined Front Studio Architects as principal in 2009. Prior to that, he founded Lubetz Associates in 1967, an architectural firm recognized for creating memorable, experiential architecture. The practice produced the award winning Carnegie Library at Squirrel Hill and the Glass Lofts. He was a past president of Preservation Pittsburgh as well as founding member of the Pittsburgh Community Design Center and the Environment Design Collaborative. For over two decades Art was an active adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University where he encouraged students to profoundly explore their experiences with architecture.