MORRIS SATO STUDIO - PROFILE
ARCHITECTURE
London-born Michael Morris, an Irish and US national, and Tokyo-born Yoshiko Sato (d. 2012), a Japanese national, each trained in the fine arts before meeting at Parsons School of Design. Both graduated from The Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1989 and subsequently pursued postgraduate studies in Ireland and at Harvard, respectively. Before founding Morris Sato Studio in New York City in 1996, they worked in and with the studios of Billie Tsien, Tod Williams, Jody Pinto, Toshiko Mori, James Carpenter, Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio and Shiro Kuramata. Parallel to practice, Morris (and Sato) hold tenured teaching positions in architecture, art, and design.
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 - SEArch+ http://www.spacexarch.com/ working with NASA on collaborative designs of intergalactic habitats and infrastructure to support potential future human exploration and life beyond planet Earth.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
LightShowers, an 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 200,000 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.
ACTIVISM & ADVOCACY
COLLABORATION
Morris Sato Studio regards their role is to be in service of others. Practicing in collaboration with many experts Morris Sato aims to deliver progressive excellence.
SAFEGUARDING
Striving to inspire, Morris Sato Studio is also dedicated to protecting all species and human rights and contributing to the provision of shelter, health, and safety.
TEAMWORK
Investing in one another and Earth equally, Morris Sato honour life diversity, and work equitably to forging pathways to contribute both locally and globally.
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
