+ contact
424-248-3717
info@noreliusstudio.com
+ California
2807 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
+ maine
Post Office Box 18
Brooksville, ME 04617
We’re an architectural practice, focused on custom residential work, with studios in Los Angeles and Maine. First and foremost, we’re collaborators. We seek out partnerships with engaged clients and excellent builders who have high expectations for the design process, environmental sustainability and technical excellence of their projects. Our work is conceptually driven, stylistically diverse, and site specific. Most importantly, it reflects our clients as much as it reflects us.
Gathered around a big table at a studio retreat a few years ago, we realized that it was clear to everyone in our firm that we wanted to be at the forefront of sustainability, and we have embraced that commitment in all of our work since. Our goal is to embed Architecture 2030 principles (www.architecture2030.org) into our work to the greatest degree possible. It means designing houses with ambitiously low carbon footprints exceeding code requirements; specifying materials that are preferably local and environmentally responsible as possible; being supportive of the construction communities in which we build, always without compromising the rigorous design principles that are at our foundation. Clients who seek us out appreciate our big firm expertise wrapped in the bespoke and personal character of a small firm.
+ Bruce Norelius
Licensed in California + Maine
Bruce has practiced architecture for over thirty years, with an enduring focus on houses and the significant role they play in our lives. Integral to his work is a meticulous design process with clients who seek a personal, meaningful collaboration. In the beginning, a series of conversations, exploring a simple but profound question: What do you want this house to express about you, your values, your hopes?
At the aesthetic foundation of his work is a belief that architecture is a language that expresses meaning, and a search for an appropriate language for each project remains the compelling exploration driving the studio. Integrated into this process is a thorough study of site and context. Sustainable and technical performance success is achieved by assembling a collage of expertise tailored for each project.
His undergraduate and graduate degrees are in architecture, from Washington University in Saint Louis and the University of Pennsylvania.
Inspiring him right now: Adolf Loos, the Dolomites, the search for the perfect Bolognese sauce.
Registered Architect, NCARB, AIA
Michael Sekera
Michael joined in 2017 with the mindset that a design studio should be ever-evolving while responding to various contextual elements including landscape, cultural heritage, climate and the relationship between people within the spaces they create. It is a place where ideas form, are worked and reworked, and then realized through collaboration(s). His passion lies within the exploration of various materials and mediums for representing an idea. He studied architecture and painting at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. He believes that residential architecture should not only convey a story about the dwellers living within, but also create the backdrop for these shared moments and experiences throughout life.
Originally from Maine, he enjoys finding the harmonious balance between the built and the natural environment. Architecture is best understood though intimate experiences; drawings, photography, and written work can only convey so much. Obscure likings include lobstering, undefined colors, and getting lost in the woods…especially in the fall.
Todd Boyd
Todd joined the studio in the spring of 2018. He began his career in Atlanta, where he earned a Master of Architecture degree from Georgia Tech, before moving to Boston. There, he worked many years on projects of varying scale and type, developing a deep interest in building science and sustainable design practices in the process. As a result, he studied to become a LEED accredited professional shortly after obtaining his architect license.
Relocating for a time to Maine in 2011, he was able to pursue this interest further while working with a highly innovative architecture studio specializing in passive house design principles. Collaborating now on projects on both coasts, he greatly enjoys the challenge of melding that technical knowledge with the sensitive and exacting design goals that guide every Norelius Studio project.
Registered Architect, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Neo Garibay
Passionate about residential design, Neo takes pride in weaving together all of the elements that create a personalized feeling of home. Neo came to the studio with years of experience designing and building homes across Southern California and Los Angeles. He has worked in real estate development, architecture, and interior design as well as with luxury residential builders.
A few years ago, Neo bought his first home and enjoys remodeling it with his husband of 12+ years. At home, Neo curiously experiments with architecture, interior design, and décor. He loves creating moments of intrigue that capture the imagination and evoke feeling.
Neo holds a Bachelor of Architecture and is studying for his architectural licensing exams.
Associate AIA
Krystyan Keck
Krystyan joined the studio in late 2022. She attended Tulane University as an undergraduate and went on to Princeton for her Master’s degree after working in New York City for a couple of years. Following Princeton, she gained broad experience working in large, international offices including OMA in Rotterdam and The Jerde Partnership in Los Angeles. Soon after becoming licensed in California, she shifted to a residential focus while working at a small practice in Santa Monica Canyon. While there, she was able to work on house projects of many types – from historic to new construction to small remodels – and this cemented a love for house projects of all sorts , with the quirks, constraints, and possibilities inherent in each unique project. In 2010, she and her husband were able to complete an addition to their house in Venice, CA, that placed a polycarbonate box on top of a small Venice cottage. They have since moved to a new house but would love the opportunity to be their own clients again someday.
Krystyan is currently obsessed with Wordle, Maui, cookbooks, and reading about how to survive teenagers living in the house.
Registered Architect, LEED AP