Spinagu is an architectural office based in Los Angeles that works on buildings, environments, exhibition design, and furniture. Spinagu designs thoughtful architecture that elevates the everyday while speculating on contemporary ideas and processes. Their approach foregrounds architecture’s social and cultural values, through materials, craft, aesthetics, and relational practices.

Directed by Jia Yi Gu and Maxi Spina, Spinagu combines professional activities with academic, research and curatorial projects. Their award-winning practice has been recognized and supported by the Graham Foundation, the Getty Foundation, MacDowell, California Arts Council, LA County Arts Commission, Canadian Centre for Architecture, and American Institute of Architects. Their work and writing has been published in Log, e-flux Architecture, Architectural Digest, Architect’s Record, and Architect Magazine, amongst others.

Jia Yi Gu and Maxi Spina are actively involved in Los Angeles institutional and academic landscapes: Jia Yi Gu served as director of Materials & Applications and is currently director and curator of the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House. Maxi Spina is Design and Applied Studies faculty and undergraduate thesis coordinator at SCI-Arc. They have held Visiting Professor positions at the California College of Art, the University of Texas in Austin, and Syracuse University, and have lectured widely at Cal Poly Pomona, Columbia GSAPP, Rice University, University of California Los Angeles, University of California Berkeley, University of Michigan, University of Southern California, and Syracuse University.

The studio is currently working on a 2500 sq. ft museum courtyard redesign for Craft Contemporary; private residences in Los Angeles; an ADU project in Angelino Heights; research into alternative financing; and a major museum exhibition on material experimentation in architecture and design supported as part of the regional initiative Getty Pacific Standard Time.