Robert Hutchison Architecture (RHA) specializes in the design of contemporary projects that balance beautiful, inspiring spaces with economic, pragmatic solutions. In partnership with clients, consultants, and builders, we seek creative solutions for an architecture that is elegant and efficient. At the core of our work lies an interest in investigating the boundaries of architecture, balancing the permanent with the ephemeral to create works evoking a strong sense of place. Our diverse list of projects includes custom homes and remodels, cabins, art studios, commercial interiors, and institutional and public works. Always striving for a holistic practice, we balance architectural commissions with research, writing, and installation projects.

Robert Hutchison is a practitioner, researcher, and educator whose interests and practice overlap the fields of architecture, art and photography. Hutchison received a MArch degree from the University of Washington in 1996, and BS degrees in Structural Engineering and Architectural Engineering from Drexel University in 1990. After working for the Miller|Hull Partnership and serving as a principal of Hutchison & Maul Architecture, in 2013 Hutchison established the architecture studio Robert Hutchison Architecture. Hutchison is an Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington, where he teaches architectural design studios at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is the recipient of numerous honors and fellowships, including a 2017 Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, a 2022 MacDowell Fellowship, a 2024 Loghaven Fellowship, a 2010 and 2021 Japan/US Friendship Creative Artists Fellowship, and the 2009 Emerging Voices awarded by The Architectural League of NY.

Scott Claassen has been with RHA since our founding in Summer 2013. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Washington in 2009, was a 2010 Architectural Researcher at the Bauhaus Dessau Stiftung, and received a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Michigan in 2013. Prior to joining RHA, Scott worked for the internationally known firm Henning Larsen Architects, and the Toronto based firm LAMAS. Scott brings multiple talents to each of the projects that he works on, including a keen design sensibility, a technical eye for detail, and strong graphic abilities. Scott has served as a staff architect and project manager on numerous projects, including the House on the White River, the Alley House #1 and The Belltown Collective.

Michelle Hook joined RHA at the end of 2020. Michelle received her Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Florida before moving to Seattle in the summer of 2015. She received her Master of Architecture from the University of Washington, specializing in History, Theory and Criticism. While at UW, Michelle participated in and assisted with Robert's Architecture in Mexico City program. She finished her degree with a six month internship in Copenhagen working with EFFEKT Architects. Her specific interests meet at the intersection of architecture and fiction - a way of imagining narrative and worldbuilding. Michelle is currently working on a significant remodel of an early 1900s home on Capitol Hill, and Arthropod, RHA’s first public art commission.

Xiaoxi Jiao started working at RHA in Spring 2016. Originally from Beijing China, Xiaoxi received her MArch degree in Architecture from the University of Washington in 2017, where she was Robert's student in the UW Architecture in Mexico program. Xiaoxi then obtained her MArch degree in High Performance Building at the University of Washington in 2018, after which she became a full-time employee at RHA. Xiaoxi has contributed her high level of craft to the construction of numerous models in the office. Xiaoxi was responsible for the construction and/or coordination of most of the models in the Memory Houses project. Xiaoxi has worked on Mr. West University Village as well as the House with a Yoga Studio.

Forrest Bibeau  started working at RHA in February 2022. He received a Bachelor of Architecture (Summa Cum Laude) from Virginia Tech prior to moving to Seattle in 2016. While at Virginia Tech he participated in the design/buildLAB, a project-based experiential learning program with a focus on projects which enhance underserved communities in rural Virginia. There he learned the importance of the collaborative nature of the design process, which has enabled him to work on a wide variety of typologies from embassies to renovations, commercial buildings, and private residences. His interest lies in architecture's ability to adapt to its context, climate, and client to give more back to a place than what it may take away.

Rachel Rubis joined RHA in April 2021. Originally from Oklahoma, Rachel received her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2020 from the University of Arkansas (Magna Cum Laude), where she took studios through our respected colleagues Marlon Blackwell and Russell Rudzinski, and where she assisted on design projects for architecture firm Bradley Edwards Architect. Rachel brings to RHA a keen interest in physical models and materials. In her first two weeks in our studio, Rachel built over ten models for three different projects, and she is assisting on several projects currently in design and construction including the House in a Meadow.

As architects, we believe we have a responsibility to contribute to larger community conversations around pressing issues such as climate change, social equity, and community housing.

Since 2001, Hutchison has been teaching at the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments, where he is currently Affiliate Associate Professor. His studios have covered topics including narrative in architecture, resiliency of the built environment, social housing, and equal access to the city. Hutchison approaches his teaching as an opportunity to learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives of his students—many of whom have gone on to become RHA interns, staff, or collaborators.

We are committed to supporting underprivileged students from traditionally marginalized populations through the following scholarship funds: Drexel University’s Hassan Ali Memorial Award, which supports architecture students from minority populations at Hutchison’s alma mater, and which is established in honor of Hutchison’s mentor Hassan Ali; and funding towards a Alumni Scholarship Fund for Photographer Mimi Mollica’s Sicily Photo Masterclass.

Honors and awards include the 2016 - 2017 Rome Prize in Architecture awarded by the American Academy in Rome, the 2019 Architectural League’s American Roundtable Initiative, the 2010 and 2021 Creative Artists Fellowship awarded by the Japan-US Friendship Commission & National Endowment for the Arts, and a 2009 Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of NY. The firm has been recognized on the longlist for the the 2020 Dezeen Awards as an Emerging Architecture Studio of the Year. Recent awarded residencies include a 2022 MacDowell residency, and a 2023-24 Loghaven residency.

Book Review by A Daily Dose of Architecture Books
Interview / Firm Profile by Archinect
Residential Design Award Winner in ARCHITECT MAGAZINE
A+Firm Award Finalist on Architizer
Featured Projects on ArchDaily (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
Featured Projects on Archello (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)
American Roundtable in Architect’s Newspaper
American Roundtable at Architectural League
Interview on Architecture Talk
Featured Book on Artbook
Featured Projects on Dezeen (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)
Featured Projects on Design Milk (1)(2)
Featured Project on Divisare
Interview in GRAY Magazine
Book Review by Hyperallergic
Featured Artist at International House of Japan
Featured Artist at Japan-US Friendship Commission
Exhibition Review by LOCAL.MX
Book Review by Metropolis Magazine
Interview by The North American Post
Featured Project on PRISM
Interview / Firm Profile in Residential Design Magazine