Cognitions operates as a multidisciplinary studio.
Origins & Worldview
Our work strives to enhance our sense of surroundings, identity & relationship to others and the physical spaces we inhabit.
Cognitions was born from early explorations at the Urban Lab at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. The studio emerged at the intersection of systems & design thinking.
Rather than treating design as an act of expression, Cognitions approaches it as an act of alignment between people and place, intention and use, present needs and future consequences.
The studio operates from a position of clarity rather than ideology. It draws from systems & design thinking and cultural intelligence. Cognitions exists to create environments that make sense spatially, spiritually, and operationally long after they are completed.
Architecture, in this view, is not about statement or spectacle.It is about coherence. Environmental and cultural sensitivity is integral to how Cognitions works. Each project is approached within its climatic, cultural, and ecological context, with careful attention to material choices, energy and water efficiency, emissions, and waste reduction.
Cognitions works from first principles rather than inherited defaults.
We operate from what we call the Middle Nation, a position of intellectual autonomy that moves between cultures, disciplines, and scales with awareness.
Architecture, Interiors & Urban Strategy
Our role is to hold the project as a whole. We integrate design, context, and execution so clients can move forward with confidence.
We combine design expertise, digital tools, and craftsmanship to guide decisions and deliver considered outcomes with clarity and care.
ⴾ Architecture
Residential • Hospitality • Adaptive & Mixed Use
ⴾ Masterplanning & Urban Design
Frameworks • Landscape Architecture • Placemaking
ⴾ Interior Design
Material Intelligence • Spatial Layout
ⴾ Advisory & Consulting
KSA Vision 2030 • UN SDG • Heritage
Our Values
Cognitions is guided by intellectual autonomy, collective intelligence, and respect for people & context.
Cognitions evolves as an ecology of creative minds where knowledge is not just preserved, but breathed into existence, reconfigured in every encounter, and set free to shape new worlds.
Cognitions was formed in the space between disciplines, cultures, and ways of thinking. A middle ground where ideas are not inherited, but examined; where intellectual autonomy is protected so that collaboration can be meaningful rather than performative.
We bring different minds into alignment not to dissolve differences, but to hold them in coherence for our clients.
Our People
Cognitions is a community-powered practice.
Our way of working enables collective intelligence, shared authorship, and coherent outcomes across architecture, design, and urban systems.
Our collaborative community is built through long-term alignment, contribution, and trust allowing Cognitions to remain adaptable, context-sensitive, and deeply engaged in every project.
For our clients, this means confidence in the process and projects that continue to make sense over time.
Presence & Practice
Positioned between Italy & Saudi Arabia, Cognitions brings together two distinct design cultures within one practice.
This dual anchoring enables close collaboration, cultural fluency, and direct engagement with place.
Cognitions operates between Milan, Jeddah, and Al Khobar. This positioning allows design culture, regional presence, and local engagement to inform one another directly.
Your vision, realized.
We work with private clients, academia, institutions, public bodies, and partner studios.
Politecnico di Milano • IMM Urban Design Lab • AINO • EcoSpectrals • Celim Onlus • Comune di Milano • Bashkia Vlore • Italian Albanian Debt for Swap Agreement • Ehsan Al Abbad Engineering Consulting • SI Studio • Versitu • Private Citizens
Each collaboration is grounded in trust, shared intent, and long-term value.