What uau studio does

uau studio is an Italian architecture and experiential design studio headquartered in Como, Italy, founded by Gianluca Santosuosso. The firm operates with a small core team of approximately five employees and serves enterprise and government clients through project-based commissions spanning pavilions, residential and hospitality developments, retail activations, and exhibition design. Its named client roster includes Samsung, Intel, Lenovo, Visa, Philips, Cisco, NEON, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Government of Canada, and the Cluj-Napoca City Hall, with 35+ projects delivered across more than ten countries including Italy, the UK, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Romania, Greece, and Belize.

The studio differentiates on an ecocentric design methodology anchored by four proprietary technical systems: a Photo-Bio-Reactor Facade for algae-integrated building skins, Hexagonal Honeycomb Modular Construction for pavilions and adaptable structures, a Vertebral Spine Adaptable Structure system for morphable architecture, and the underlying Eco-Centric Design framework. Flagship outputs include the NEON experience at Battersea Power Station (2025), the KSA Pavilion (2023-2024, two Guinness World Records), the Algae Tower, the floating MORPHotel concept, the HIVE modular system, the Visa Lounge, the Samsung Galaxy Studio (2014), and the Wonder Mind AI Booth shown at Mobile World Congress.

The business model is project-based professional services with a mix of private enterprise and public-sector/government procurement, complemented by digital services (Branding, UX/UI, App, Web Design, Webflow Development) that extend the studio into lower-ticket, repeatable work. Pricing is engagement-by-engagement rather than subscription, revenue is not disclosed, and there is no reported outside funding. Distribution is direct to enterprise and government buyers through a portfolio-and-awards-driven referral pipeline, supported by industry recognition including the London Design Award, French Design Award, Muse Design Award, iF DESIGN AWARDS, Awwwards, and the Radical Innovation Award.

Name

uau studio

Legal name

uau studio

Website

https://uau-studio.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

uau studio is an Italian architecture and experiential design firm in Como that designs pavilions, retail experiences, and ecocentric buildings for enterprise and government clients including Samsung, Visa, KSA, and the Government of Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Como

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Studio generates revenue through architectural design services for commercial, cultural, residential, and hospitality projects including pavilions, exhibitions, and experiential spaces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

uau studio is an architecture and experiential design studio that delivers design services for corporate exhibitions, brand experiences, national pavilions, residential prototypes, hospitality concepts, and modular construction projects. Services span architecture, branding, UX/UI design, app design, web design, and Webflow development, supported by proprietary bio-facade and modular construction technologies.

Product overview

UAU Studio is an architecture and experiential design studio based in Como, Italy, founded by Gianluca Santosuosso. The studio offers design services including Branding, UX/UI Design, App Design, Web Design, and Webflow Development. Their portfolio consists of architectural projects spanning residential (E House, Y House, A/H Apartment, Casa Ulivi), hospitality (HyperCay floating hotel, MORPHotel, Oryx Cabanas), institutional (KSA Pavilion, Spirit of Canada, Samsung Innovation Museum), exhibition (NEON at Battersea, Samsung Galaxy Studio, Samsung Networks Booth, Visa Lounge), urban/campus (Urban Biotope, Instant Campus), and innovative conceptual projects (HIVE modular housing, Algae Tower with bio-facade, LUCIA floating home). The studio also created Wonder Mind AI Booth at MWC. Projects are primarily in concept or built stages across Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Design of distinctive logos, color palettes, and brand guidelines to elevate client presence with lasting impressions, offered as a standalone creative service to enterprise clients.
• UX/UI Design User-centric interface design combined with aesthetic appeal to create digital interfaces that users love to engage with, delivered as a professional service.
• App Design App design services from concept to final design, delivering intuitive and visually stunning layouts that bring client app visions to life.
• Web Design Thoughtfully designed websites that transform online presence and reflect brand identity, offered to enterprise and brand clients.
• Webflow Development Website development using the Webflow platform to create dynamic, responsive, and easily maintainable websites for clients.
• Architectural and Experiential Design Services Project-based architectural design services spanning corporate exhibitions, brand experiences, national pavilions, residential prototypes, hospitality concepts, and modular construction projects for enterprise and government clients globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• KSA Pavilion secured 5 awards and world records

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Expo Pavilion Group (EPG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EPG (UAU-Studio) led as creative architects for the NEON Experience Centre at Battersea Power Station, London's first-ever purpose-built entertainment and cultural exhibition space. The partnership involves designing the venue and its feature facade.
• ARS-VINCITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunich-based collaboration partner for the Urban Biotope project with Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Babeș-Bolyai University.
• MDLab (Cheil)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAgency of Place partner for Samsung exhibition projects including Samsung Galaxy Studio (Sochi 2014), Samsung Networks (MWC 2013-2014), and Samsung Innovation Museum.
• FreemancoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading event production company partner for Visa Lounge at MWC 2019 and Canada Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai.
• Pico U.A.E.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Canada Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai, working alongside Freeman, Bruce Mau Design, and FlyingArchitecture.
• Bruce MauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic design collaboration for Canada Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai.
• FlyingArchitectureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partner for Canada Pavilion at World Expo 2020 Dubai.
• Sangallo BioediliziaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for eco-centric residential projects E House and Y House in Piedmont, Italy.
• SculptivateminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Oryx Cabanas beach luxury club project in Al Rayes, Saudi Arabia.
• SelaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for Oryx Cabanas beach luxury club project in Al Rayes, Saudi Arabia.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heatherwick Studio: London-based experiential architecture and design studio known for high-profile cultural pavilions (UK Pavilion Expo 2010, Coal Drops Yard, Google Bay View) and innovative fabrication methods. Most directly comparable to uau in combining architectural design with experiential, sculptural thinking and high-visibility pavilion commissions.
• Studio Drift: Amsterdam-based art and design studio creating experiential installations that blur architecture, art, and technology (Shylight, Fragile Future). Comparable to uau in fusing engineering innovation with emotional/experiential outcomes for high-end brand and cultural clients.

Broad incumbents

• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with extensive expo pavilion portfolio (Reichstag dome, Apple Park, Bloomberg HQ) and dominant government/procurement positioning. Represents the incumbent tier uau competes against for high-profile pavilion and cultural commissions.
• Zaha Hadid Architects: London-based firm with iconic parametric and computational design work across cultural and expo projects (Gensler, MAXXI, Expo pavilion work). Comparable technological ambition in design exploration but at much greater scale and institutional capacity.
• MAD Architects: Beijing-based firm with organic, nature-inspired architecture (Absolute Towers, Harbin Opera House) and pavilion work. Comparable to uau in nature/ecocentric design philosophy and award-winning sculptural thinking.
• Snøhetta: Norwegian architecture and design firm with strong pavilion and cultural venue portfolio (Norwegian National Opera, SFMOMA expansion, Expo pavilion work) plus integrated brand and experiential design practice. Larger and broader than uau but pursues many of the same high-visibility cultural commissions.
• MVRDV: Dutch architecture firm known for data-driven, sustainability-forward design and pavilion work (Dutch Pavilion Expo 2000, Tianjin Binhai Library). Comparable in sustainability narrative and innovation-forward positioning, though at larger scale.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): Danish architecture firm known for innovative pavilion design (Expo 2010 Serpentine Pavilion, Lego House), sustainability-forward projects, and high-profile enterprise/government clients. Comparable to uau in sustainability framing but at much larger scale.

Others

• Pico (Pico Group): Global experiential marketing and pavilion implementation firm (Canada Pavilion partner of uau at Expo 2020 Dubai). Represents the implementation partner tier uau collaborates with rather than competes with directly.

Emerging players

• Studio Architektur Jan Störmer: German experiential architecture practice competing in European pavilion and cultural venue market. Comparable boutique-tier positioning with similar client mix of enterprise experiential and cultural/government work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@uaustudioarch
• Facebookfacebook.com/61558680895626
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uaustudiodesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/uaustudiodesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about uau studio