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About

Austin Tao began an independent professional practice in St. Louis around 1980. Austin Tao & Associates, Inc. was incorporated in Missouri on January 7, 1985. Beginning in 2004, Austin worked with Wei Zhang and multidisciplinary teams in Beijing on projects in China. In 2008, the St. Louis practice integrated its business with The Lawrence Group, Inc; this was not a legal succession involving the Beijing company. Austin retired in 2013 and has since participated in the Beijing team only as an advisor, in honorary roles, and through selected project collaborations.

The current Beijing operating entity is ATA ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS LTD. (北京安在建筑设计有限公司). It and the U.S. company Austin Tao & Associates, Inc. are independent legal entities, with no equity, subsidiary, or legal-successor relationship.

The Beijing team works across planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. Its work may cover stages from initial research and conceptual planning to design development and implementation support, according to the scope of each commission.

Service Areas​

ATA ARCHITECTS & PLANNERS LTD. provides services in planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. Project types represented in the practice include cultural and educational facilities, residential and community environments, commercial and hospitality projects, parks, and public spaces.

Integrated Design​

We understand buildings and sites as connected systems. Our work examines relationships between interior and exterior space and between planning, architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. Depending on project requirements, the team coordinates relevant disciplines and studies site conditions, program needs, patterns of use, materials, and implementation constraints.

Project Research​

Our design process begins with the client’s brief and the conditions of the site. The team develops and compares design options in response to function, context, environmental conditions, budget, and implementation requirements. We pay attention to how places are used and how they may change over time, while documenting design decisions through the stages included in each commission.