Karen Marie Stonely, AIA LEED AP

Karen Marie Stonely, AIA, LEED AP An architect, artist, mentor, and advocate, her work is driven by a lifelong fascination with the relationship between people, nature, and the environments they inhabit.

Karen Marie received both a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Arts from Rice University, where she was awarded the Edward B. Arrants Medal and inducted into the distinguished Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society. She began her career at Robert A.M. Stern Architects while establishing an independent practice and co-founded SPA in 1995. In 2004 she was a founder of SPAN Architecture. Alongside architecture, she pursued the study of glassmaking at the Urban Glass Workshop in Brooklyn. Her artwork and fabrications are held in private collections and the permanent collections of Rice University and Garrison Forest School.

Throughout her career, Karen Marie has explored a central question: how can the built environment support human health, creativity, dignity, and connection? Long before wellness became a design movement, she was investigating the effects of sensory experience, daylight, natural materials, landscape, and environmental quality on human well-being. Her work has helped advance a broader understanding of biophilic design, not as an aesthetic language, but as a framework for supporting human flourishing. At the heart of her philosophy is a belief that it is not enough to simply build better. Humans must remain connected to nature in their everyday lives to fully appreciate its value, understand their dependence upon it, and recognize what stands to be lost if that relationship is broken. She believes that the human-to-nature relationship is not decorative or optional, but fundamental to both individual health and collective resilience.

Karen Marie has shared these ideas through lectures, panel discussions, mentorship programs, and has maintained a lifelong commitment to civic engagement and public service. She served two terms as Vice President of Open House New York, expanding public understanding of architecture and the city through public programming and international exchange initiatives. She was a founding chair of the Friends Committee for the Design Trust for Public Space and has supported numerous cultural, educational, and philanthropic organizations throughout her career. She has mentored emerging architects through organizations including AIA New York, the Architectural League, and university programs throughout the world. She is particularly passionate about helping young designers discover their own voices and understand the profound influence design can have on human lives.

Her commitment to wellness is also deeply personal. Following her family’s experience with Huntington’s Disease, Karen Marie founded LAAB (Life As A Brain), an endowment dedicated to supporting research and advocacy for rare neurological and neurodivergent conditions. The initiative reflects a lifelong interest in the intersections of health, neuroscience, environment, and quality of life.Whether designing a residence, a wellness practice, a workplace, or a civic space, Karen Marie approaches each project with the belief that design is ultimately an act of stewardship — of people, communities, and the natural world upon which both depend.

Peter Pelsinski, AIA LEED AP

Peter Pelsinski, AIA, LEED AP An architect, educator, designer, and maker, Peter’s work is driven by an enduring curiosity about how culture, ecology, technology, history, and human behavior converge to shape the built environment.

Peter received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University, where he was awarded the Susannah Underwood Scholarship, the Pella Thesis Prize for Outstanding Design, and was a finalist for the SOM Traveling Fellowship. Prior to co-founding SPA with Karen Marie Stonely in 1995, he worked with Michael Graves and Diller Scofidio and led the residential and development practice for developer Peter Moore. In 2004 she was a founder of SPAN Architecture.

Widely recognized for his intellectual rigor and multidisciplinary approach to design, Peter draws inspiration from a remarkably broad range of influences. His thinking is informed as much by science, ecology, engineering, and emerging technologies as it is by art, history, literature, and the study of cities. This cross-pollination of ideas has become a hallmark of his work, allowing him to uncover unexpected relationships between people, place, and the systems that support everyday life.

Central to Peter’s philosophy is a belief that architecture should emerge from a deep understanding of context. He is particularly interested in placemaking—the ways in which buildings, landscapes, infrastructure, memory, and culture come together to create environments that feel meaningful, connected, and enduring. His interpretation of biophilic design extends beyond the incorporation of natural elements to include a broader understanding of how ecological systems, local conditions, and human patterns of occupation can inform design solutions that are both resilient and deeply rooted in place.

Peter’s commitment to experimentation and making began early in his career as a founding member of the collaborative Operatives (now LTL Architects), where he led urban design competitions and designed exhibitions including The Pull of Beauty with Kiki Smith and Slip Space curated by Mark Wigley. He is also the designer of Metroscopes, the award-winning public art installation at the UMSL South MetroLink Station in St. Louis.

Equally passionate about education, Peter has spent decades advancing architectural discourse through teaching, mentorship, and public engagement. As an adjunct professor at Princeton University, he has led integrated building design studios and laboratories that encourage students to bridge theory, technology, and practice. He has taught, lectured, and served as a critic at universities and institutions internationally, fostering a culture of inquiry that extends well beyond the classroom. Whether designing a residence, a public space, a workplace, or an urban intervention, Peter approaches architecture as a form of exploration — an opportunity to reveal connections between people, nature, culture, and place, and to create environments that enrich both individual experience and collective life.