Architecture is experience.

About

Devan Castellano's introduction to experiential design came early in a career designing retail spaces for Crate & Barrel — work built entirely around how a shopper moves through, notices, and responds to a space. That observation turned into a genuine research question while teaching sustainability at Harrington College of Design, and eventually into doctoral studies in Environment and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison: how does the built environment actually shape the people inside it? That question has shaped every project since — first in practice, then in the classroom.

In practice, that question has shaped more than two decades of built work across a wide range of typologies — office spaces and lobbies, learning environments, yoga and fitness studios, spas and IV bars, hospitality interiors, and single- and multi-family residences.

That same research lens carries directly into teaching and consulting. As a Sustainability and Biophilic Design Mentor at Harrington College of Design, Castellano guided designers toward buildings that work with — rather than against — human biology and behavior. As a LEED Accredited Professional, that expertise extends into sustainability consulting, translating certification requirements into design decisions that hold up under real, daily use. And as a Human-Centered Design instructor at New Trier High School, the same principles shape project-based classrooms, where students design for real stakeholders instead of hypothetical ones.

Different typologies, same conviction: architecture's job is to create a supportive environment through experiential design — one that measurably improves the life of the person standing inside it.