Michael K. Chen is principal of MKCA, an architecture practice with a dedication to creating unexpected, beautifully refined, hyper-useful, and playful works of design. MKCA is widely recognized for buildings, interiors, and objects that embrace material expression, that elegantly choreograph space, and that embody innovative and thoughtful approaches to craft. Through a process that is considered, collaborative, and inclusive, MKCA is invested in linking the material and social worlds, based on the belief that design creates impact through its participants, materials, and making.MKCA partners with a wide range of clients on residential, commercial, civic, and institutional projects that frequently integrate architecture, interior design, and product design. Michael and work of the practice have been widely recognized in the press and with numerous awards for design excellence, research, and public good. MKCA is based in New York and works on projects throughout the United States and internationally.In 2020, Michael co-founded Design Advocates, a non profit cooperative network of independent architecture and design firms collaborating on projects and initiatives that promote equality in the built environment.