Robert Miklos FAIA is founder of Boston-based designLAB architects, a firm focused on arts, cultural, and educational projects, implimenting an innovative approach to adaptive reuse combined with environmental sustainability, a philosophy they call Critical Stewardship. designLAB projects include the Headquarters for the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Yarmouthport, the experimental theater at MIT, the renovation of British Architect James Stirling’s Arts Building at Harvard, the interdisciplinary Arts Center at Seton Hill University, the Master Plan and expansion of the Concord History Museum, the restoration of the venerable Dartmouth Hall at Dartmouth College and the transformation of the WPA-era Curley Community Center in South Boston as part of the City’s coastal resiliency plan.
These commissions, among others, have been recognized by national awards and press, including the America Institute of Architects National Honor Awards, Chicago Athenaeum Architectural Awards, Business Week Awards, Society of College and University Planning Awards and the AIA Committee on the Environment Award.
The work of his firm, while contemporary, establishes a deep connection to the history and legacy of a building or site. Throughout his 40 year career as design leader of several of Boston’s most prominent architectural firms, Bob has focused on arts, cultural and educational projects ranging from the restoration of the landmark Boston Athenaeum to the interpretive transformation of Paul Rudolph’s pivotal work at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
Bob believes that the practice of Architecture is fundamentally a cultural art. By leading a creative planning process that enthusiastically engages clients and communities, his projects have dramatically transformed the institutions they serve as they reinterpret and renew their cultural traditions. In 2000, Robert was inducted into the AIA College of Fellows for his career achievements.
His current research is focused on Coastal Resiliency and new strategies for Historic Preservation. He serves as the Chair of Academic Advisors for the Envision Resilience Narragansett Bay Challenge sponsored by the ReMain foundation. Robert has participated as Co-Studio Director of the summer program of the Preservation Institute of Nantucket with PIN Director Marty Hylton.
Robert is an Artist Member and Trustee of the Artist Association of Nantucket as well as a pro-bono advisor to a number of cultural organizations on the Island of Nantucket.
Departments
Architecture
Education
- Masters Degree, Architecture, Harvard University
- Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic and Industrial Design, Cleveland Institute of Art