About

MISSION

I_You Design Lab was founded on the commitment to develop and support meaningful and sustainable solutions that help lift the quality of life at every scale and level for people who has been displaced. We belief that mindful and sustainable design should be accessible to all and are committed to bridging access to those with little or no access.

WHO WE ARE

I_You Design Lab is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit design and architecture collective dedicated to the betterment of people and environmental through leveraging research, design, and mindful construction of the built environments as tools to address fundamental needs, dignity, local community’s health, and environmental stewardship. We partner with individuals, communities, governmental organizations, NGOs, and other nonprofits through projects that fundamentally elevate the quality of lives of those who are displaced and under-served.  

I_You Design Lab is governed by a board of directors who advise on the organization’s strategy, operations, and paths to meet to the organization’s mission. The board is comprised of a diverse group of thought leaders from different sectors and perspectives.

OUR PROCESS

I_You Design Lab is committed to people, culture, and environment first, then we use design as tools to problem solve. Our practice is grounded in the belief of maximizing and empowering the diverse voices of all the stakeholders we are working to support by prioritizing moments throughout our process – not only to listen and understand but foster active participation and create opportunities for meaningful decision making. We believe projects, at whatever scale and budget they maybe, are made richer by the many.

While I_You Design Lab practices design and architecture with rigors, incorporating cross-discipline research, digital technologies, art, and design, we work diligently to be open-minded, so our work is adaptable and scalable throughout the dynamic process of design and construction.

Meet Our Team

Sai Sinbondit

Founding Principal & Executive Director

Sai comes from a family of refugees who came to this country when he was a child.  On their journey to the United States, his family spent some time in a refugee camp and finally settled in a small community in the northwest corner of Ohio. While growing up, the challenges his family experienced as displaced people along with his parents’ commitment, and self-reliance to get his family to a better place inspires him to not only experience the world, but to question it, engage it, and contribute to it.  

He has designed and led construction on numerous community supportive projects, nationally and internationally, including community learning center, schools, transitional and affordable housing, homeless shelters, temporary and permanent shelters for displaced communities, and homes for orphan children — in addition to libraries, medical clinics, mixed-use multifamily units, community centers, and museums. He holds a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Center of Visual Arts, and Bachelor of Science in Art History from the University of Toledo. 

  • Ryan Peticca

    PROJECT COORDINATOR

    Ryan has grown up and is based in the greater Cleveland area. Ryan have traveled, volunteered, and worked in the Dominican Republic and Ethiopia. Throughout his travels, he has met and learned from so many amazing people and their culture. He also has seen the hardship people goes through day to day and is committed to helping make positive impacts to better the quality of lives for people in the U.S. and across the World. Ryan is a jack-of-all trade and love learning new things. He enjoys connecting the dots and bringing people and ideas together.

  • Sami Piercy

    SENIOR DESIGNER

    Sami is a Senior Industrial Designer where she designed meaningful solutions to improve day to day tasks. Her main passion is to design holistic sustainable solutions and has worked on projects about information access for social services and food waste reduction. She is currently pursuing a masters that focuses on rethinking how we can design for current and rising world issues. Originally from Seattle, she received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art.

  • Alex Constantin

    SENIOR DESIGNER

    Alex’s approach to design is to thoroughly understand the context, needs, and challenges before developing new solutions with input from the community and stakeholders. After earning his BFA in Industrial Design from the Cleveland Institute of Art, Alex’s professional experience has been centered on understanding the full design process, taking ideas from concepts to design to production, and learning from the impacts. When he's not designing you'll find him trail running at Charlotte's White Water Center, or catching a concert at any of North Carolina's indie music venues from Asheville to Raleigh.

Partners