Reach (def - noun): a continuous stretch of land or water
Reach (def – verb): to arrive at a place; to achieve an action or agreement
*project completed while at Mithun; image by plomp.
Reach Studio is based in the small town of Winthrop, Washington, just east of the Cascade crest. Reach Studio has rural roots, global experience, and a passion for the unique challenge of each project.
Merging an environmental background with deep integrated design expertise, Reach Studio specializes in early-stage design and visualization for large, unique sites, complex multi-entity organizations, and high-performance buildings and landscapes.
Reach Studio’s work spans scales, from jurisdiction-wide climate resilience planning to individual environmental education center design. Facilitating inclusive processes and engaging communities through visualization and intentional conversation proves a common thread throughout our work.
Team:
Katie Stege Neal
Principal
AIA, AICP, LEED Green Associate
Growing up in Saratoga, Wyoming and Leadville, Colorado, Katie’s ties to the rural mountain west led to a penchant for small communities and big, wild spaces. As a middle schooler she recalls ski racing around the Rockies and, even back then, puzzling over the stark contrasts between the built and social environments of her mining hometown and the resort landscapes just beyond. An enthusiast of rigorous design, Katie holds a deep desire to bring the highest-quality creative work to any community, no matter the size or resources.
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Katie holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (valedictorian) from University of Colorado, a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture, and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment. Her dual architectural and environmental education included co-leading the Jim Vlock Building Project, working with the Seto Lab on global urban change data published by the World Resources Institute, consulting with the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative in Quito through the Global Network for Advanced Management, receiving a Berkeley Conservation Fellowship, and holding multiple teaching fellowships.
Before forming Reach Studio, Katie was an Associate Principal at Mithun, where she led teams that co-created visions for sustainable development for non-profits like YMCA of Greater Seattle, governmental clients like the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and housing authority clients like Denver Housing Authority. She co-led Mithun’s R+D initiatives, and drove digital design integration on projects that ranged from K-12 schools through regional-scale climate adaptation, centering on conceptual and schematic design at the district, neighborhood and building scale.
Katie is a licensed architect (AIA), certified planner (AICP), and LEED Green Associate. Beyond work, you can find her volunteer ski coaching, baking wedding cakes, and frolicking on trails.
Collaborators
Reach Studio teams with a variety of collaborating consultants and firms to provide services tuned to each project and place.
