In her new role with LPA’s industry-leading workplace team, Dudheker brings a holistic approach to interiors, combining experiential design with wellness-focused initiatives.
IRVINE, CALIF. — July 28, 2022 — LPA Design Studios announces the addition of veteran interior designer Sonaly Dudheker, a leading industry advocate for developing more responsive and healthy work environments, as managing director in the Workplace practice.
Sonaly brings more than 20 years of experience to her new role, working with organizations around the world to enhance the focus on connecting people to their space and supporting human health and well-being in the built environment.
“Sonaly’s work is greatly affected by her dedication to the human behavior and how that behavior can and should be reflected in our work and process,” says LPA Workplace Design Director Rick D’Amato. “For workplace, which is an intimate and personal type project, this understanding is imperative.”
Sonaly, who is LEED AP and WELL-AP certified and a Fitwell Ambassador, has led design teams on a wide variety of projects, including office, retail, mixed-use, hospitality and multifamily spaces. She has built strong relationships throughout the industry, focusing discussions on the importance of taking a holistic approach to workplace design.
People want a designed space that improves performance, encourages human connection, sparks creativity and makes people happier and healthier.
The pandemic has shown that health goes beyond our physical well-being, and employees expect a healthy workspace that embodies both physical and mental health, she wrote in a recent article for WorkDesign Magazine, “How Office Design Can Influence Employee Health and Wellness.” She says, “People want a designed space that improves performance, encourages human connection, sparks creativity and makes people happier and healthier.”
Sonaly also has a passion for working with nonprofit organizations to develop spaces that support their unique criteria and goals. “When you design a functional yet creative space for a nonprofit, it feels gratifying,” she says. “An environment that is effective allows these organizations to take their mission to the next level.”
At LPA, she joins a workplace team that is working with clients around the country to address the rapidly evolving corporate environment. NAIOP SoCal, the commercial real estate association, recently named LPA’s design of the new headquarters for RiverRock Real Estate Group (RREG), a mix of flexible indoor and outdoor spaces designed during the peak of the pandemic, as the “Office Project of the Year.”
Sonaly, who earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Mumbai, is known as a roll-up-her-sleeves leader, willing to work with all parties to support the collaborative process. At LPA, she is part of an integrated studio, with architects, designers, engineers and landscape architects working as a team. “Sonaly believes strongly in building teams from the bottom up, which empowers people and allows them to find their personal journey,” D’Amato says.
When you design a functional yet creative space for a nonprofit, it feels gratifying. An environment that is effective allows these organizations to take their mission to the next level.
Sonaly will lead project teams on a variety of projects, including long-standing relationships with Panasonic and LBA Realty. Working in LPA’s collaborative, research-driven process, she will explore the blurring line between home and office and the major scenarios facing businesses, such as retaining employees, encouraging them to come to the office, and creating comfortable environments at the workplace. “Employees love flexibility, and flexibility builds trust and engagement,” she says.
Sonaly’s passion for working with nonprofit organizations stems from her active role in several community groups, including cofounding the Orange County chapter of OC Special Spokes, a non-profit that donates adaptive bicycles for children with special needs. In addition, she has been an avid mentor in the industry, fostering growth, confidence and empowerment.
“Her personal accountability and understanding of this work will help LPA bring more meaning and appropriateness to our work and our process,” D’Amato says.
About LPA
Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and change people’s lives. An integrated national design firm, LPA’s team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. In 2021, LPA was honored with AIA California’s Firm Award, the industry’s highest honor in the state. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
