Alexandra, also known as Sasha, started her career as an agent for artists. With experience, she became skilled at recognising exceptional things in ordinary ones. When the pandemic hit, she decided to change her career path and explore UX design. Soon, Sasha began working on her own projects.
The idea for Vandelay app came to Sasha during a meet up with friends at a bar. They were near a beautiful building, and Sasha wanted to find out more about it. She tried using online maps but was disappointed to find only listings for a library, with no information about the building itself. She wished for an app that could make this research quicker and easier. Her friends agreed, and one of them was Sasha, who happened to be an experienced software engineer.
Vandelay grew from that question: how can we find out more about the buildings around us? The app brings together a curated architecture catalogue, a map, building histories and photographs. Its AR view shows the direction and distance to nearby buildings from the catalogue.
Vandelay is made by a team of two, bringing together design, research and software development. We work on the collection and the app so that curious walks can lead to a better understanding of a place.
Browse the country, city, style and architect guides on this website, or use the app to explore the map and nearby architecture. If you spot an error or want to suggest a building, get in touch through our contact page.