During the design and consulting process, Simon assists clients to navigate through the challenging processes of achieving the designs and spatial experiences of their dreams; while restoring their connection to the Earth, celestial light, and wellbeing practices in a specific individual manner for each client.  He learned the multifaceted realms of a private architectural practice, managing project teams and personal client relationships, from his father, Simon Koumjian – a well respected Philadelphia architect involved on a variety of public and private architectural project types in the area for decades.

 

Earning a Bachelor of Architecture at Penn State University, Simon studied painting at Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, and continued research with comparative literature and architecture design in Cornell University’s Master of Architecture program. His advanced graduate research was completed in 1990 from the Architectural Association in London, England, after four years with prominent architect Zaha Hadid. He continued to assist Hadid with occasional projects until 2010, and remained a close companion up to her untimely death in March 2016.

 

Expressing his dedication to educating young architects and designers, Simon was an adjunct professor for architecture design at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science and Philadelphia University for over 17 years. He continued on as an architectural critic and teaching assistant for Zaha Hadid for a number of universities, including Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Artworks and furniture remain an ongoing source of inspiration for architecture projects, personal narrative, and commissioned projects. Simon’s furniture and artwork have been exhibited in galleries across the USA.  His art piece, "Mapping Ourselves Through the Cosmos," orbited Earth in the Mir Space Station's electronic archive starting in 1995, as part of the first art exhibition in Earth orbit until the de-orbit of the Mir Space Station occurred in 2001.