Deed Studio has received the prestigious Architizer A+Award for the third consecutive year. After recognition in 2023 and 2024, the studio’s 2025 Jury Award in the Architecture + Photography & Video category honors its work on The Worker and the Factory — a project that documents the intersection of labor, design, and human experience at Shamim Polymer Factory in Iran.

The photographed space — the Process Department of the factory — redefines conventional industrial architecture by prioritizing the everyday realities of workers. While the structure uses raw materials such as iron sheets for walls and ceilings, its design integrates practical and personal needs voiced directly by those who inhabit it. These include visible social spaces, designated smoking areas, and even a free-range chicken coop requested by the staff — subtle architectural decisions that reflect a more empathetic design process.

In their visual approach, Deed Studio chose to follow a single worker through the factory, using light, shadow, and movement to make the individual central to the narrative. Openings in walls and moments of transparency enhance the spatial rhythm, while photography frames the worker not as background, but as the anchor — emphasizing the architectural intention through their lived presence.

“The project allowed us to explore how simplicity in form can contain emotional and social complexity,” says Masih Mostajeran, co-founder of Deed Studio.

“Staying true to our vision of capturing spaces that resonate with the presence of those who inhabit them helped guide every decision in this shoot,” adds Naghmeh Olfat, co-founder of Deed Studio. “Despite the challenges — from harsh wind conditions to equipment limitations — the clarity of light and the atmosphere of the factory kept us focused on the human experience at the core of the design.”

Deed Studio was previously awarded the Popular Choice Award in 2023 for its documentation of Jadgal Elementary School, a project that emphasized the relationship between children and their learning environment. The studio integrated the presence of students throughout the series, reflecting how the space is activated through use. Just as in their later work, Deed Studio centered its visual narrative on the users — in this case, students — whose interaction with the architecture brings the space to life.

In 2024, the studio was recognized with the Jury Award for The Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi — an interfaith religious complex designed to promote coexistence and dialogue.

Founded in Dubai, Deed Studio was established by Masih Mostajeran and Naghmeh Olfat, whose backgrounds in architecture and photography inform the studio’s multidisciplinary perspective. The team approaches each project as a story to be interpreted through visual language — emphasizing the connection between built form and the people who inhabit it.

This focus on human presence is not limited to their award-winning projects; it runs throughout Deed Studio’s broader portfolio. Across their work, the figure of the user is central — a consistent thread that gives architecture emotional depth and narrative meaning.