FormerlyNotKnown is a multidisciplinary design
and architectural research collaborative
led by Simeon Brugger and Zeynep Çınar

Simeon Brugger

is the co-founder of formerlynotknown. He studied at SCI-Arc, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, in Los Angeles and the University of Innsbruck, where he received his Master’s Degree. Simeon has worked as an architect and a designer in architectural firms in Helsinki, Los Angeles and within Austria.
Currently he is working on his Doctoral Studies at the Institute of Urban Design in Innsbruck, where he investigates the urban conditions of the city of Los Angeles and its morphological configurations as well as conceptual readings. Simeon also is partner of the contemporary art gallery, Galerie Johann Widauer, located in Innsbruck, Austria where he curates exhibitions and works with artists to realise their projects since 2011.


Zeynep Çınar

is the co-founder of formerlynotknown. After receiving her Bachelors in Architecture at the Bahcesehir University in Istanbul she moved to Los Angeles to study at the Southern California Institute of Architecture.
She received her Master of Architecture from SCI-Arc, where she also was awarded a Merit Award for her graduate thesis. Zeynep has worked as an architect and a designer in architectural firms in Istanbul, Los Angeles and Innsbruck as well as her previous faculty institutes. She is currently a Doctoral Candidate at the Institute of Urban Design in University of Innsbruck, where she teaches Design Studios as an Assistant Professor. Her research focuses on issues such as authorship and originality complex in Architecture.