Villa Newcastle
Washington Twp, MI
Architecture begins with people and place. Giovanni Zora designs homes and spaces across Metro Detroit. It is one studio and one designer, with a close relationship to every project, from the first conversation to the final detail.
“As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.”
Norman Foster
Port Austin Beach House Renovation
Port Austin, MI
Boasting 198 feet of Lake Huron sandy beach frontage, this Port Austin beach house was stripped to the studs and reimagined as a year-round family getaway. Originally constructed in 1950, the 3,300-square-foot, 1-1/2-story home sits on 4.37 acres with expansive water views from virtually every room.
The design focused on creating a home where the family could gather, relax, and return for generations to come. The kitchen became a central gathering point with a 14-seat island, and an indoor-outdoor connection drove the renovation throughout.
View projectWho is Giovanni?
Giovanni Zora graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Master of Architecture. In 2023 he was awarded the Michigan Architectural Foundation’s Katherine and John Banicki Scholarship in recognition of his student leadership and community involvement.
What do we create?
A home should belong to its land. After years of working alongside custom home builders, the studio has made residential architecture its focus: houses that sit well on their sites and feel right to live in. That means custom homes, additions, renovations, and site planning, always with an eye on how a home meets everything around it.
Architectural Services
- Pre-Design & Programming
- Schematic Design
- Construction Documents
- Interior Design & Space Planning
- 3D Visualization and Rendering
Construction Services
- Sub-Contractor Coordination
- Project Management
- Cost Estimating
Why it matters?
Every home starts with one person: how they wake up, move through the day, and gather with others. It also belongs to a street, a neighborhood, and a landscape. Good architecture holds both.
The goal is a place that feels like yours and still fits in with the people and land around it.