Yousman Okano

Bio:

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.