MORRIS SATO STUDIO - PROFILE
ARCHITECTURE
London-born Michael Morris, an Irish and US national, and Tokyo-born Yoshiko Sato (d. 2012), a Japanese national, studied fine art before meeting at Parsons in New York. Both graduated from Cooper Union’s architecture school in 1989 and pursued postgraduate studies in Ireland and at Harvard, respectively. They founded Morris Sato Studio in 1996 after working for their teachers Billie Tsien, Tod Williams, Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio and Toshiko Mori, and with Shiro Kuramata, James Carpenter and Jody Pinto. In parallel, they taught architecture, art and design studios at institutions including their three alma maters; Morris is a tenured adjunct professor at Parsons.
ART
Widely recognised for creating 'otherworldly' projects, Morris Sato Studio infuse temporal and spatial dimensions with equal parts —material, light and air, into formally restrained an finely detailed works that seamlessly integrate innovative technology with advanced means and methods. In 2006, while teaching at Columbia University the partners launched their Studio's cosmic research arm— Space Exploration Architecture - SEARC ( now SEArch+ http://www.spacexarch.com/ ) working with NASA on collaborative designs of intergalactic habitats and infrastructure to support potential for human exploration and life beyond planet Earth.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
LightShowers, an international award winning example of the Studio’s applied research, fuses lighting, material, technology, and fabrication into immersive experiences to support health and wellbeing. Sato and Morris' interactive multimedia installation was inspired by biofeedback protocols in treating cardiac patients initiated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. LightShowers seamless digital integration of LEDs and video projections created a sensorial, therapeutic, and spatial experience that aligned the human breath at rest with the universal rhythms of nature. Presented in 7 international venues, LightShowers was experienced by more than 300,000 visitors.
RESPONSIBILITIES & REUSE
- “Designing for a world already full” , Morris Sato critically engages in ground-up, adaptive-reuse, and conservation projects. In dialogue with the past and learning from the ready-made, the Studio works both intuitively and deliberatively—like a gardener—cultivating opportunities that inspire wonder and safeguard present and future ecologies. Through collaborative, multigenerational efforts, Morris Sato Studio strives to honour the social contract of giving something back.
PLACES & COMMUNITIES
INTERIORS
Morris Sato interior designs employ the Chinese-Japanese 'borrowed landscape' garden principle to synchapate light, air, matter, texture, and colour with the environments beyond.
CIVIC LANDSCAPES
By extending the 'borrowed landscape' principle into the public realm, the Studio's work aims to engage all of the senses combining nature and man-made to celebrate the ephemeral.
URBAN SUSTAINABILITY
Recognizing our climate emergency, Morris Sato is committed to implementing The UN's Sustainable Development Goals in support of all life forms and communities around the globe.
HEALTHCARE & WELLBEING
Morris Sato Studio is committed to improving existing and innovating next-generation medical facilities to become increasingly humane, resilient, and sustainable spaces for healing.
Balancing hygienic and healthy materials with functional design, Morris Sato equally strives to create purposeful and empathetic places that are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming.
PURPOSE & PRINCIPLES
COLLABORATION
Morris Sato Studio works to serve others. Through collaboration with experts across disciplines, the studio pursues progressive design and excellence in its realisation.
SAFEGUARDING
Morris Sato Studio strives to inspire others. Protecting all species, upholding human rights and advancing access to shelter, health and safety are central to its practice.
TEAMWORK
Morris Sato Studio invests equally in people and the Earth, honours life’s diversity and works to build a more equitable world through local and global contributions.
FEATURES #1 & 2 : SHELTER ISLAND HOUSES
#1 : YN-13 HOUSE, SHELTER ISLAND, NEW YORK
#2 : SOULA HOUSE, SHELTER ISLAND, NEW YORK
#3 : 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY
"TAIKONAUT" COSTUME DESIGN
"CYBORG" COSTUME DESIGN
PUBLICATION
a/temporal - MORRIS SATO STUDIO MONOGRAPH ( ENGLISH & JAPANESE )
CONTACT
studio@morrissato.com
MORRIS SATO STUDIO LLP
DUBLIN - NEW YORK
+353 0833619986 IRL / WhatsApp +1.212.228.2832 / 9179451880 USA
