About us

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” — Sir Winston Churchill

“Great work comes from teams where no one accounts for the origin of an idea.” — Renzo Piano

A driving force of our epoch is the ever-more integrated culture we share, one in which wisdom and beauty once isolated becomes accessible to the world.

As the power of communication expands, opportunity is unleashed. Cultural cross-pollination deepens what is possible.

BATTISTA is an architectural and design firm where the sharpest minds from around the world collaborate—in a way not practical before—with local professionals to create pragmatic buildings of profound beauty.

A New Way of Working

In the realm of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), a harmonious symphony of disciplines converges to craft exquisite tapestries of real estate magnificence. Within this multifaceted arena, our expertise spans the renaissance of historical edifices, the reimagining of existing structures, and the genesis of novel architectural marvels.

Our enterprise thrives at the confluence of possibility and technology, a confluence that transcends the confines of yesteryears. We wield cutting-edge innovations with finesse, weaving prosperity and opulent aesthetics into the fabric of our clients’ aspirations. A canvas enriched by advanced Internet communications, design-rendering marvels, and the immersive realms of Virtual Reality.

In the luminous present, we stand at the zenith, harnessing the incisive brilliance of Artificial Intelligence. A future once shrouded in uncertainty now stands unveiled. We acknowledge the synergy of natural and artificial intellect, weaving a tapestry where human and machine unite as one

Why architecture is important:

Architecture is more than just host to our everyday life—it’s also built culture, a representation of how we see ourselves and what we honor.

Any building we live in—or spend a great deal of time in—has a great impact on who we become. How we live, how we socialize, how we synthesize with society and the environment. Architecture is not merely a place to be, but rather a way to be.

The Work We Do

Our work revolves around understanding a client’s vision, recognizing the challenges to attaining it, and providing the solutions necessary to realistically achieve it.

Today is a great time to be an architect—though it has its challenges. The architecture, engineering, and construction industry (AEC) is becoming more sophisticated by the day. The web of aesthetic, technical, legal, financial, and environmental criteria that must be balanced—while always endeavoring to build a harmonious architectural masterwork—is profound.

In such a challenging environment, any elegant solution requires the expertise of the collective—a team of multidisciplinary professionals—who understand how to collaborate and address challenges from differing angles.

BATTISTA has a great network of talent, global in scale. We have worked with the finest professionals in their disciplines—in every corner of the globe, including Australia, Europe, Asia, and United States—over many years. We can bring them together to collaborate virtually on a project whose place in the world can be anywhere. Thanks to the power of modern communication, we can do this in a way not practical before—and at a competitive price.

Meet Our Team

Massimo Tadi

Director

Franck Nolesini

Design Director

Sergio Tadi

Lead Architect

Mohsen Ghiasi

Real Estate Data Scientist

Hassan Anifowose

Metaverse Director

Cyrus Manesh

CEO

Hamid Khalighi

Master Architect and Renaissance Man

Corporate Responsibility

As commercial and home architects and architectural designers, the team members of Battista have studied—and in some cases even worked on—some of humanity’s finest architectural inheritances. And sadly, many of these examples of our collective legacy are at risk—especially those now at sea level. As an architectural firm deeply rooted in Italy, our precious Venice is an illustration of this reality that is hard to ignore.

This is why Battista fully embraces the concept of corporate responsibility, especially when it comes to environmental matters. We incorporate sustainability into our architectural designs in different scales. The fact is, architectural design has a powerful role to play in reducing the release of greenhouse gasses and better utilizing our shared natural resources.

The adage “think globally, act locally” is very much a truism we embrace when calculating our design choices at Battista.

History

Lecco-History

Nestled in the United States, BATTISTA’s heritage unfurls its roots in Italy, where our luminaries converged on the idyllic shores of Lake Como in 2007. Since that fateful meeting, our global voyage has seen us traverse the world, embarking on mixed-use and residential projects. Much of our craft involves a delicate dance upon the remnants of the magnificent Mediterranean cultural epoch. Here, we breathe life into history, preserving and rejuvenating ancient structures in northern Italy.

Today, in the tapestry of modernity, the Internet acts as a conduit, rekindling the vigor that once graced the Mediterranean’s ancient shores. BATTISTA is the embodiment of cultural richness, with core members hailing from Milan, Paris, and Isfahan, poised to embrace the twenty-first century’s limitless horizons.

Massimo Tadi

Director

Over his thirty in the profession, Massimo has come to compare himself to an experienced chef who embraces the balance between ingenuity and simplicity. A bedrock aspect of his work is the need to create a complex whole by carefully managing each design component—his ingredients—surely, competently, and creatively in a consistent manner.

He is a strong believer in the premise that architecture and urban design—by harnessing ethical principles to rigorous theory—can not only shape the quality of our lives but also build the sustainable environment that our collective future requires.

As director, he serves as our real estate strategist and mix-use development expert. He is an established world leader in the design field, including as founder (with our CEO Cyrus Manesh) of IMMdesignlab. One of its projects was one of twenty featured in the United Nation’s Compendium of Inspiring Practices: Health

Edition, International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (2018), which showcased "projects that positively and explicitly contribute to human health through the improvement of the built and natural environment."

Massimo has won several awards and nominations, including the Bucharest Biennale (Romania, 2009, for Timisoara master plan), "la Caixa" Foundation (Spain, 2010, for the most innovative urban refurbishment project), and Polisocial Award Competition at Politecnico di Milano (Italy, 2016, for scientific research with social impact in Milan). He served as the coordinator of a design lab at the 2012 International Venice Architecture Biennale and his 2011 refurbishment project was featured by the MAXXI Museum in Rome.

He graduated in 1990, became registered with the Italian Board of Architects in 1991, and also serves as an associate professor at the Politecnico di Milano.

Franck Nolesini

Design Director

Our design director and cofounder of our Milan branch office, Arcoquattro_Architettura, Franck gravitates towards sleek, detail-oriented work that communicates a sense of prestige.

His residential design work has been featured in trendsetting publications like Casabella, Arketipo, and Recuperare.

Originally from Paris, architecture is his passion—not only because he thrives on helping people realize their vision, but also to contribute more broadly to forging a sustainable future for generations to come. This is a professional responsibility Franck embraces fully He quickly became an adjunct professor at Politecnico di Milano in 2003 (after graduating from there in 1999).

Sergio Tadi

Lead Architect

A seasoned architect and interior designer, Sergio is "that guy" who—with unparalleled experience and knowledge—brings magic to our refurbishment, restoration, and remodeling projects.

He understands when the fragility of source materials have to be managed—and when their innate strengths can be harnessed.

Holder of a master’s in architecture from Politecnico di Milano (1992) and licensed Italian architect since 1994, Sergio has won several awards, including for his 2011 refurbishment project that was featured at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, and is a recognized expert in his field. He was a cofounder of Studio Tadi & Associates in 1999.

Mohsen Ghiasi

Real Estate Data Scientist

M.A., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Like a scientist in any field, Mohsen sees beneath the surface of things. He can examine a “location” and understand the myriad of issues that it both poses and solves, enabling a systemic understanding of its intrinsic worth as a real estate investment. Mohsen brings over a decade of professional experience as a GIS analyst, statistician, and urban planner to BATTISTA. His background includes providing technical insights on a wide variety of land development projects, creating comprehensive and detailed planning documentation, and creating site designs in both national and international contexts.

Already holding master’s degrees in both Architecture and Urban Planning, Mohsen expanded his knowledge base with a Ph.D. in Geographical Information System (GIS) Analysis from North Carolina State University. GIS is a field that uses computer analysis to display geographically referenced information about specific locales, which creates a granular knowledge base for specific building sites. Now residing in California, his role at BATTISTA centers on developing the initial project feasibility studies that lay the groundwork for realistic and economical decision-making moving forward. He has also pursued theoretical research into how land development impacts child obesity and ways to improve physical environments to support healthier communities.

Hassan Anifowose

Metaverse Director

Currently a Ph.D. Candidate

Using cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) tools as part of a project’s design phase, Hassan creates immersive-experience models that are not only of striking beauty but of great value in creating the best blueprints possible. Quickly becoming a mainstream tool for most architects, VR makes planning and presentations far more efficient. It is also an advanced tool that can better predict “real-world” issues so they can be solved in the planning phase and not require after-the-fact solutions, modifications, or workarounds. The Co-Founder of Chronos Studios, a Nigerian architectural firm, Hassan has deep experience creating visualizations for the Design and Construction industries. Along with his architectural work, he has handled metaverse projects for international clients such as Mitsubishi and Suzuki. Hassan is currently a Construction Science Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University. He is exploring new research frontiers that seek to create practical applications for Building Information Modeling (BIM) and VR to improve the utility and efficiency in a wide range of construction scenarios.

Cyrus Manesh

CEO

Ph.D., PMP, ICC, AIA

With a profound conviction in the belief that architecture is a rendezvous between the realms of art and science, Cyrus, the visionary founder of BATTISTA, aspired to orchestrate a global assembly of talents attuned to the desires of clients and dedicated to the conception of audacious solutions. An architect in active practice since the dawn of 2005, Cyrus's creative compass draws sustenance from our collective cultural heritage. A scholar of exceptional breadth, he has mastered the arts of both architecture and engineering, and crowned his intellectual pursuits with a PhD in urban planning and architectural design from the venerable halls of Politecnico di Milano. As an impassioned professional, he has traversed the continents, leaving his indelible mark from the sun-kissed landscapes of Australia to the enigmatic heart of the Middle East, from the Old World charm of Europe to the dynamic canvas of the United States. In the annals of innovation, Cyrus, together with our esteemed Director Massimo Tadi, co-founded the transformative IMM Design Lab in 2010. This international haven of multidisciplinary creativity spearheads a myriad of global ventures, from commercial to residential, each aimed at evolving our built environment into forms that epitomize sustainability, livability, health, and energy efficiency. Cyrus's ethos embraces a panoramic, multidisciplinary perspective, wherein architecture's potential for positive transformation harmonizes seamlessly with the intricate demands of crafting enduring, resplendent structures.

Hamid Khalighi

Our Master Architect and Renaissance Man

Meet Hamid, a seasoned architect and construction manager whose passion for design and aesthetics knows no bounds. Much akin to the Renaissance luminary whose name graces our firm, Leon Battista Alberti, Hamid embodies the essence of a true Renaissance man. With an innate understanding of how each construction detail contributes to the overall beauty and sleekness of a building, Hamid is truly a visionary in his field. As an architect who effortlessly wears many hats, Hamid is the embodiment of versatility and expertise. Not only can he skillfully piece together interior color palettes to create captivating spaces, but he can also be found on-site, orchestrating the setup of construction cranes with precision and finesse. Always staying ahead of the curve, Hamid is at the forefront of the industry, adeptly utilizing the latest tools and technologies to bring his architectural visions to life. His dedication to innovation ensures that every project he undertakes is executed with unparalleled skill and efficiency. But Hamid's talents extend far beyond the realm of architecture. In his spare time, he indulges his creative spirit by playing the violin and crafting beautiful sculptures, showcasing his multifaceted nature and artistic flair. With Hamid, you get more than just an architect – you get a true Renaissance man, capable of seamlessly blending creativity, technical prowess, and passion into every aspect of his work. We are privileged to have him as a vital member of our team, enriching our projects with his unique talents and boundless creativity.

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