Katherine Chia FAIA is a founding principal of Desai Chia Architecture. Since 1996, she and her partner & husband, Arjun Desai, have established the firm’s reputation for authentic design, creating inspiring environments expressive of light, materials, and spaces that foster collaboration. Desai Chia’s institutional, commercial, and residential projects have been published extensively and received many accolades including numerous AIA Design Awards, American Architecture Awards, Interior Design Best of Year Awards, and an AIA Institute Honor Award. In 2025, Forbes named the firm one of the top 200 residential architecture firms in the US, and Architizer included the firm in their list of the top 100 US architecture firms. Desai Chia Architecture also received the 2025 Architizer A+ Award for Best Small Firm of the Year. In 2019, ARCHITECT magazine ranked Desai Chia Architecture #19 in the United States for design excellence. The book “The Women Who Changed Architecture” by Princeton Architectural Press included Katherine and the work of her firm in the chapter titled “Raising the Roof.”