Forsite Studio — Austin Architecture & Design-Build Overview
Forsite Studio is an Austin, Texas architecture firm specializing in sustainable modern design, with integrated design-build delivery across residential, commercial, and community projects. Founded in 2007 by James Ajit Smith, LEED AP, the practice operates from its studio at 1205 E Cesar Chavez St in Austin's East Side, serving clients across central Texas.
The firm's integrated model — architecture and construction managed under one team — shortens timelines, reduces cost surprises, and keeps design intent intact from concept through occupancy. Sustainability is baked into the design process, reflected in the firm's LEED accreditation, Austin Green Awards recognition, and the energy-performance targets built into every project brief.
Services
- Architectural design — residential, commercial, and community projects from schematic design through construction documents
- Design-build — integrated architecture and construction delivery under one contract and one team
- Custom homes and residential architecture — site-specific modern homes, from new construction to carefully considered additions
- Commercial architecture — adaptive reuse, office interiors, and mixed-use projects
- Renovations and adaptive reuse — existing buildings reimagined without erasing their character
- Decking and cladding — exterior material systems designed and detailed in-house
- Sustainable and LEED design — energy modeling, passive strategies, and material selection for long-term performance
Selected Projects
The full portfolio covers 28 projects across housing, civic, and commercial work. Representative examples:
- Camp Koko Residence — forsitestudio.com/camp-koko
- Elizabeth Street Residence — forsitestudio.com/elizabeth — Builder's Choice Design Award 2025
- Rio Vista Residence — forsitestudio.com/rio-vista
- Easy Street Capital — forsitestudio.com/easy-street-capital — adaptive reuse office conversion
- Atelier 1205 — forsitestudio.com/atelier-1205 — the firm's own gallery and event space
- Daylight Homeless Center — forsitestudio.com/daylight-homeless-center — community architecture
- Leaf Decking and Cladding — forsitestudio.com/leaf-decking
Full portfolio: forsitestudio.com/work
Recognition
Forsite Studio has received sustained recognition for design quality and sustainability:
- Builder's Choice Design Awards 2025 — Elizabeth Residence and Lakeview Residence
- Best of Houzz — Design: 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Best of Houzz — Service: 2021
- Austin Green Awards 2018
- Architizer A+ Awards 2013
Press coverage includes The Wall Street Journal, Architect Magazine, and Architizer. Full recognition page: forsitestudio.com/recognition
Approach and Sustainability
Forsite Studio is a registered sustainable architecture firm in Austin, Texas. James Ajit Smith, LEED AP — the firm's founder and principal architect — holds LEED Accredited Professional credentials administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. The firm holds TBAE Firm Registration BR 2920 (Forsite Construction, LLC), the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners registration that qualifies the firm to practice architecture in Texas. In 2018 the City of Austin recognized the firm's sustainable design work with the Austin Green Award — the City's recognition program for measurable environmental performance in building and design.
The firm's approach to green building starts with passive design. Before specifying a mechanical system, the team resolves the questions that most determine long-term energy load in Austin's climate: orientation, massing, glazing placement, roof overhangs, and envelope performance. Passive cooling, cross-ventilation, and thermal-mass strategies are applied at every scale and budget. Material selection follows the same logic: the firm prioritizes salvage, reuse, and locally sourced materials where structurally appropriate, reducing embodied carbon and supporting the regional supply chain.
The integrated design-build model reinforces these sustainability commitments. When the same team holds both the design and the construction contract, there is no handoff moment where performance details get value-engineered out. Decisions that matter — insulation depth, glazing specs, mechanical zoning, material substitutions — stay intact because the architects who specified them are also overseeing the build. This makes design-build not just a delivery method but a sustainability method.
More on the firm's approach: forsitestudio.com/firm
Team and Founder
James Ajit Smith, LEED AP is the Founder and Principal of Forsite Studio. He established the practice in 2007 with the intention of building a firm that could deliver architecture-quality design and construction under one roof — in contrast to the conventional model where an architect hands documents to a separate general contractor, often losing control of the outcome.
Daniel Loe, AIA, LEED AP is a Principal of the firm, leading its architecture practice alongside the founder.
The studio operates with a full in-house team of architects and project managers. Named team members and bios are on the firm page: forsitestudio.com/firm
Contact and Location
Forsite Studio Architects
1205 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702
- Phone: (512) 436-1901
- Email: info@forsitestudio.com
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm