Shawn Gehle

Shawn Gehle is a recognized design and thought leader known for cultivating curiosity and collaboration. Committed to a design philosophy that lends equal weight to unexpected ideas and craft, his diverse experience includes award-winning work for technology, creative workplace, education, and mixed-use clients. In addition to project work Shawn is an alum of the TED speaker series; has co-authored a three-year research project with UCLA CityLAB on the Future of Work; is an adviser to Black Spectacles (the online learning platform created entirely for architects); and served on the Board of Directors of A+D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles through early 2019.

Shawn’s work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and featured in numerous publications and design journals. Previously, he served as the Founding Principal of BNIM Architects’ Los Angeles design studio, which he later merged to establish OU. Preceding BNIM, Gehle was with Gensler Los Angeles for nearly a decade, where he was a Design Principal and worked closely with fellow OU co-founders Benjamin Anderson and Christian Robert.

“My upbringing in the Midwest with my mother, coupled with regular visits to my father in Los Angeles, instilled in me an appreciation for unwavering work ethic and the art of harnessing boundless creativity.”