Levan Asabashvili

Initially trained in Delft, Netherlands, Georgian architect Levan Asabashvili is a co-founder and member of Urban Reactor, a collective of architects and planners based in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia. The organization undertakes debate, research, and education, seeking to expand the practice of architecture and planning and to imbue them with deeper social and cultural meanings. Its projects have included the creation of a timeline of urban development in Georgia, including government-run “beautification initiatives” aimed to superficially restore and redevelop the country’s main historic towns. Prior to joining Urban Reactor, Asabashvili was a member of the Urban Asymmetries studio, in Delft, where he and his peers conducted research for a case study in Mexico City in order to understand the processes and conditions that produce uneven or asymmetrical development in contemporary urban environments.

Why we love Levan Asabashvili:

• Urban Reactor created a timeline of urban development in Georgia that exposed the fact that the government plans to “beautify” historic towns were really intended to redevelop them

• Unwilling to remain silent on Tbilisi’s decay, Urban Reactor created Tbilisi Support International to gather global support for the rehabilitation and development of their historic city

• Urban Reactor applied architectural training to the study and investigation of Georgia’s public housing shortage and have led an active campaign for housing as a human right