Spiralworks was born from the shared creative vision of Kassandra and Misha SemeLev.
Building on our diverse cultural heritage and artistic experience, we imagine places that cultivate human flourishing and connect deeply to nature.
We partner with expert engineers, landscapers, and builders who share our vision.
A licensed architect, planner, educator, and writer, Misha studies how to build human habitats--buildings, landscapes, and cities–in harmony with the nature around us and within us. His work explores the ways that elements of building design–from architectural ornament to biophilic design elements–can be optimized to increase environmental awareness and promote a sense of connection and belonging, tying architectural design together with neuroaesthetics, behavioral psychology, and ecology.
A LEED Accredited Professional and Certified Passive House Consultant, Misha is an active member of the Connecticut and National American Institute of Architects chapters and a frequent presenter at state and national conferences on sustainable design. He is a lecturer at Yale University and the University of Hartford and co-founder of the 16 Cubits Biophilic Sukkot Festival. In 2022, he was honored with the Emerging Professional Award of Merit by the Connecticut AIA in honor of his service to the profession.
A native San Franciscan, Misha graduated as the Valedictorian of his undergraduate Princeton University class. He received both a Master of Architecture and a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, and has previously worked with Centerbrook Architects & Planners, Kennedy Violich Architects, Sasaki, The Living, and DPZ coDesign.
education history
MArch I, Yale University
MEM, Yale University
BA, Princeton University
LEED Accredited Professional
Certified Passive House Consultant
Licensed Architect, State of Connecticut
Kassandra is an architectural designer, artist, and educator whose work taps into the storytelling power of ornament, craft, texture, color, and detail.
Kassandra’s experience includes work with Centerbrook Architects & Planners, Robert Orr and Associates, Mitchell Studio, and Kent Bloomer Studio, where she worked as a fabricator of large-scale bent aluminum ornament. In collaboration with Kent Bloomer, she has done research on the history and taxonomy of architectural ornamentation. Since 2022, Kassandra has taught the theory and design of architectural ornament as an adjunct professor at the University of Hartford.
As a visual artist, Kassandra works in a variety of media including oil and acrylic paints, watercolor, and graphic illustration. Much of her work explores the relationships between nature and culture, and she is a co-creator of The Ecoempathy Project, an online platform that explores connections between art, architecture, and ecological awareness. She is a member of the Connecticut Women Artists organization and has exhibited her work at local galleries including MAC650 Middletown, The Space in Chester, and the Art League of New Britain. Her “mitos y raíces” and “genesis” series of paintings were shown in a solo exhibition in the Main Street Gallery at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester, CT in Summer 2023.
education history
MArch I, Yale University
BA, Princeton University