Asaf Gottesman was born in Israel, but lived most of his life in Europe. He earned an honors degree in Art History and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, as well as, a diploma from the prestigious Architectural Association in London. After completing the AA, Asaf chose to establish his own architectural practice in Israel where it quickly became a leader in the domain of private homes. In 1999, the practice expanded its activities into the research of the virtual domain. The research lead to an important US patent that introduced innovative user interfaces and 3D information environments that were the precursors of such products as Apple's Coverflow, Microsoft's Vista 3D environments, as well as, various other 3D display and search environments. In 2001, Asaf moved to Paris, together with his family, in order to widen the scope and reach of the architectural practice. This led to the establishment in 2003 of Gottesman Szmelcman Architecture together with Ami Szmelcman. Asaf is the author of “The Architectural Condition;” an e-book that analyses the world of the architect and speculates upon how to address the many shortfalls of the profession.