Designing Anywhere: How RAD LAB Delivers World-Class Architecture Across the Country

At RAD LAB, we’ve proven that great design knows no boundaries. Whether we’re crafting a tropical retreat in the Virgin Islands, a hospitality destination in Texas, a modular restaurant in Hawaii, or a large-scale activation in California, we have the tools, expertise, and strategies to bring visionary architecture to life—no matter the location.

By leveraging video conferencing, strategic site visits, modular construction, and strict quality control procedures, we ensure that every project is delivered with precision, efficiency, and creativity. Here’s how we do it.

Principal Architect Philip Auchettl and Chief Creative Officer Jason Grauten always on call.

1. Video Conferencing: Seamless Collaboration, Anytime, Anywhere

Gone are the days when long-distance projects meant logistical headaches. Thanks to real-time video collaboration, screen sharing, and digital design tools, we work closely with clients no matter where they are.

✅ Instant Feedback & Iteration – Clients can review designs, walk through 3D models, and provide input from anywhere in the world.
✅ Faster Decision-Making – Quick virtual check-ins eliminate delays and streamline approvals.
✅ Less Travel, More Efficiency – Video meetings save time and resources while keeping communication fluid and personal.

Wherever you are, we bring the design process to you.

Detail discussion with the Contractors. Lights, cantilevers, sofas.

2. Strategic Site Visits: Precision When It Matters Most

While much of the design process happens remotely, there’s no substitute for experiencing a site firsthand. That’s why we schedule key milestone visits to ensure every project stays on track and aligns with its environment.

📍Initial Site Analysis – Understanding terrain, climate, and views before the first sketch.
📍Structural & Construction Milestones – Ensuring materials, foundation, and framing meet design intent.
📍Final Walkthroughs & Adjustments – Checking details, finishes, and quality before completion.

For projects like Saltwater Farms in Friday Harbor, we camped on-site to study light, wind flow, and topography firsthand, ensuring the cabins felt completely integrated with the land. In the Virgin Islands, we observed storm patterns to inform material choices. These insights are invaluable—allowing us to design spaces that enhance their surroundings rather than disrupt them.

3. Modular Construction: Faster, Smarter, More Sustainable

Modular design is redefining architecture, offering speed, efficiency, and sustainability—without sacrificing quality. For projects across the U.S., RAD LAB integrates modular solutions to streamline construction and ensure exceptional results.

🏗 Built Off-Site in Controlled Environments – This reduces weather-related delays and enhances precision.
🚛 Shipped & Assembled Anywhere – Components arrive ready for quick on-site installation.
🌱 More Sustainable & Cost-Effective – Less material waste, reduced carbon footprint, and optimized building efficiency.

Projects like Hotel Herringbone in Waco, TX, and Taco Bell in Michigan leverage modular elements to create functional, high-design spaces with faster build times and lower environmental impact.

Site visits and Quality Control checks at Crate Modular.

4. Quality Control: Every Detail, Perfected

Distance doesn’t mean compromise. Our rigorous quality control process ensures that every design is built exactly as envisioned, no matter where it’s located.

✅ Digital Prototyping & VR Walkthroughs – Clients can “walk through” their project before construction even begins.
✅ On-Site Inspections & Reports – Milestone checks ensure contractors meet RAD LAB’s high standards.
✅ Material & Finish Selection Control – We source, test, and approve every detail to maintain consistency and excellence.

For our Virgin Islands retreat, this meant selecting storm-resistant materials that aligned with our design aesthetic while meeting the region’s environmental demands. In Texas, it meant ensuring modular units were built to withstand transport and installation without compromising on detail.

Why It Matters for You

Darren Bradley, photographing award winning Architecture by RAD LAB.

📍 No matter where your project is, we can design it. With video collaboration, targeted site visits, modular construction, and strict quality control, RAD LAB ensures your project is executed to perfection—whether it’s an urban activation, a remote retreat, or a large-scale development.

Let’s Build Something Extraordinary—Anywhere

Looking for a design team that can execute your vision no matter the location? Let’s talk.

📩 Contact RAD LAB to start your project today.

What Does an Architect Do? Turning Your Vision Into Reality

From an Empty Lot to San Diego’s Favorite Gathering Place: Quartyard’s Story

Quartyard wasn’t just another project for us—it was our thesis, our experiment, and ultimately, our proof that great design can shape communities. What started as an idea among a group of architecture students turned into a full-scale urban activation, transforming a vacant lot in San Diego’s East Village into a thriving cultural hub. Designed, built, and still operated by RAD LAB, Quartyard is more than an architectural project—it’s a living example of what thoughtful design can achieve.

Before we stepped in, this site was just an underutilized patch of city land. We saw an opportunity to do something different: to create a space where people could gather, connect, and experience the city in a new way. Through the use of modular shipping containers, we built a beer garden, coffee shop, dog park, event venue, and community space that has now become a staple of San Diego’s urban fabric.

And that’s exactly what an architect does—we don’t just design buildings; we create solutions that bring ideas to life.

The Architect’s Role: More Than Just Plans

At RAD LAB, we take every project through a process designed to ensure the best possible outcome:

✅ We Listen & Define Goals – Every project starts with an idea. Whether you have a fully formed concept or just a dream, we refine it into a clear, actionable vision.
✅ We Design with Purpose – Our approach blends creativity with functionality, ensuring every space serves its intended purpose beautifully.
✅ We Handle the Complexities – Zoning, permits, approvals—we navigate the bureaucracy so you can focus on the big picture.
✅ We Execute & Build – We ensure every detail, from materials to finishes, aligns with the original design intent.

Quartyard wasn’t a conventional project, and that’s why it works. It was about rethinking how cities use space and proving that temporary architecture can have a lasting impact.

Your Vision, Our Expertise

The best spaces are those that serve a purpose beyond aesthetics—they enhance daily life, create experiences, and add value to their surroundings. Whether it’s a home, a commercial project, or a community-driven space, architecture shapes how we live and interact with the world.

At RAD LAB, we don’t just design buildings—we design experiences. Our team is passionate about creating spaces that matter, and we’re ready to collaborate with you on your next project.

Start Your Project Today

Have an idea that needs to be brought to life? Let’s make it happen. Whether you're envisioning a cutting-edge commercial space, a sustainable modular design, or a unique urban activation, RAD LAB is the partner that can turn your vision into reality.

📩 Contact Us Today to start the conversation.

The Power of Space: How Thoughtful Design Impacts Your Daily Life

At RAD LAB, we believe that architecture is more than just buildings—it’s about shaping experiences, enhancing daily life, and connecting people to their surroundings in a meaningful way. Nowhere was this belief more evident than in our design of a breathtaking private home in the Virgin Islands, perched on the side of a lush hill overlooking Little Megan’s Bay, a secluded slice of paradise.

Designing for the Environment, Elevating the Experience

When our clients first approached us, they had a vision—a home that felt seamlessly integrated with the natural beauty of the island, one that would enhance their experience of the land rather than impose upon it. Their property was stunning but challenging: a steep hillside location with rugged terrain, strong ocean winds, and a need for resilience against tropical storms. Instead of seeing these as obstacles, we saw an opportunity to design a home that was not only beautiful but also deeply functional and responsive to its environment.

We approached the design with three core principles in mind:
✅ Maximizing the Views – Every living space was designed to embrace the ocean, with expansive glass walls, open-air patios, and uninterrupted sightlines to Little Megan’s Bay below.
✅ Blending with the Landscape – The home’s structure followed the natural contours of the hillside, utilizing local stone and sustainable materials to harmonize with its surroundings.
✅ Harnessing Natural Elements – Passive cooling techniques, cross-ventilation, and strategic shading reduced the home’s reliance on energy, while solar panels and rainwater collection made it nearly self-sufficient.

How Thoughtful Design Changed Daily Life

One of the most rewarding moments of this project was seeing how the home transformed our client’s daily routine. Mornings began with sunlight filtering through floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor living. Afternoons were spent lounging on the cantilevered terrace, designed to make you feel like you were floating over the Caribbean Sea. Evenings were quiet, serene, and uninterrupted, with only the sound of the waves crashing on the beach below.

The thoughtful design of this home changed everything for them—it encouraged slow, intentional living, an appreciation of nature, and a deep sense of peace. They told us that the home became more than a place to live; it became a place to reconnect—with the land, with each other, and with themselves.

That is the power of space.

View from the water by RAD LAB.

Designing with Impact: Why It Matters for Every Project

Whether you’re building a private retreat, a commercial space, or a community hub, the principles remain the same: thoughtful design creates a better experience. Every decision—from how light enters a space to how air flows—has the potential to shape mood, energy, and connection. At RAD LAB, we focus on these details to create environments that aren’t just visually striking, but deeply intentional and impactful.

Where you live, work, and gather should inspire you. Our projects, from Quartyard in San Diego to a mountainside resort in Colorado, prove that architecture has the power to elevate everyday life.

Let’s Build Something Extraordinary

If you’re dreaming of a space that connects you to nature, enhances your lifestyle, and reflects your vision, let’s make it happen. Whether it’s a hillside retreat, a beachfront getaway, or an urban activation, RAD LAB brings creativity, expertise, and deep respect for the environment to every project.

📩 Contact Us today and let’s design a space that transforms the way you live.

HOUSE OF AIR

RAD LAB recently completed a tenant improvement design for House of Air Adrenaline park in Carlsbad California. The 30,000 sq.ft. warehouse has been converted into an Adrenline Park hosting serveral training and recreational activities. 

The "Drop Zone" design consist of two 20' shipping containers and roof deck. 

Good day for the RAD LAB team. 

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Recently RAD LAB has completed several new placemaking container throughout California. 

Uptown Biergarten - Monterey California

This small vacant lot located in the middle of an attractive shopping center has been forgotten for years, collecting blight and transits to camp out. RAD Lab designs were commissioned to activate the lot with the concept of a small urban park tasting room occupied by Berkeley based Field Works Brewery. 

With the purchase of three used 20' shipping containers, we managed to design and retrofit each container into a different use; One bar/serving space, one cold box (keg room), and one M/F restroom, leaving 80% of the lot left for open-air seating and socializing. 

Fieldworks Brewery - San Mateo California 

ABP Capital - Container Office - Encinitas California 

The client's need for growth was the driving component for the Office Pod container project. This project was designed with the use of one 40 foot recycled shipping container, repurposed into a small office within an existing office courtyard. The 40 foot container was divided into two (160 sq.ft.) private office spaces, each with private entry / exit doors. We incorporated a green roof into the design to mitigate interior heat gain as well as provide a natural landscape aesthetic that adapts to the surrounding courtyard context. Exterior windows differed on each end of the container, creating a unique experience for the two private offices on the interior. 

Another example of smart growth within a company, giving the client an inexpensive tool to expand in phases. 

House of Air - Carlsbad California

House of Air is an indoor Adrenaline Park. RAD LAB was commissioned to design the 30,000 square foot tenant improvement for the Carlsbad location. The two 20' stacked container design will serve as a drop zone for customers to free fall about 25' into an air bag. 

Meshuggah Shack - Coffee Container - San Diego California 

Great place for a morning coffee

Quartyard - Container Bar - San Diego California 

Ready for a beer. 

FRIDAY HARBOR BED AND BREAKFAST

Recently, RAD Lab has been designing an eco bed and breakfast up north in the San Juan Islands, Washington State. Just two hours north of Seattle, this 160-acre plot of rural land privately owned will soon inhabit a modern barn style architecture with five detached modern glamping cabins capturing remote forestry and ocean views. 

We spent a couple days camping on the land, analyzing optimal views, sun orientation, and best placement of the main house and detached guest cabins. 

Concentrating on sustainable architecture, we will be reusing 90% of all trees cleared for the exterior building envelope and decking, bringing nature back into the architecture. Below are a couple renderings of the intail design. 

Main House  

Guest Cabins

Stay tuned for more updates. Construction will begin soon!