LOT-EK is an architectural practice based in Naples, Italy and New York. Founded in 1993 by Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano, the firm has received recognition for its exhibition designs and site-specific installations for cultural institutions and museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Walker Art Center.
LOT-EK's work explores the adaptive reuse (upcycling) of infrastructural and industrial objects, most notably the standard 40-foot shipping container. The studio has developed a number of projects using shipping containers as architectural building elements.
In addition to shipping containers, LOT-EK has incorporated other reused industrial elements in its projects, including truck bodies, airplane fuselages, and reclaimed wood or steel doors.