Morphosis was founded in 1972 in Los Angeles as an interdisciplinary and collective practice involved in experimental design and rigorous research. Today, the firm consists of a group of more than 40 professionals, who remain committed to the practice of architecture as a collaborative enterprise. Named after the Greek term, morphosis, meaning to form or be in formation, Morphosis is a dynamic and evolving practice that responds to the shifting and advancing social, cultural, political and technological conditions of modern life. A critical practice where creative output engages contemporary society and culture through architectural design and education, Morphosis is a process driven firm that seeks new and different design challenges and has resisted becoming specialized in any particular building type. With founder Thom Mayne serving as design principal, Morphosis typically generates its ideas through brain-storming sessions, in which designers question all prior assumptions about a project and intensively test and refine different avenues toward a solution.

Collaboration with the client is an essential part of this process. Morphosis works closely with its clients to help them define the ethical and functional goals of the project, then translates those goals into a design that satisfies the unique requirements and aesthetic opportunities of the program, site and context.

The ultimate goal is to produce an architecture that surprises and inspires; a critical architecture that contributes to the conversation about how we live today.