Brian Phillips is founding principal of Interface Studio Architects (ISA), an award-winning firm specializing in multi-family residential and urban projects that employ green strategies. ISA has been identified by The Philadelphia Inquirer as one of several "rising design firms that see architecture as a weapon in the battle to stave off environmental ruin." Phillips earned a BS in environmental design from the University of Oklahoma in 1994 and an MA in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. His 100K Houses project, which involves finding high-performance and innovative strategies for designing and building sustainable homes for $100,000 each, won a 2011 National Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects. He also received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts that same year. "In light of recent environmental and economic crises, there is a real urgency for designers to take on the profound challenges of the present," says Phillips. "I believe that creativity and innovation are amplified by limitations. I believe in the necessity for architecture to be broad and inclusive, while retaining a sense of precision and a deep understanding of local context." In 2016, Phillips received a Center Project grant for Rowhouse Workshop, an exploration of the physical and social histories embedded in Philadelphia's long history of row house development.
