Elena Manferdini, principal and owner of Atelier Manferdini, has over twenty years of professional experience in design, place making and education.

In 2019 Manferdini was honored with the ICON Award as part of the LA Design Festival, which is a prize that recognizes iconic women who have made an indelible mark on Los Angeles, culture, and society in general through their work, character, and creative leadership.

Elena currently teaches at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and is the Graduate Programs Chair. She has also held Visiting Professor positions at Cornell University, University of California Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania and Seika University.

She frequently lectures, and her work has been exhibited internationally in both architecture and art museums. She is a licensed engineer in Italy, and a licensed architect in Switzerland. She received a Professional Engineering Degree from the University of Civil Engineering (Bologna, Italy) and a Master of Architecture and Urban Design from the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

Atelier Manferdini is based in Venice, CA. The firm has completed projects in the US, Europe and Asia. The work occupies a territory between art, architecture, and design.

Places of meaning within a community

Atelier Manferdini’s 20 years dedication to art in public spaces stems from the desire to help make places of meaning within a community.

“Public Art reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities. Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces.” Elena Manferdini

In 2017 Atelier Manferdini facade for Alexander Montessori School in Miami, Florida received 2 AIA Miami design award: People's Choice award of excellence and Merit Award of excellence. In 2016 Elena Manferdini was awarded the PAN Award for best public art project in North America. Her artwork is part of the permanent collections of SFMoMA and LACMA. In 2013 she won the COLA Fellowship given by City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to support the production of original artwork. In 2013 she received a Graham Award for architecture, the 2013 ACADIA Innovative Research Award of Excellence, and she was selected as recipient for the Educator of the Year presidential award given by the AIA Los Angeles. In 2011 she was one of the recipients of the prestigious annual grants from the United States Artists (USA) in the category of architecture and design.