rooted in rigor, seeking joy

designLAB architects was founded in 2005 by Robert Miklos, FAIA. Bob’s vision was to create an open and collaborative studio that focuses on arts, cultural, and educational projects, with the firm belief that architecture is a cultural art.

In the years since, designLAB has embraced this ethos, with a creative, and deeply collaborative planning process to yield rich architectural solutions across a variety of contexts. Our studio seeks to provide meaningful design that equally benefits clients, communities, and the environment.

In 2020, designLAB adopted the term “Critical Stewardship” as an embodiment of these values. The lens through which we approach all projects, Critical Stewardship lies at the intersection of historic contexts and environmentally conscious design, with a focus on human-centered decision-making. By incorporating interests like social justice and community into formalized systems for preservation and sustainability, we are able to thoughtfully design new buildings, and reposition existing ones. Instead of the “what”— the physical structure itself— Critical Stewardship focuses on the “why:” the community and the user groups served by the building, above all else.

In 2021, designLAB underlined our commitment to transparency, equity, and social justice with a Just Label, a program administered by the International Living Future Institute that measures an organization’s social impact through a range of criteria.