Okano Picard Studio is an architectural design studio based in Seattle. Founded in 2016 and led by partners Yousman Okano and Michael Picard after years of collaborating and working together. Their work consists of residential, commercial, and institutional projects that seek to enhance the built environment with creativity and inspiration. They believe in a strong connection to nature and seek opportunities in their projects to blur the line between the built and natural world.
Okano Picard Studio’s innate curiosity allows them to look for innovative solutions in all kinds of project types, scales, and styles. Their trust in their process allows them to bring a holistic response to their projects. Their collaborative spirit with artists, fabricators, and clients allow every project to synthesize the teams’ strengths, goals, and unique expression to deliver a rich experience.
Okano Picard Studio seeks out clients and projects that challenge the status quo, their own beliefs, and the nature of what architecture "is" by the thoughtful exploration of its fundamental qualities: form, space, proportion, materiality, craft, detail, and most importantly the interaction and human connection with the spaces we inhabit.
yousMan okano aia, ncarb, leed ap
Principal / Owner
Yousman is the co-founder of Okano Picard Studio, established in 2016. He is a licensed architect in both Washington and California and has been based in Seattle since 2004, following his completion of a Bachelor of Architecture degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Yousman developed an early interest in the built environment and the art of craft. Prior to his formal architectural education, he worked as a machinist at NASA’s Ames Research Center—a formative experience that deepened his appreciation for fabrication and technology, and their potential to enrich architectural practice.
Over the course of his career, Yousman has contributed to projects across a wide range of scales and budgets. While large-scale, high-budget projects provide unique opportunities for design freedom, he values the creative problem-solving that emerges from working within tighter constraints. Regardless of project scope, Yousman is committed to exploring ideas that respond to context while creating meaningful, distinctive architectural statements.
michael picard aia, NCARB, LEED AP
Principal / Owner
Michael co-founded Okano Picard Studio in 2016, he is a registered architect in the State of Washington and has been living and practicing architecture in Seattle since 1998 after receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Arizona.
Michael completed his formal training in Tucson however continues his personal growth to this day. Having worked with a number of award-winning and internationally recognized practices, Michael honed his skills on many distinguished projects at every scale. He is excited that in this profession learning is never-ending.
While Michael's work is varied his approach is well refined. He believes in a thoughtful process blending client, context, and experience. The project is realized with his finely honed technical ability and appreciation for craft into a unique expression of the pragmatic functions that is both highly approachable and rich in experience.
TEAM 2016 - CURRENT
MEGAN SUN (2023 - CURRENT)
LUCAS JOHNSTON (2021 - CURRENT)
SABA ZAHEDI (2020 - CURRENT)
MEO ZHANG (2019 - 2020)
JEFF SANDLER (2017 - 2019)