--- EST. 1988 - LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA
Five decades of building the Bay Area's most considered homes
The practice of Daniel Miskie, PhD — architect, builder, and former tenured professor — spanning custom residential, commercial, and institutional work from Oakland to Tahoe.
02 — Selected Work
Examples of Bay Area and California projects ranging from residential to commercial.
Residential
Lafayette, CA
3723 Rose Lane
Custom two story addition
Residential
Orinda, CA
231 Sundown Terrance
Custom residence - Orinda
01 — The Practice
A body of work built on one principle: that a well-made house, a civic building, or a neighborhood should feel inevitable once it stands. Drawn, engineered, and built by the same hand, for clients who will live with the result for generations.
Daniel Miskie has spent fifty years moving between the drafting table and the job site. He designed and built a sixty-four-home development in the Oakland Hills, custom residences throughout Orinda, Lafayette, Piedmont, and Walnut Creek, and civic work including St. Perpetua's social hall in Lafayette.
Before relocating to California, he held a tenured professorship in Architecture at Miami University for fifteen years. The studio accepts a small number of design, build, and consulting engagements each year.
03— The Advantage of Time
Thoughtfully crafted
client inspired
architecture
in the
Bay Area
Half a century is not an anecdote — it is a library. Dan has watched hillside codes evolve in Orinda, worked through four complete cycles of the California housing market, survived the 1989 Loma Prieta retrofit era, and delivered homes under every Title 24 revision since the first one.
Clients hire him for what isn't in the drawings: the judgment that says this subcontractor, this grade beam, this window opening — the kind of knowledge that can only be accrued, not taught. Though he has taught it, for fifteen years, as a tenured professor of architecture.
04 — Practice Area
Design, construction, and the hard judgment between them.
01
Custom Residential
High-end single-family homes, new-build and renovation, across Orinda, Lafayette, Piedmont, Walnut Creek, and Marin.
02
Developments
Subdivision and multi-unit work, from entitlement through delivery. Sixty-four homes built in the Oakland Hills.
03
Commercial & Civic
Religious, institutional, and commercial projects — churches, social halls, commercial kitchens, hospitality interiors.
04
Consulting & Review
Design review, project rescue, constructability analysis, and expert consultation for owners and younger firms.
05 — Recognition
"Recognized by HUD for low-income housing built in Richmond and Oakland — the same practice responsible for high-end residences across the East Bay."
— U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Award
06 — Work with Dan
Starting a project. Reviewing one. Or rescuing one.
The studio takes on a limited number of new engagements each year for custom residences, developments, civic projects, and consulting. Tell us about yours.