Co-founder of merzproject architecture and urban design Christopher Nieto is to receive a 40 under 40 Business Award from the Phoenix Business Journal, highlighting his success as one of the youngest architecture principals in America. merzproject architecture and urban design merged with Shepley Bulfinch of Boston in 2009 to become Shepley Bulfinch’s Phoenix studio.

Nieto modestly explained: “I’m flattered and humbled to receive this award. I owe so much to Phoenix and to Arizona because of the opportunities that exist here. As Phoenix continues to seek its identity, it’s still the Wild West - anything is possible here. Only in Phoenix could a young firm of twenty-somethings have a shot at creating a ground-up project with the potential to change the brand identity of a city. I’m very happy to share my journey with this wonderful town”.