GOLEM is an architecture, art & design studio founded in 2021 by Ariel André.
Ariel André \aʀiɛl ˈɑːndreɪ\ is an architect and founder of GOLEM, an architecture, design, and research studio based in Paris.
His work deliberately departs from standardized architectural and design frameworks. By drawing on overlooked perspectives and marginal aesthetics, André designs spaces and objects that differ from established conventions and norms. This shift in standpoint results in designs that are inherently transformative.
This approach often integrates narratives of underrepresented communities and non-humans, and produces environments in which a broad and diverse public feels intuitively represented and therefore welcomed.
His ongoing projects include a building for the Diriyah Biennale in Saudi Arabia, a restaurant in central London, an agriturismo in Sardinia's mountains designed for a disabled owner, and the curatorial architecture for the Bukhara Biennial in Uzbekistan.
GOLEM has garnered recognition at prestigious platforms such as Paris Design Week, Collectible Design Fair, the Dhaka Art Summit, the Diriyah Biennale, and the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the Bukhara Biennial in Uzbekistan.
For the past 10 years before founding GOLEM, Ariel André worked as an Architect for world-renowned award winning studios in Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and for the Government in Haiti.
Before founding GOLEM, Ariel André led design teams at OMA - Rem Koolhaas, the Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm in Rotterdam where he worked as an Architect – Project Manager and was responsible for the business development of French-speaking countries. His projects at OMA include Retail, Museums and Offices in Qatar, the second largest Courthouse in France (Lille), the urban redevelopment of the second biggest business district in Europe (AZCA - Madrid), and a large-scale housing development on the French Riviera (Toulon).