Baran Studio Architecture’s portfolio consists of projects throughout the San Francisco bay area, particularly in urban districts of Oakland, California. In keeping with a ‘something from nothing’ ethos, the neighborhoods Baran Studio specializes in tend to center around industrial zones, with freeways and infrastructure cutting up much of the landscape. The studio’s adaptive methods turn what might be seen by some as a disadvantage into an asset. The design process takes specific elements of a project, and ‘extrudes’ them through space. Baran Studio works with an existing quality, giving it a voice, and allowing it to be modified and transformed by various micro-contexts as they pass through. This process lends itself to sustainable solutions, but moreover it allows integration of manifold environmental and performative aspects. Baran Studio is lead by Principal Architect, Matt Baran – who is a licensed Architect with experience in a wide range of project types, from single and multi-family residential to commercial and institutional architecture. Matt hoIds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. Matt has taught courses at UC Berkeley and the Academy of Art University, and has been invited to critique at schools that include Stanford University, California College of the Arts, and USC. Matt’s research and academic work focuses on the use of broadly defined machines to analyze, extend, and respond to existing site conditions and contexts. These include GIS and other digital mapping methods, scripting and diagramming, as well as CNC fabrication and robotics. Currently, Baran Studio is working on a large volume of houses and apartments, as well as several commercial projects. The architecture firm continues to research adaptive systems through competitions and teaching projects.