Design Studies Collaborative is a non profit architectural research organization that focuses on material resourcefulness and inventive construction techniques.  We examine common architectural forms as well as design and construction methodologies in order to dissect and reconfigure conventional design and construction standards through qualitative, phenomenological, and causal research and analysis.  Our mission is to create tools for a responsive architecture which fully embodies the architectural principals of firmness, commodity, and beauty, as first defined by Vitruvius in the first century BCE. 

In addition our goal is to foster a forward looking architecture that is environmentally and socially conscious, equitable, and collaborative.  Working with fabricators, carpenters and contractors as well as other design disciplines, such as landscape and furniture design, we perform self-generated research, exploring innovations in design, materials, and construction techniques at all scales.

Using case studies and combined strategies research analysis, we work through cultural, educational, commercial, and residential projects to reveal the hidden potential within complex architectural and urban constraints.