Profile

MBA Matteo Belfiore Architecture is an international design studio founded in Tokyo, Japan, by the Italian architect and researcher Matteo Belfiore.

Based on a multidisciplinary approach, the practice focus on architecture, interior, and product design. Its innovative approach is characterized by constant research on the concepts of flexibility and cultural sustainability to realize modular and transformable spaces, integrating tradition and innovation.

MBA can offer a wide range of services and turnkey solutions for architecture and design. Every project starts from deep research and understanding of the client’s needs, featuring bespoke solutions and cutting-edge innovations. The practice is specialized in creating innovative and biophilic workplaces, designed to promote the wellbeing of the users.

Team

Matteo Belfiore
PhD/Licensed Architect

MBA | Founder/CEO

Matteo Belfiore is an Italian licensed architect and researcher based in Tokyo, with more than fifteen years of experience. Since his career’s early stages, he has focused on academic and professional development while developing an effective design methodology. Matteo is a multitasked architect – experienced in architecture/interior design and project coordination – able to control the design at every scale: from product design to space design, from architecture to urban planning.

After earning a Master’s Degree in Architecture with honors (2005), he has completed a Ph.D. in Architectural and Urban Design (2010) at the University of Naples “Federico II.” In 2010 he moved to Japan to work as JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow (2010-2012) and Visiting Researcher (2013-2017) at the Kengo Kuma Lab, University of Tokyo. He worked in Tokyo at the international firms Nikken Sekkei (Project Architect, 2013-2014) and Richard Bliah Associates (Director, 2014-2017). In 2017 he founded his practice MBA in Tokyo.

Matteo is an effective team leader and proficient in managing the project’s schedules and timelines efficiently. He is continuously up to date in technology and innovation while also respecting and promoting traditional values, mainly supporting the restoration and renovation of modern architecture. Constantly developing a transdisciplinary approach, his research focuses on the concept of “cultural sustainability” – a system of values related to the natural and cultural local patterns and the mutual interactions between design and other disciplines. He has specialized in innovative, flexible, and adaptable design throughout the years while promoting recycling and reuse. His work’s precise nature – coupled with his extensive research into cutting-edge materials and technical solutions – is reflected in the design produced.

Portfolio

Elisa Cecchetti
Licensed Architect

MBA | Architect

Born in 1993, Elisa is an Italian licensed architect. She graduated cum laude in Architecture at the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” with a thesis on the regeneration and redesign of Accumoli’s territory after the earthquake of 2016. During the University studies, she took part with Team Sapienza in Solar Decathlon Middle East 2018. After her Master’s degree, she won a fellowship that brought her to Tokyo, where she is currently based.

She worked in Rome with Studio Strati for several projects, including Castel Sant’Angelo and Basilica of Massenzio. She joined Matteo Belfiore Architecture+Design in 2018. Her proactive behavior, curiosity, and several interests – painting among all – always bring her to look for and develop new solutions and materials that can combine architecture and art.