Meet Aggregate
Aggregate Studio, established in 2023, exists to design architecture that uplifts people and places as a mission-aligned architecture partner that specializes in dignified, community-centered affordable housing and civic projects, combining deep technical capability with an engaged design process focused on empathy, mutual respect, and collaboration.
Purpose-Driven Impact – We exist to design architecture that uplifts people and places – especially in contexts of housing equity, community resilience, and civic benefit.
Collaborative Process – We do not deploy a top-down aesthetic – we aggregate ideas, perspectives, and community voices into a unified design. We are a design partner.
Dignified Design for All – Contextual and human-centered design that responds to context – historical, social, environmental – and enhances people’s lived experience, translating architecture expertise into real-world benefit.
Technical Credibility and Expertise – We combine deep technical capability with empathy – we’re experienced in zoning, feasibility, and full-service architectural delivery so that our clients can be confident in our execution.
Client Experience & Results with Optimism and Forward-Looking Innovation – We serve as a design partner, looking with an aspirational lens on architectural possibilities that don’t deny constraints but seek positive transformation.
“Aggregate isn’t an all-black-wearing, big Tom Ford glasses serious ego type of architect. It’s a cardigan-wearing, slightly quirky, maybe bohemian architect that truly cares about the work it’s doing and the effect it might have.”
Said during brand audit interviews
Josh Mings, AIA, Founder and Principal of Aggregate Studio, is committed to providing dignified architecture for everyone – a key lesson learned from growing up in Columbus, Indiana. Bringing 15 years of experience with residential and community-based projects, his teams work to create the best possible projects through knowledge, tenacity, consensus-building, and optimism, a view honed through lived experience in Columbus. He and Aggregate Studio strive to positively impact cities, housing, and residents through dignified design, giving back to the community on projects spanning Chicagoland and the Midwest. Previously a board director for AIA Chicago, Josh led the Housing and Community Development Knowledge Community, is active with mentoring the next generation, and with Landmarks Illinois Skyline Council.
Katia, an architectural designer and educator, holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her professional journey spans firms such as JGMA and Latent Design, where she mastered the art of crafting spaces that seamlessly marry aesthetics and functionality. As an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she imparted knowledge and nurtured a culture of collaboration and creativity among students. Her dedication to advancing inclusion, equality, and progress resonates in every project she undertakes. Katia also serves as co-chair for AIA Chicago’s Architects in Schools program.
Esti is a multidisciplinary designer, writer, and researcher based in Chicago. Trained as an architect, they have worked in design firms in Denver, Boston, and Chicago. Esti has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago, and has served as an Editor of the Wentworth Architecture Review and Artists Need Art Historians. Esti brings a passion for design storytelling and writing for architecture/design to Aggregate. They hold an MA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an M.Arch and BS in Architecture with a concentration in Urbanism and a minor in Media, Culture, and Communication Studies from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Careers
While not currently hiring, we’re always looking for new collaborators. Please feel free to send your resume and portfolio to hiring@aggregate-studio.com for consideration.
Past Collaborators
Photos by Angie McMonigal Photography