Katie Stranix

Education

Yale School of Architecture, Master of Architecture
University of Virginia, Bachelor of Science in Architecture

Biography

Katie Stranix, AIA is a registered architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia.  She is co-founder and principal of the design collaborative, Office of Things, and principal of Stranix Bachman Architects (XBA).  Prior to joining UVA, she was a project architect at Studio Gang Architects, working on a variety of project types and scales and with a diverse range of designers, clients, programs, and sites. 
 
Her practice, research, and teaching focus on the transformation and enrichment of everyday spaces within our shared built environment, identifying opportunities for the insertion of playful and inviting spaces that enhance the physical, mental, and social health of inhabitants.  Her projects operate at multiple scales and explore how form, color, light, and sound impact the senses and heighten the human experience.  Her work with Office of Things has received national and international recognition and has been featured prominently in design publications such as Architect’s Newspaper, Dezeen, Fast Company, Wallpaper, and New York Times Magazine.   Her upcoming book with Routledge Publishing explores the design of restorative spaces in architecture, identifying elements, enclosures, and environments that through both aesthetics and affect act as a welcome foil to their surroundings.  
 
Katie currently coordinates and teaches undergraduate and graduate core design studios and seminars.  Her teaching philosophy focuses on fostering curiosity and experimentation while establishing a solid foundation in techniques of observation, analysis, translation, and representation.  She aims to instill confidence, to cultivate critical inquiry, and to encourage self-direction and evaluation.  In 2021, she received the UVA Student Council Teaching Award for her efforts.
 
She received her Masters in Architecture from Yale University where she was awarded the William Wirt Winchester Fellowship, the Lord Norman R. Foster Scholarship, and the Wendy Elizabeth Blanning Prize.  She completed her Bachelor of Science in Architecture here at the University of Virginia, receiving the Faculty Award for Design Excellence upon graduation.