STUDIO

STUDIO SHIFT is a multidisciplinary architecture and design practice whose ethos derives from a commitment to progressive design and methodology, education and a belief that architecture can enhance individual and collective experience and quality of life. Established in 2004, the Culver City based firm evolved from a strong design sensibility with an interest in contemporary culture, architecture, and the urban environment providing a foundation for the work.

STUDIO SHIFT has completed a substantial body of residential, commercial, cultural, educational and master planning work throughout the world. The firm brings extensive international experience to every endeavor having completed numerous projects across the United States, Asia and Europe. This substantial experience completing complex projects globally allows the studio to approach any project, regardless of type, scale or program with innovative and pragmatic solutions.

STUDIO SHIFT's designs are inventive and expressive, emphasizing evocative spatial qualities and material experimentation. The firm produces architecture that responds effectively to the unique requirements of each client, site and program as well as the relevant social, cultural, and political context of a project.

STUDIO SHIFT is committed to contributing to a contemporary social, cultural and political discourse through architecture, research, criticism and education. In addition to architectural practice, firm president, Mario Cipresso maintains a teaching position at the University of Southern California and is editor of the popular online architectural resource, Death By Architecture (www.deathbyarchitecture.com), which he founded in 1995.

MARIO CIPRESSO AIA, LEED AP | PRESIDENT

Mario Cipresso is founder and president of Los Angeles based architecture firm, studioSHIFT. Formed in 2004, STUDIO SHIFT is a critical practice with a commitment to challenging convention and producing innovative architecture through rigorous analysis and advanced design methodologies. Prior to STUDIO SHIFT, Mario served a six year tenure at Morphosis, working as a designer under Pritzker Prize winning architect, Thom Mayne.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mario received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. While at UCLA, Mario participated in several distinguished research projects including The Embryological House Project, which was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2000. Mario’s thesis project was featured in the award winning publication, LA Now Volume 2, as part of a bold new vision for downtown Los Angeles. Upon completing his degree at UCLA, Mario joined Morphosis as a designer.

While with Morphosis, Mario contributed to many of the firm’s most innovative and notable projects both nationally and internationally. Large scale urban planning and design projects for which Mario was responsible include the Penang Turf Club in Malaysia and East Darling Harbor in Sydney, Australia. More recently, Mario assisted in the design of the firm’s National Jazz Center and Park in post-Katrina New Orleans. Mario also served as a designer for Children’s Museum Los Angeles, the competition winning Alaska State Capitol, and the Silver LEED rated Caltrans District 7 Headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. As Project Architect for the Theodore T. Alexander Science Center School at Exposition Park in Los Angeles, Mario spent two years managing and administering construction of the project. In 2006, this project garnered the American Institute of Architect’s National Honor Award. Prior to his departure, Mario served as designer and project manager for the Giant Campus in Shanghai, a mixed-use corporate headquarters and clubhouse that is currently under construction.

A licensed architect in California and Illinois and Colorado, Mario’s design work has been exhibited and published extensively. In addition to his work as a practitioner, Mario maintains a commitment to education and to the critical discourse of contemporary architecture, design and culture. He currently teaches architectural design at the University of Southern California and serves as editor of the online architectural forum, Death By Architecture (www.deathbyarchitecture), which he founded in 1995.