Keyan Mizani and Alexia Zerbinis met as graduate students in architecture school. They were paired to teach a drawing class by a department head given to teaming up opposites. Over fifteen years later, Alexia and Keyan are partners in eM/Zed design in Portland, Ore. Their work spans single-family residential, multifamily, and commercial projects. The firm stresses a collaborative spirit, where clients are included in the design process. Keyan’s favorite project is chasing after his two boys, usually with rubber bands zinging back and forth.