Matthew Coates

{{Short description|American architect}} {{Infobox person | name = Matthew Coates | image = | caption = | birth_name = Matthew G. Coates | birth_date = | birth_place = Northern Michigan, United States | occupation = Architect | alma_mater = University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | known_for = Sustainable architecture | title = Founder and Principal | organization = Coates Design Architects + Interiors | website = https://www.coatesdesign.com }}

'''Matthew G. Coates''' is an American architect based on Bainbridge Island, Washington. He is the founder and principal of Coates Design Architects + Interiors, an architecture and interiors firm known for its emphasis on sustainable and regionally responsive design in the Pacific Northwest.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Architect Matthew Coates on AI, Smartest Decision of All Time, and His Idol |website=Gray Magazine |url=https://www.graymag.com/post/architect-matthew-coates-on-ai-smartest-decision-of-all-time-and-his-idol}}</ref><ref name=AIA>{{cite web |title=Matthew Coates AIA |website=AIA Seattle |url=https://aiaseattle.org/about/i-am-aia/matthew-coates-aia/}}</ref> Coates first gained national attention in 2005 after co-leading the winning team in the Cradle to Cradle Home Design Competition, an international sustainable housing contest organized by ''Metropolis'' magazine and McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry.<ref name="bainbridge leed">{{cite news |title=Local architecture firm earns LEED Platinum certification |website=Bainbridge Island Review |url=https://www.bainbridgereview.com/business/local-architecture-firm-earns-leed-platinum-certification/}}</ref><ref name="grist green">{{cite web |title=A Truly Green House |website=Grist |url=https://grist.org/article/a-truly-green-house/}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==

Coates was born and raised in northern Michigan, an environment he described as “ecologically pristine,” which influenced his early commitment to environmental stewardship.<ref name=WAA>{{cite web |title=Ones to Watch: Architect Matthew Coates |website=Western Art & Architecture |url=https://westernartandarchitecture.com/articles/ones-to-watch-matthew-coates}}</ref> As a teenager he pursued his interest in architecture; by age 14 he was running blueprints at a local firm, an experience that cemented his passion for sustainable design.<ref name=WAA/> Coates earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,<ref name="bainbridge leed" /> focusing his studies on energy-efficient building systems and green design principles. He moved to Bainbridge Island in the late 1990s after graduate school to begin his professional career.<ref name="bainbridge leed" />

== Career ==

In 2005, Coates founded Coates Design, Inc. (doing business as Coates Design Architects + Interiors) on Bainbridge Island.<ref name="auto"/> The multidisciplinary studio undertakes residential, commercial, and civic projects, with sustainable building practices integrated into all of its work.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Press Archive |website=Coates Design Architects |url=https://coatesdesign.com/press/}}</ref>

Over the years, projects by Coates and his firm have been featured in numerous architecture and design publications. ''Western Art & Architecture'' profiled him in 2013 as a “One to Watch,” highlighting the firm's philosophy of “Responsible Architecture” and its aim to create buildings with positive environmental impact.<ref name=WAA/> In 2023, ''Gray'' magazine noted that Coates’ portfolio “includes residential and commercial projects, and sustainable design and building practices are baked into everything they do”.<ref name="auto"/>

His work has also been showcased on platforms such as ArchDaily,<ref name="AD island">{{cite web |title=Island Retreat / Coates Design |website=ArchDaily |url=https://www.archdaily.com/964642/island-retreat-coates-design-architecture-plus-interiors-seattle-architects}}</ref> Amazing Architecture,<ref name="amazing escape">{{cite web |title=Escalante Escape in Utah by Coates Design |website=Amazing Architecture |url=https://amazingarchitecture.com/houses/escalante-escape-in-utah-united-states-by-coates-design}}</ref> and Contemporist,<ref name="contemporist island">{{cite web |title=The Island Retreat by Coates Design |website=Contemporist |url=https://www.contemporist.com/island-retreat-by-coates-design/}}</ref> as well as in outlets like ''American Luxury'' and ''The New York Times''.

One of Coates’ most prominent projects is the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA), for which he served as lead architect. The 20,000-square-foot art museum opened in 2013 and was designed with extensive sustainable features, including abundant natural daylighting, automated exterior louver screens to control solar gain, and insulation made from recycled materials.<ref>{{cite web |title=Secret Art on an Island |website=The Stranger |url=https://www.thestranger.com/visual-art/2014/08/13/20336059/secret-art-on-an-island}}</ref> The building achieved LEED Gold certification in 2016, reportedly becoming the first newly constructed art museum in Washington state to attain that status.<ref name="AP LEED">{{cite web |title=Art museum achieves LEED Gold rating |website=APsystems USA |url=https://usa.apsystems.com/apsystems-micros-and-expanded-array-boost-art-museum-to-leed-gold-rating/}}</ref>

Coates has also designed other public and commercial buildings in the region, such as the Island Gateway development (which includes the Kids Discovery Museum) and the planned Gateway Center in Grays Harbor.<ref name="bainbridge leed" /> In addition, his firm has worked on a range of custom homes and community projects, reflecting Coates’ interest in housing affordability and reuse of materials (exemplified by the “reHOME” tiny houses initiative using 100% recycled materials).<ref name="auto1"/>

== Architectural approach ==

Sustainability is a central theme in Coates’ work. He strives to incorporate green technologies and energy-efficient systems in ways that are not visually intrusive – for example, integrating solar panels, rainwater cisterns, and geothermal heating seamlessly into a building's design.<ref name=WAA/>

Coates has remarked that there is “no reason that a sustainable or eco-friendly design should cost significantly more than a conventional building,” pointing out that efficient building strategies ultimately benefit both the occupants and the environment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Going Greener: Meet community architect Matthew Coates |website=BARN |url=https://bainbridgebarn.org/podcast/going-greener-meet-community-architect-matthew-coates-who-025/}}</ref>

His projects are highly site-responsive, often oriented to maximize natural light and views, and tailored to the client's lifestyle while minimizing ecological impact.<ref name=ArchMag>{{cite web |title=Designing for Wellness: The Rise of Spaces That Nurture |website=Architect Magazine |url=https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/designing-for-wellness-the-rise-of-spaces-that-nurture_o}}</ref><ref name="amazing escape" />

== Selected works ==

* Cradle to Cradle Home – Sustainable house prototype that won the Grand Prize in ''Metropolis'' Magazine's Cradle to Cradle Home Competition (2005).<ref name="bainbridge leed" /><ref name="grist green"/> * Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) – 20,000 sq. ft. public art museum completed 2013; achieved LEED Gold certification.<ref name="AP LEED"/><ref name=AIA/> * Island Retreat – Modern residential retreat completed in 2015.<ref name="contemporist island"/><ref name="AD island" /> * Escalante Escape – Remote vacation home in Escalante, Utah, completed in 2021.<ref name="amazing escape" /> * Olympia Prairie Home – Contemporary rural residence in Washington.<ref>{{cite web |title=Olympia Prairie Home in Washington |website=Coates Design Architects |url=https://coatesdesign.com/press/olympia-prairie-home-in-washington-by-coates-design-architecture-interiors-seattle-architects/}}</ref> * Hansen Road House – Custom Bainbridge Island home featured in ''Architect Magazine'' (2025).<ref name=ArchMag/>

== Awards and recognition ==

* Grand Prize – Cradle to Cradle Home Design Competition (2005)<ref name="bainbridge leed" /><ref name="grist green"/> * LEED Gold Certification – Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (2016)<ref name="AP LEED"/>

Coates is a licensed architect (AIA, NCARB) and a LEED Accredited Professional. In 2010, his firm's Ellis Residence on Bainbridge Island was the first home outside Seattle to receive LEED Platinum certification.<ref name="bainbridge leed" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coates, Mattthew}} Category:21st-century American architects Category:Architects from Washington (state) Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)