Muse Architects, established in 1983, is an office with extensive experience in residential, institutional, urban design and interior design projects, as well as expertise in sustainable design for all project types. As an office of fifteen people, and with established relationships with all related engineering consultants, Muse Architects provides full services for various scales of architectural commissions. The work of Muse Architects has received more than one hundred and sixty design awards, including those from the National, Washington, Maryland, Baltimore, Potomac Valley, and Northern Virginia Chapters of the AIA, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Masonry Institute. In 2007 Muse Architects received the Top Firm National Award from Residential Architect magazine “for an outstanding contribution to residential architectural practice.” In 2010 the firm was named by Residential Architect magazine as a Top 50 National Firm for “seamlessly extending the visual vocabulary of existing houses and neighborhoods to make statements of contemporary relevance.” The work of Muse Architects has also been reviewed in more than two hundred architectural books and periodicals, including Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, and The American Home, Design for Living.
Stephen Muse, FAIA, Senior Principal, received a Bachelor of Architecture with High Honors from the University of Maryland and a Master of Architecture from Cornell University, where he was a Graduate Fellow in Professor Colin Rowe’s urban design studio. In 1983, Stephen founded Muse Architects. He has also been a design faculty member of the Departments of Architecture at the University of Maryland, Cornell University and Harvard University, and has been the chairman of the Washington Chapter/AIA Board of Directors and the Washington Architectural Foundation Board of Directors. He is presently a member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, Georgetown Historic District Board, where he is serving his 4th three-year term. In 1996, in recognition of his "notable design contributions to the profession of architecture," Stephen was elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects. In 2005, he was selected as Alum of the Year by the University of Maryland, as a result of “his involvement in bridging education and the profession.” In 2008 Stephen was inducted into Builder magazine’s William S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence for his “invaluable contributions to residential design.”
William Kirwan, AIA, LEED® AP, Principal, received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from the University of Maryland. William joined Muse Architects upon graduation in 1987 and has served as Project Architect and Project Manager for many of the firm’s award winning residential and institutional commissions. Following 15 years of employment from Intern to Senior Associate, he was elevated to Principal of the firm in 2003. William has been an adjunct faculty member of the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation of the University of Maryland, and has been a member of the Washington Chapter/AIA Board of Directors as Director for Design Issues. In 2007, he became an accredited professional with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. In 2009, he was appointed to the Montgomery County, Maryland Historic Preservation Commission and currently serves as Chairman.