Michael Morris

Michael Morris, a Fulbright Scholar and Paris Prize Fellow, received his BFA in Environmental Design in 1985 from Parsons School of Design and his BARCH with Honors from The Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1989.  In 1996, with his late partner-and-wife, architect–Yoshiko Sato, he co-founded the NYC based architecture practice­ Morris Sato Studio.   Morris Sato Studio’s projects have been built and presented internationally.  Featured in leading publications and periodicals, the firms’ work has received multiple professional honors and awards including the 2013 John Q. Hejduk Award from the Cooper Union for their outstanding contributions to the theory, teaching, and practice of architecture.  Concurrent to Pratt Institute and his private practice, Morris is a faculty member at his alma maters’ The Cooper Union and Parsons.  Morris has additionally taught and lectured at University’s including Columbia, Harvard, MIT, IIT, and Cornell, and at academies in Europe and East Asia. 

In 2012, Morris assumed leadership of Sato’ Space Architecture Studio and Research Lab (SEArc) at that the pair co-founded in 2006 at Columbia University’s. From 2015-2018 Morris was a Research Fellow leading NASA’s Exploration (X-HAB) Innovation Studio’s at Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture.  In 2016, NASA/ Pratt X-HAB project– Mars Transit Habitat project was exhibited at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City.

In 2015, Morris co-established Space Exploration Architecture LLC (SEArch+) with former Space Studio alumni and faculty colleagues.  SEArch+ develops human-supporting design concepts for living in space and space exploration.  Morris as project team leader of SEArch, in collaboration with Clouds AO, won 1st Prize in the NASA’s Centennial Challenge in 2015 with MARS ICE HOUSE (MIH).   Gaining wide recognition, MIH and SEArch+’s work has been presented in 9 international museum exhibitions and at multiple aerospace and design conferences, and featured in numerous publications including National Geographic and Scientific America.  SEArch+ current ongoing projects include NASA’s Langley Research Center (LCR) on MARS ICE HOME, and United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS) new Environmental Control Life Support System (ECLSS) design, and the multiple level award winning project, MARS X HOUSE a new 3D printed habitat for Mars. 

B.Arch., The Cooper Union Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture; B.F.A. Environmental Design, Parsons School of Design.