Office

Multidisciplinary architect Viktor Udzenija elevates material into heightened sensorial and sensual realms. He works where concept meets function. Where meticulous craft becomes art. Where every structure, space, and object tells a story.
Portrait by Mariano Vivanco
Croatian, born in Belgrade, and raised in Prague, Viktor earned his architecture degree at the Technical University of Munich. Upon graduating at the top of his class in 2006, he was invited to join Foster + Partners, where he worked on some of the world’s most renowned structures, first from the London head office and subsequently from Dubai, where he was brought to overlook the construction and delivery of the iconic Index Tower. In 2014, he decided to remain in Dubai and founded his own firm, which he expanded to Europe in 2020.

The namesake firm produces residential, retail, and commercial architecture and interior design projects globally. Advancing Viktor’s vision and mastery of materials, his studio conceives projects in their totality: every element, from edifice to furnishing, stands on its own as an item of intrigue yet stays in constant conversation with its surroundings and the beings in them. The work is intrinsically sustainable: Viktor specializes in carefully procured natural materials, and his method intertwines traditional craftsmanship and knowledge with state-of-the-art innovation and manufacturing technology. At any scale, his projects evolve materials into forms that instantly foster connection and respect for the environment, while engendering enduring human sensations and emotions. The result is watershed work that is experiential and visual — at once subtle and provocative, contemporary and timeless.

Since establishing the firm, Viktor has deepened his relationship with art and design institutions and galleries as a collector and contributor. In 2015, he debuted his marble rocking horse, Little Rocker, at Carpenters Workshop Gallery at Design Days Dubai and proceeded to win a series of international architectural design competitions and awards, including the Sustainability Initiative of the Year and Residential Project of the Year in the Middle East. He has been recognised by Architectural Digest in its list of top 50 interior designers of the Middle East and by Middle East Architect magazine as a top architect, for several consecutive years. His projects have been featured in numerous media outlets, including the US edition of Architectural Digest. In 2020, he was invited to curate the inaugural design section of Christie’s Middle Eastern Modern and Contemporary art auction in London. In 2022, he has marked another major milestone, with his debut at Design Miami, which featured new works presented by Objective Gallery.