Baran Studio Architecture

The Studio: Baran Studio is a diverse group of collaborators, coming from various backgrounds and disciplines. As in our work product and methodology, we remain open to new ideas, which allows us flexibility when maneuvering in a constantly shifting urban environment. We value diversity in all of its forms, as it provides us with multiple perspectives on any given problem. The studio works as a brain-trust where problems are solved creatively and collectively. To this end, we value our people, as people are where great ideas originate. We limit hierarchy and encourage dissent so we can all learn and grow. We encourage ownership of ideas, and look forward to improving them. Candor is valued as a resource, and critique is seen as a constructive way to create the best possible architecture. Matthew Baran: Matt Baran founded Baran Studio Architecture in 2010. Prior to that, he had spent 15 years working for various architecture practices, simultaneously developing concepts for architectural robots that shifted their form and location to adapt to various contexts. This work led him to UC Berkeley in 2008 to complete a master’s thesis on adaptable robotic architecture. Upon graduation, he taught at UC Berkeley and the Academy of Art. He also worked on the construction of a dwelling that employed the adaptive theories he had been exploring academically. These efforts were the beginning of Baran Studio. Currently, Matt continues his efforts, working closely with staff and clients to further explore the architecture that is closely adapted to its context. This means designing a project through extensive analysis and research into deeper contexts that include the physical and psychological environment, history, culture, socialized beliefs, collective mindsets and notions of beauty, systems of erasure, and material qualities in addition to architectural typology.