PRACTICE
CIAO.
Our team is diverse, united by the same passion for intelligent design.
London is our home, but our roots are in Northern Italy, where we also operate as a Practice.
Our Journey started in 2016, utilising our passion for maximising space efficiently and creatively through micro flats projects and home extensions. We now specialise in delivering bold and efficient commercial developments on behalf of investors and property developers.
In the same way we can convert a 35 sqm studio flat into smart accommodation for four people, our design led approach allows us to unlock a site’s potential and create value for our clients.
All our projects start with a methodical analysis of the site constraints and the local context. Volumes are shaped in order to maximise site’s capacity, whilst making sure the proposal sits well within the urban context and complies with the local planning policies.
Spaces are designed to be flexible, adaptable and filled with natural light, so people can enjoy them to live, work and play.
Materials and details are added, with the aim to establish a dialogue with the neighbouring buildings and at the same time ensure durability and sustainability.
Like craftsmen, we are aided in this process by special tools.
BIM, allows us to test solutions and coordinate all layers of information into a live 3D model. Combined with hand sketches, CG Imagery and graphic design, the model helps us communicate our ideas in a clear and effective way, in order to get approval from Clients, Local Authorities and other key stakeholders prior to construction.
As a result, we deliver high value buildings that meet the needs of our clients in an efficient and cost-effective way.
PARTNERS
4. PLANNING
We prepare all the necessary drawings, written reports and application forms suitable for submission to the local authority. We then monitor the application on behalf of the Client for the duration of this process.
7. COMPLETION
We ensure the construction has been completed according to the stipulated contract and that final sign off is issued by building control.We are always available for our Clients even after the work is complete.
Alessandro Penna
Director
Alessandro Co-founded CIAO in 2016 with Diego Dalpra. Prior to this he worked at Ash Sakula and Douglas & King Architects, specialising on the design of medium scale residential and mixed use developments.
At CIAO, he has been leading a number of multimillion pound mixed use schemes as well as smaller private residential projects from inception to completion.
Alessandro has extensive project experience through the different stages as well as superb detailing knowledge and thrives on the realisation of projects on site. He provides guidance on planning policies and building regulations compliance as well as managing the relationship with clients and stakeholders.
Diego Dalpra
Director
Diego is a passionate and skilled Architect. Before Co-founding CIAO in 2016, he previously worked at award winning practice NEU Architects.
Diego takes a hands-on approach to each projects and directly oversees much of the work delivered by the London office. He is Sustainability lead, having been passive house trained in Italy and has a meticulous attention to detail.
Diego continues to lead the office's design ethos in high-end residential refurbishments with a focus on developing the reputation of CIAO as an international practice.
THE TEAM
Laura Puzzoni
Architect
Laura joined CIAO in 2022 after working as an Architect In Italy, Spain and UK, across a range of residential, educational, and research projects, including being involved in an exhibition for the Biennale of Architecture in Venice.
Holding a degree in Urban Planning and a Master in Architecture, she is passionate about the relationship between city, public spaces and architecture, and how these elements can work together to make a positive contribution in people's lives.
Outside working hours, Laura loves to spend her time doing pottery and playing with different materials creating colourful surfaces.
Anna Cova
Architect
Anna joined CIAO in 2021 and has since contributed to a variety of residential and mixed use schemes in London. After completing her Part I and II at Politecnico di Milano she has been recently qualified as an architect in London.
She previously worked in Milan on a combination of residential, commercial and mixed-use projects at different work stages including the renovation of Torre Velasca, one of the city's most famous tall buildings.
Outside CIAO, Anna loves backpacking around the world, cooking, cycling and exploring the city to find a new design piece to be added to her collection. Back home in Italy she also enjoys making wooden sculpture with her father.
Federica Capelli
Architectural Assistant
Federica joined CIAO after completing her Master Degree at Politecnico di Milano. She has always been very keen and passionate about interior design and the relationship between architecture and psychology, especially how the spaces that we live in can affect our lives.
Working at CIAO gave her the opportunity to explore different scales and project stages, from new-built design to technical packages. She previously worked in Milan at ZDA Architecture Office and OFA Design Studio, where she had the opportunity to work on some interior renovations from inception to completion.
Federica is really passionate about art and photography and she likes to spend her free time doing sport, travelling and exploring every aspect of life.
After working in London with CIAO she is now the firm’s representative in Milan while also studying on her Part III qualification.
Thomas Amoo
Architectural Assistant
Thomas is a Part II Architectural Assistant who completed his Postgraduate Degree at Coventry University and his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Portsmouth.
He is passionate about urban development and a firm believer of the ability of architecture combined with good research and design thinking for strengthening our societies and having a positive effect on the world. Thomas thinks that only together can we build a better tomorrow.
He is a cheerful young man who loves to meet and accommodate people from all walks of life. The complexities of our backgrounds and cultures, how we interact, live and communicate is what defines the richness of our diversity.
Thomas enjoys music, arts & crafts, sports and fitness, painting and amongst many other activities.
Dario Caccamisi
Architectural Assistant
Dario joined CIAO in 2022 after completing his Master Degree in Architecture and Urban Planning at the Politecnico di Milano. Whilst studying, he collaborated with a number of Architecture Practices in Milan, working on private residential projects and competitions.
Dario is passionate about every aspect of architecture, from large scale developments to interior design details. He has a special focus on the use of innovative materials, as demonstrated by his thesis in which he studied the application of ETFE to Architecture.
Dario has a passion for cooking, wine tasting, travelling and working out in the gym.
He is currently working towards becoming a Part III.
Sarah Gottschalk
Intern
Sarah is currently doing her Erasmus Internship at CIAO.
She is in her third year of Part I “Architecture and Urban Planning” at Potsdam School of Architecture and working in Berlin in an architecture office on different stages in urban planning.
With a keen eye for analysing the historical development of a city and its dynamic of social behaviour, she creates strong concepts in which architecture supports those modern needs.
As a former competitive swimmer she enjoys going swimming in her freetime as much as strolling across London, to discover the vibrant culture and capturing the city in photographs or journaling down her observations.
