Founded in 1995, Snow Kreilich Architects is a studio based practice in Minneapolis MN. With each project led by one or both design principals, Julie Snow and Matt Kreilich, the studio focuses on producing architecture that innovatively supports our client’s aspirations and missions. This focus has resulted in architecture that has been recognized for its design, for its ability to advance client’s business plans, for its sustainable performance and preservation of historic buildings. The studio’s work has been published internationally and Princeton Architectural Press published the work in a series of first monographs on emerging designers from around the world.
Our studio investigates architecture’s capacity to transform experience. Using restraint and minimal means, we pursue the inspired moments architecture can bring to everyday use. Our design process begins with thorough research to support both the pragmatic and the intangible aspirations of our clients, leading to architecture that presents our clients’ ethos and mission. Our work is grounded in the specifics of each site’s historic, urban, cultural and landscape context. Our architecture has a unique power to intensify our connection to a place, its history, its culture, and/or its natural systems. Through creative collaboration with our engineering and construction teams, we provide integrated building systems that achieve greater effectiveness, efficiency and durability. Synergies are achieved among building systems that advance our architecture’s sustainable performance as well as addressing creative systems that reduce energy dependence.
At any given time, the studio is capable of providing both large-scale work or modestly scaled
projects. Through collaboration with specialist designers and engineers, we expand our team to accomplish projects of significant size and complexity. We have consistently worked with several key consultants to develop critical working relationships that allow us to extend our collaborative methodology beyond the studio. We are fully committed to each project from initial concept through construction and provide all services from master planning to interior design, ensuring a calm consistency to pervade the work.
Our work began with very pragmatic rural manufacturing workplaces, thus imbedding in our design process a respect for efficient, cost effective structures that work well with their urban or landscape context. The scale, size and complexity of the firm’s work has steadily increased. Our ability to deliver across all measures of design success is evidenced by our numerous awards from both our clients and design peers.
Our design process begins with a critical research phase based on the questions specific to each project. We have performed master-planning, programming and conceptual design exercises for our clients. A collaborative studio-based design investigation follows. Detailing, materials and systems are all part of the design’s conceptual basis. Continued evolution of design and detailing is pursued through the documentation process. Full-scale details, mock-ups, physical and computer models are used to explore the project in all its dimensions. Interior design services, custom furnishings and furniture specifications are also performed in-house.