Thomas Chastain

Tom is an architect based in Berkeley, California. He is a founding principal of STUDIO URBIS and a partner at Dwelling Workshop, Inc. His design practice centers on architecture and urban design in collaboration with his partner, Renee Chow. Projects include single-family and multifamily residences, institutional and commercial projects, and urban and community-specific development plans. Projects are located in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The studio's work has been exhibited at the biennales in Hong Kong-Shenzhen and Chengdu and received numerous research and project awards. Dwelling Workshop, Inc. explores affordable construction systems and infill housing development.

His academic background includes serving on the faculty at the Massachusetts College of Art, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley. He also taught at the International Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Design (ILAUD)in Venice and serves on the Advisory Council for the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska. He received his BSAD at the University of Nebraska and MArch from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tom has lectured internationally on urban design and design systems. His research on the structure of urban fabrics and vernacular design systems has been published in numerous journals. He is known for the “Instrumental Referencing System,” a place-based design tool developed at MIT.

ED 1 Introduction to Environmental Design