About

With a specialty in networked urban environments, interactive architecture & community activation, Usman Haque has designed & built all sorts of things: spaces, structures, systems, platforms, companies.

Trained as an architect, Usman is founder and creative director of Umbrellium, a London-based design & build studio dedicated to transforming urban environments. His work embraces many disciplines, including design, architecture, the internet of things, urban community infrastructure, and large-scale public art/performance.

He was creative director of an urban wilding scheme in East London initiated by EdenLAB (in association with Eden Project) and also heads up strategy and investment for Starling Technologies, a spin-out from Umbrellium dedicated to pedestrian safety. He was appointed a Design Council Ambassador in 2021 and to the Mayor of London's Data for London Advisory Board in 2022. Earlier he founded Thingful.net, a search engine for the Internet of Things; and Pachube, one of the world's first open IoT data platforms, acquired by LogMeIn in 2011.

He has created spectacular participatory events and large-scale installations for cities around the world and his work has been exhibited internationally, including the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the Barbican (London), Museum of Modern Art (Aalborg), Seoul Museum of Art, The Architectural League of New York, Science Gallery (Dublin), Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, Netherlands Media Art Institute and the National Art Museum, Beijing.

He taught at the Bartlett School of Architecture with Prof Stephen Gage in the Interactive Architecture Workshop (until 2005); and in 2015/2016 led RC12 Urban Design cluster, “Participatory systems for networked urban environments” with Adam Greenfield.

Usman received the 2008 Design of the Year Award (interactive) from the Design Museum, UK; a 2009 World Technology Award (art); the Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence prize (2004) and the Asia Digital Art Award Grand Prize (2005). He is a Member IoT World Forum Steering Committee, and part of the authoring committee for the BSI PAS 212, 'Automatic resource discovery for the Internet of Things'.

Usman is also a composer and performer, releasing music as uah.