Hello, my name is Christopher Prinsen. I am a graduate of the University of Michigan where I obtained my Master of Architecture in the spring of 2021. Prior to receiving my Masters, I obtained my Bachelor of Design with a focus in Architecture from the University of Florida.
Three ideals inform my approach to each project: beauty, sustainability, and a positive contribution to the public realm. It is the relentless pursuit of these ideals, carried out over a diversity of project types, scales, and contexts that distinguishes my work and interests.
Beauty, for me, is about creating a sense of place and invoking emotion as one inhabits or moves throughout a space. With a bias for experiential architecture, I approach design through the fundamentals of functionality, proportion, quality of light and space, and raw, honest materials.
As an advocate for practical sustainable design. I seek to advance the symbiotic relationship between the health of people and that of our natural environment. To develop a resonant sustainable design response, I uncover and make evident the site's core values. I wish to borrow from the land only what I intend to return with enhanced significance.
As an aspiring architect, I think a lot about the public realm. How it might be enriched, and how it might inform one's experience of the new places I craft. For me, place is at once built reality, cultural undertaking, a palimpsest of layered history, and crucible for the future. Furthermore, I am deeply interested in socially responsible architecture that is human-centered, inclusive in the broadest sense of the word and implements a participatory design practice.
While these ideals guide me, it is the people and natural environment that truly make my designs unique. I believe that the most important thing I can do, as a designer whose process and product is about innovation and creativity, is to attract, cultivate, and nurture willing collaborators and clients who share my values. My work ethic is strong and distinct, with interests focused on craft, technology, education, and public interest design.
I would love to chat! Please use the contact page for employment opportunities, resume/portfolio requests, collaborative ideas, competitions, or just to say hello!