Winner of the 2004 AIA Firm of the Year Award, Lake/Flato has been designing practical buildings since 1984. These are buildings whose ingenuity and craftsmanship merge tradition with new technologies. Their work seeks a modern vernacular yet builds upon the traditions of regional architecture by adapting local materials and craft to build well-sited structures that recognize the need for comfort and a strong connection to nature.

As William Turnbull wrote in his foreword for Lake/FlatoÆs 1996 monograph, "nothing sensual or exotic, no visual fireworks of fashion, just architecture that intrigues the mind, delights the soul, and refreshes the eye with its elegant detail and simplicity".