Caryn Brause

Biography

Caryn Brause AIA LEED AP received her M.Arch degree at the University of Virginia and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching, Brause is the principal of SITELAB Architecture + Design in Northampton. The practice is a laboratory for investigating the broad context of the “site” through client-driven projects, theoretical investigations, and community collaborations. Design work examines the transformation and reuse of that which we have in abundance including existing building stock, underutilized urban and suburban landscapes, and repurposed materials.

Brause’s research investigates critical skills for contemporary practice, both technological and interpersonal.  Her current work examines the role of collaboration in contemporary design practice. She received an AIA/ACSA Practice + Leadership Award in 2016 and an NCARB Award for the Integration of Practice and Education in 2013 for her project Voices from the Field, which uniquely blends instruction in design, materials, methods, and documentation with first-hand observation of construction and professional practice. The ongoing research examines an experiential pedagogical model for understanding the myriad issues that comprise contemporary architectural design decision-making and project delivery.  Brause is a founding editorial board member of the Technology | Architecture + Design (TAD) Journal, which is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship in the field of building technology, with a particular focus on its translation, integration, and impact on architecture and design.

Education

Master of Architecture, University of Virginia
Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

My research, creative, and teaching interests encompass emerging design practice, experiential design pedagogy, and sustainable design strategies such as building, landscape and material repurposing.

Recent Research and Creative Practice:

The Designers Field Guide to Collaboration (New York: Routledge, 2017).
"I-391 Gateway," Holyoke MA, 2016. A $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts "Our Town" Award in collaboration with the City of Holyoke and Joseph Krupczynski.
"Arrivals," Holyoke MA, 2014. A $35,000 public art commission at the Mosher St. underpass in Holyoke, MA. Winner of a open competition for public art proposals, in collaboration with Joseph Krupczynski.
"Strategic Additions: Reconsidering Architecture’s Stepchild.” International Journal of the Constructed Environment 7, no. 1, January 2016, 43-54.

Recent Awards:

2016 AIA/ ACSA Practice + Leadership Award
2016 Western Massachusetts AIA Citation Award: Arrivals Public Art + Infrastructure
2013 NCARB Award for the Integration of Practice and Education
2013 AIA New England Citation Award for Design Excellence: EcoBuilding Bargains
2012 Western Massachusetts AIA Merit Award: EcoBuilding Bargains

Websites

• SITELAB Architecture + Design

Books