THOMAS BITNAR, FAIA, CKA, LEED AP BD+C received his Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. He was awarded a B.A. and an M.S. in Architecture from CVUT, Czech Technical University School of Architecture and Town Planning, and an M.S. in Architecture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

THOMAS BITNAR has had forty-six years of extensive experience in architecture and urban design, has been an architecture educator for twenty-eight years and is a thirty-year member of the American Institute of Architects. His background encompasses a broad range of projects in Europe and the United States. In 1990, he opened his practice, Bitnar Architects, with projects in Prague, New York, and, since 1997, the Pacific Northwest. Prior to that, Thomas Bitnar worked as a designer, job captain, and project manager for such prestigious American architecture firms as Hellmuth, Obata, Kassabaum, Perkins & Will, Spector Group. Before moving to New York, he worked with offices in Munich, Germany and Prague, Czech Republic.

THOMAS BITNAR'S work in his thirty-year private practice illustrates his typological versatility, his focus on sustainability and his ability to elevate the standards of architectural design through a blend of architecture traditions and a distinctly modernist approach. From the main office in Bozeman, Montana, recent projects include the Sidewinders American Grill, the Palisade Building at Ferguson Farm, Talbach House residential condominium complex, and the Excel Physical Therapy commercial office building. Current projects range from an addition to an historic residence in Bozeman and a residence in Big Sky to the seven-acre Parkland development and urban planning for the 31-acre Lot 5 development.

BITNAR Bitnar has won awards and recognition for both contemporary designs and preservation, including the AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award for The Palisade Building at Ferguson Farm, the AIA Pacific Region Citation Award and AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award for the Avis Car Rental facility, the AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award for the M&I Residence, and the AIA Continental Europe Chapter Award for Villa Montana. The Avis building was also featured in the New York Times Style Magazine. In addition, the Bridger Apartments complex and the Spinelli residence were each awarded a Community Beautification Award, and two historic residences in Bozeman received the Award for Excellence in Residential Renovation from the Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

THOMAS BITNAR has been actively teaching and lecturing in the United States and Europe since 1991. Most recently, as Adjunct Associate Professor of North Carolina State University, he taught a Sustainable Design Studio at the NCSU Prague Institute, and has been a Visiting Professor at VUT Brno and at the Technical University of Liberec/TUL, and was Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture at Montana State University School of Arts and Architecture in Bozeman. In 2011, he became Docent (equivalent of Associate Professor in the U.S.) of the Technical University of Brno, Czech Republic. He was jury chairman for the Grand Prix of Czech Architecture in 2011 and was keynote speaker at the “High-Rise Buildings of Europe” conference in Prague, September 2012 and October 2019.

THOMAS BITNAR is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He is past president and board member of the American Institute of Architects Continental Europe chapter. He is a member of the Czech Chamber of Architects/CKA, a member of NCARB, and a registered architect in Montana and New York. He is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, and is certified LEED AP BD+C.