function first / aesthetic always
Every great building design is the culmination of multiple disciplines meticulously tempered and crafted to match.
These intrinsic qualities create a kind of sophistication and elegance that can be manifested only with the built environment.
focidesignco upholds a tightly knit collaboration between all components of each project ensuring an efficient, expedient and aesthetically sound finish.
A discipline forged thru 15 years of diversified practice translating abstract vision to cohesive form.
est. 2014
Katrina Faustino Obra is the company’s chief of operations and communications. Katsy’s background in the field comes from extended exposure from vanguards in the profession as well as the academe. For around 3 years past the acquisition of her degree and well within the scope of her licensure, she’d been learning the ins-and-outs of the profession from former UP College of Architecture (UPCA) Dean Danilo Silvestre handling projects of various scales from residential to institutional classifications. Katsy had also joined the Center for the Designed and Environment Professions (CDEP) founded in part also by two former UPCA Deans Christopher and Mary Anne Espina and the current Dean Grace Ramos
Katsy eventually went on to a partnership where she took on several projects each with its own particularities completing her experience in handling architectural contracts and project management.
As a part of numerous deals and correspondences, along with her natural inclination towards the development of her writing skill, technique, and expression, Katsy has become the company’s key strategist for accounts of any nature.
Katsy graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Architecture. She took several units in the Masters of Tropical and Landscape Architecture program from the former in preparation for her second licensure. She is a registered and licensed architect, a registered and licensed landscape architect, and is a member of the esteemed Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Mark Obra hails from the opposite side of the coin, coming from the suppliers POV prior to the formation of the collective. Mark spent over 5 years in the industrial design outfit developing installations, furniture, and artworks for the contemporary movement. His background involved the development of visualizations in order to understand and communicate designs more effectively.
What minute skill that had started with his very first employ under Arch. Philip Recto at PHRA had only improved when he’d moved on to Pacifictech Solutions (PTS) a multinational outsource outfit. With refined technique that had gone beyond what the company was capable of offering, Mark moved on towards a more artistic inclination in the guise of Bespoke Trading.
Having developed images since university, his interest in the unreal shifted with every object that had been completed during his last station. From 3D visualization, he turned instead to photography – capturing and creating reality this time around.
Mark is currently finishing his graduate studies for a Masters in Fine Arts with the University of the Philippines. He is a registered and licensed architect as well as a part time instructor for Architectural Communication and Visualization at the UP College of Architecture. His works had been shortlisted at the annual BluPrint AViD competition as well as the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Awards.
Design and Coordination Associates Kylle Manao and Jess Damaso
Construction Consultant Tiel Gregorio
In-House Workshop Personnel
As far as creative endeavors go, nothing is beyond consideration. At present we are producing a design-oriented podcast as well as several channels for video output.
Our team has been involved in over 50 different projects of varying size and scope. An inclination into architectural renovations and additions as well as adaptive reuse has been developed to align with current end-users and/or the increased occupancy that the space is to serve.