Tom Lee Studio is an architecture and interiors practice based in
Chicago.
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We see architecture as a quiet backdrop and interface for
living, working, and gathering. We endeavor to make architecture that is true
to our time and place, favoring integrity over style, narrative over aesthetic, quality over quantity, preservation over demolition, natural over artificial, and the timeless over the fashionable. We negotiate the fluidity and unpredictability of life with a precision in craft and attention to detail. We create
work that is pragmatic yet poetic and that aspires to age gracefully over time. We want
to make the lives of those who touch our spaces better and for our work to endure.
Our rigorous design process rooted in listening, observing, and questioning seeks to uncover the latent complexities and richness in each project so we can develop an intuitive understanding of its unique circumstances. Distilling down the vast possibilities early in the process results in outcomes that appear simple but are thoughtful compositions of space, materials, and experience, sensitive to their context, place, and budget. This approach allows us to undertake a wide variety of project types and scales, resulting in bespoke and authentic outcomes.
Our rigorous design process rooted in listening, observing, and questioning seeks to uncover the latent complexities and richness in each project so we can develop an intuitive understanding of its unique circumstances. Distilling down the vast possibilities early in the process results in outcomes that appear simple but are thoughtful compositions of space, materials, and experience, sensitive to their context, place, and budget. This approach allows us to undertake a wide variety of project types and scales, resulting in bespoke and authentic outcomes.
Team
Tom Lee, AIA
Tom is an award-winning architect and designer who invites collaboration and is adept at cultivating and curating ideas into a shared vision while respecting time, budget, place, and the environment.
With 20 years of experience across a diverse set of typologies and firms, his prior experience includes HDR where he served as Design Principal, and other leading firms including John Ronan Architects, Goettsch Partners, JAHN, Leers Weinzapfel, and Kohn Pedersen Fox. He graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati.
Passionate about the next generation of architects, Tom has taught at the University of Cincinnati and MIT, and regularly sits on juries at several universities. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the MIT Club of Chicago, the Professional Board for PAWS Chicago, and the Auxiliary Board for the Chicago Architecture Center. Currently, he is a member of the City Club of Chicago, serves as co-chair of AIA Chicago’s Third Thursdays series, and is president of the Chicago Architectural Club. He is a licensed architect in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Instagram | LinkedIn | tl@tomleestudio.com | +1 312 889 8874
Connor Kramer
Connor is a designer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently a Master of Architecture candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. He has practiced with architecture and visualization firms in New York, Chicago, and Cambridge, including SOM, Woods Bagot, Design Distill, and The LADG. His academic, personal, and professional work has been exhibited at the GSD and DAAP and published online and in print. In 2023, he was a finalist for the GSD’s Araldo A. Cossutta Prize for Design Excellence and Harvard University’s Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship.
Wenjun Zheng
Wenjun is currently attending the University of Illinois at Chicago where he is on track to receive his Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree in Spring 2024. He is an incoming Master of Architecture candidate at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania, starting in the fall. Originally from Zhuhai, China, he went to high school in Loma Linda, California before coming to Chicago.
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Collaborate
Our work is the result of many working together towards a shared vision. We maintain a close and diverse network of people who we trust and enjoy working with, and are always looking for new collaborators including clients, colleagues, consultants, and contractors. We are also uniquely suited to work with complimentary design firms and regularly engage in creative partnerships.
If you are interested in working with us now or in the future, we look forward to hearing from you.
© Tom Lee Studio PLLC