Paul Chan Studio is an LA-based architecture and design practice focused on crafting spaces where life naturally unfolds. With a philosophy rooted in storytelling, the studio approaches each project as a stage for human experience.
Paul Chan
Made with Programa
05 September 2025
“As architects, we're always designing the set in the real world where life unfolds and stories get told.”
Paul ChanFounder
For Paul Chan, architecture isn't just about spaces - it's about the stories that unfold within them. After years of wrestling with spreadsheets that disappeared into the void between projects, he found something that felt surprisingly obvious: a system that actually remembers.
“The issue with spreadsheets? No institutional knowledge.”
Paul ChanFounder
Paul's been doing this for a long time. Long enough to watch countless hours of work vanish when projects ended. "There is no kind of assigned value. It doesn't carry from one project to another," he explains. But with Programa, his formats flow seamlessly between projects. Consistency without starting from scratch. Every. Single. Time.
Days of Being Silver Lake
Los Angeles
“It feels intuitive. Like it should have been there all along.”
Paul ChanFounder
No one questions good design - they just use it. Paul enters information while thinking about design, not software. Programa handles the heavy lifting. He handles the creativity.
“It's about organizing information in a pre-thought-out way that Programa has already done for us.”
Paul ChanFounder
With multiple residential projects running simultaneously, losing track means losing trust. Paul relies on Schedules to coordinate everything from millwork deliveries to client walkthroughs. His team can see dependencies at a glance - when the plumber needs access before the tile installer, when millwork needs that 4-week lead time. This visibility eliminated the "when can you get us that?" panic calls that used to eat up entire mornings.
“All the information is in one place.”
Paul ChanFounder
Every high-end residential project shares DNA - similar phases, comparable specifications, parallel approval processes. Paul discovered he could take his format from a Tribeca penthouse and apply it instantly to a Brooklyn townhouse renovation. His project managers now spin up new projects in minutes, not days. That institutional knowledge that used to die in spreadsheets? It lives on, evolving with each project.
“Having a vision in the beginning and being able to carry through... having a steady handle on that is the key to success.”
Paul ChanFounder
Design decisions used to mean endless email threads and confused clients asking "which version are we looking at?" Paul now sends a single link where clients can review finishes, fixtures, and layouts in real-time. They click approve or request changes right there - no hunting through attachments, no version confusion. What used to take weeks of back-and-forth now happens in days.
“Using Programa is proof. And I think that's really fantastic.”
Paul ChanFounder
