Bitnar Architects Thomas Bitnar

Thomas Bitnar 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 thirty-seven years of extensive experience in architecture and urban design, has been an architecture educator for nineteen years and is a twenty-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.

In his private practice over the last twenty years, Thomas Bitnar's work illustrates his typological versatility and his ability to elevate the standards of architectural design through a blend of architecture traditions and a distinctly modernist approach, never losing sight of the culture, history and geography of the area. From the main office in Bozeman, Montana, Bitnar is currently working on a fifty-acre urban plan for Spring Creek Development and continued expansion of the Village Downtown. He has just completed a design for a "green-eco house" spec residence at the Yellowstone Club and two finalist designs (one jointly with the office of Robert A. M. Stern) for the Federal Courthouse in Billings, Montana. Recent projects include a Medical Building, the WeeBee's Café, two luxury residences in Bozeman, and the $100 million Village Downtown development of townhouses and lofts. The Avis Car Rental facility in Bozeman won the 2007 AIA Montana Merit Award and the 2009 AIA Pacific Northwest Citation Award; the building was also featured in the New York Times. Thomas Bitnar has participated in thirty-five national and international competitions.

Thomas Bitnar has been actively teaching and lecturing in the United States and Europe since 1991. In 1995/6, he helped establish the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec/TUL. As a visiting professor, he taught at TUL and the Czech Technical University/CVUT in Prague. From the fall 2000 until the present, he has been an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture, teaching architecture design studios at Montana State University School of Arts and Architecture. Thomas has lectured widely in the United States and Europe on American and European architecture as well as his own work. During his twenty years as a member of the AIA, he has attended over thirty AIA and RIBA architecture conferences.

Thomas Bitnar is a member of NCARB, and is a registered architect in six states and the Czech Republic. He is a member of the AIA, the Royal Institute of British Architects/RIBA, the Czech Chamber of Architects/CKA and the U.S. Green Building Council. His work has won numerous awards and has been published in the United States and the Czech Republic. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the AIA Continental Europe Chapter as First Vice President and President-Elect for 2012.

Curriculum Vitae

Date Biographical Note
1948 Born in Liberec, Czechoslovakia
1967 – 1979 Prague, Czechoslovakia
1979 – 1980 Munich, Germany
1980 – 1995 New York, New York
1995 – Present Bozeman, Montana and Prague, Czech Republic

Education

Date Biographical Note
1967 – 1973 CVUT – Czech Technical University School of Architecture & Town Planning Master of Science Architecture & Urban Planning Prague, Czechoslovakia
1973 – 1976 AVU – Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture Prof. F. Cubr Master of Science Architecture Prague, Czechoslovakia
1987 Harvard University Graduate School of Design "Myths and Realities of the Recent Architectural Past" Summer Course
1993 - 1994 Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Master of Science Real Estate Development Experience

Experience

Date Biographical Note
1990 – Present Bitnar Architects Principal New York, Prague, Bozeman
1988 – 1990 David Elliot Leibowitz, P.C. Project Designer New York, New York
1988 John Saladino Design Services Interior Designer New York, New York
1985 – 1988 Spector Group Project Designer North Hills, New York
1984 – 1985 Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Project Designer New York, New York
1982 – 1984 Perkins & Will Project Designer New York, New York
1981 – 1982 Lawrence Marek Associates Project Designer New York, New York
1980 – 1981 Freidin, Kleiman Architects Project Designer New York, New York
1979 – 1980 Herbert Kochta Associates Project Designer Munich, Germany
1979 - 1980 Frank & Helen Sedlacek Architects Project Designer Munich, Germany
1978 – 1979 PPU/Prazsky Projektovy Ustav Architect, Atelier J. Lasovsky Prague, Czechoslovakia
1973 – 1975 PU VHMP/Atelier Gama Architect, Atelier K. Prager Prague, Czechoslovakia

Teaching Experience

Date Biographical Note
2010 Fall 3 ARC Studio Project – "Prosek" Sustainable Architecture & Urban Planning Visiting Professor North Carolina State University College of Design Prague Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
2010 Fall Architecture Studio – 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Years Studio with Prof. Ing. Arch. Ivan Ruller Projects – 3rd & 4th year "Firehouse", Senior Citizen Center 5th year Proctejov Town Hall 6th year Mendela Square Visiting Professor VUT Brno Faculty of Architecture Brno, Czech Republic
2010 Fall Architecture Studio – 4th and 5th Years Studio with Prof. Ing. Ak. Arch. Jiri Sochomel Project – Sustainable Skyscraper, New York City International Student Competition TUL Liberec Faculty of Architecture Liberec, Czech Republic
2009 Fall Arch 354 - Architecture Design III Project I – "Growing Place"; Project II – "Generating Exchange" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2008 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project – "Research Center, Exhibition and Demonstration Hall for Sustainable Housing in the Twenty-first Century" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2005 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project I – "Kiosk"; Project II – "Northwest School of the Performing Arts" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2004 Fall Arch 355 - Architecture Design III Project I – "Site, Housing and Design"; Project II – "Belltown Flexible Loft Housing"; Project III – "The Dwelling Unit" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2004 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project – "Leading Edge: Student Design Competition" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2003 Fall Arch 424-01- Seminar with Professor Ralph Johnson "Contemporary Architecture Theory" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
1979 - 1980 Frank & Helen Sedlacek Architects Project Designer Munich, Germany
2003 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project – "Performing Arts Center" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2002 Fall Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project I – "Portland Work/Live Row House" Project II – "Belltown Artist's Cooperative" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2002 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture IV Housing Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2001 Fall Arch 523 - Urban Planning Studio with Prof. Ralph Johnson "Issues in City Planning – Student Competition: Berlin" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2001 Spring Arch 356 - Architecture Design IV Project I – "The Alley House"; Project II – "Housing Downtown" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
2000 Fall Arch 355 - Architecture Design III "Light, Space, Structure and Skin/ Public Library for Seattle" Assistant Adjunct Professor of Architecture Montana State University School of Arts & Architecture Bozeman, Montana USA
1996 Spring Seminar, Architecture 4th Year: "Theory and Composition" Visiting Professor, With Professor Petr Urlich Faculty of Architecture, CVUT/Czech Technical University Prague, Czech Republic
1996 Spring Design Studio, Architecture 4th Year: "Concert Hall" Visiting Professor, With Professor Karel Hubacek Faculty of Architecture, TUL/Technical University of Liberec Liberec, Czech Republic
1995 Fall Design Studio, Architecture 4th Year: "Development of 42nd Street" Visiting Professor, With Professor Karel Hubacek Faculty of Architecture, TUL/Technical University of Liberec Liberec, Czech Republic
Date Design Review & Academic Juries
2008 Juror, AIA Nevada Design Awards AIA Las Vegas Offices
2008 Juror, 2008 HatchFest, “Integration of Art and Architecture” Competition, Bozeman, Montana
2005 Juror, International Architectural Design Ideas Competition The Center for Czech Architecture Competition Held in Conjunction with the 2005 AIA Committee on Design Conference: Prague in Transition (September 2005)
2000 - Present Juror, Academic Juries for Thesis and Design Studies Montana State University School of Architecture
2000 - Present Thesis Advisor, Masters Degree Candidates Montana State University School of Architecture

Lectures

Date Lectures
2010 "Thomas Bitnar Architect, 1973 – 2009 Projects US CZ" New York University Prague Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
2010 "Thomas Bitnar Architect – Sustainable Design – LEED" VUT/Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
2010 "Thomas Bitnar Architect – American Architecture Today" VUT/Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
2010 "Thomas Bitnar 100" 1973-2009 Projects TUL/Technical University of Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic
2010 "Eastern Europe Architecture Overview" Panel Discussion AIACE Conference, Istanbul, Turkey
2008 "City Center Las Vegas" City Development Conference CVUT/Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic
2008 "Evolving the Design Process" 2008 HatchFest Film Festival Panel Bozeman, Montana USA
2005 "European Modernism's Influence in America" Neutra, Schindler, Mies: Lecture – Villa Tugendhat Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana USA
2002 "Learning from Berlin" Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana USA
2001 "Personal Responsibility in Architecture" Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana USA
1996 "Times Square and the Development of 42nd Street" AVU/Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, Czech Republic
1996 "Times Square and the Development of 42nd Street" TUB/Technical University of Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
1996 "The Development of the American House" Historical Styles and New Urbanism CVUT/Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic
1995 "The Housing Problem in the United States" International Conference on Housing, Otrokovice, Czech Republic
1995 "Prague Architecture in Post-Revolution Change" Columbia University International House, New York, New York USA
1994 "Prague Architecture Today" New York University, New York, New York USA
1992 "Thomas Bitnar: Work – USA, Germany, Czechoslovakia" AVU/Academy of Fine Arts, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
1992 "Thomas Bitnar: Work – USA, Germany, Czechoslovakia" TUS/Technical University of Slovakia, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
1992 "Work and Comparative Analysis: Prague, Berlin, New York" A Personal Reflection on Architecture and International Practice TUB/Technical University of Brno, Brno, Czechoslovakia
1992 "Work and Comparative Analysis: Prague, Berlin, New York" A Personal Reflection on Architecture and International Practice AVU/Academy of Fine Arts, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
1992 "Work and Comparative Analysis: Prague, Berlin, New York" A Personal Reflection on Architecture and International Practice CVUT/Czech Technical University, Prague, Czechoslovakia
1991 "Work and Comparative Analysis: Prague, Berlin, New York" A Personal Reflection on Architecture and International Practice University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee USA

Exhibits

Date Exhibit
2010 "Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C. Competition" Exhibit, Architecture Hall, Old Town Hall Prague, Czech Republic
2007 “Professor Frantisek Cubr and His Students” Narodni Galerie/National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic
2007 “Czech Architects Abroad" Jaroslav Fragner Gallery Prague, Czech Republic
2005 “Tugendhat Villa and the Legacy of Mies van der Rohe” Montana State University School of Architecture, Cheever Hall Bozeman, Montana Curator
2005 “Wenceslas Square” Competition Exhibition Prague, Czech Republic
2000 “New Opera House” Competition Exhibition Oslo, Norway
1996 "Four Seasons" Competition Exhibition Prague, Czech Republic
1992 “Capital Berlin - Parliament District at Spreebogen: International Competition for Urban Design Ideas” Competition Exhibition Breite Strasse 1, Berlin, Germany

Awards

Date Award
2009 AIA Pacific Northwest Region Citation Award Avis Rent-a-Car Facility Bozeman, Montana
2007 AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award Avis Rent-a-Car Facility Bozeman, Montana
2007 AIA Montana Chapter Merit Award Delaney Residence/M&I House Bozeman, Montana
2005 Bozeman Community Beautification Award Bridger Apartments Bozeman, Montana
2004 Award for Excellence in Residential Renovation Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board Martin House Bozeman, Montana
1999 Award for Excellence in Residential Restoration Bozeman Historic Preservation Advisory Board Villa Montana Bozeman, Montana
1996 Four Seasons Hotel Competition Honorable Mention Prague, Czech Republic
1990 Society of American Registered Architects Award for Excellence Key Bank Office Building Islandia, New York Spector Group, Inc.
1988 AIA Long Island Chapter Silver Award Country Glen Shopping Center Long Island, New York Spector Group, Inc.
1974 City of Kladno Design Award Honorable Mention Kladno, Czechoslovakia

Publications

Magazines

Date Publication
2010 "Historic Symmetry" Big Sky Journal Home M&I House Annual Issue, 2010 - 2011
2009 Top Honors Feature Metal Architecture Avis Rent-a-Car Facility December 2009
2009 “Top Mountain Architects” List Mountain Living Magazine September/October 2009
2009 “Café is Landmark Building in Planned Development” Market Feature: Retail by Marcy Marro Metal Architecture WeeBee’s Café July 2009
2009 “On the Bright Side” by Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter, photographs by Thomas Lee At Home Magazine – Cover Story Published by the Bozeman Chronicle Klein Residence, page 10-13, January 20, 2009
2008 “Advanced Eyecare Opens in New Location” Business to Business Magazine – Comings & Goings Section Published by Big Sky Publishing, LLC Advanced Eyecare Building, page 4, December 16, 2008
2008 “Top Mountain Architects” List Mountain Living Magazine August/September 2008
2007 "Taking the LEED" by Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter Business to Business Magazine – Cover Story Published by Big Sky Publishing, LLC Burgard “Green” Office Building, pages 10-12, July 31, 2007
2007 “Sustainable Tools: Report Outlines Best of Best in Development Projects” by Scott McMillion The Answer Book: Useful Resources for Southwest Montana Published by Big Sky Publishing Bridger Apartments, page 7, June 20, 2007
2007 “Best of Both Worlds” by Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter, photographs by Larry Smotherman At Home Magazine – Cover Story Published by the Bozeman Chronicle The Village Downtown Lofts, pages 16-21, March 20, 2007
2007 “Ridge PUD Moves Closer to Breaking Ground” Business to Business Magazine – Comings & Goings Section Published by Big Sky Publishing, LLC The Ridge Development, page 4, March 13, 2007
2007 “It Takes a Village” by Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter Distinctly Montana Magazine Published by Success Communications, Inc. Winter 2006/2007, pages 131 - 139
2006 AD Architektura February 2006 Thomas Bitnar’s Wenceslaus Square Competition Entry Prague, Czech Republic
2005 “I Like When Something New is Being Formed” by Ing. Arch. Jan Kasl Development News Profile of Thomas Bitnar and his selected projects, pages 50-52 Number 5/2005, Issue VIII
2005 “Thomas Bitnar, Modernist Architect” by Sam Curtis Distinctly Montana Magazine Published by Success Communications, Inc. Fall 2005, pages 124-133
2005 “The List: Guide to the Influential Community of Interior Designers, Architects and Landscape Architects Whose Work is Reshaping the New American West.” Western Interiors and Design Magazine, page 116 May/June 2005
2005 “Tony Montana: A New Avis Building Lights up Big Sky Country” by Mike Guy The New York Times Style Magazine, “The Remix” page 40 Design Spring 2005; Sunday, April 3, 2005
2004 “Profile: Thomas Bitnar” by Sam Curtis, Photography by Audrey Hall Western Interiors & Design Magazine, p. 103-108 November/December 2004
2004 “Uptown Downtown: New Village a Rousing Addition to City’s East Side” by Carol Ferrie, Photography by Thomas Lee At Home Magazine – Cover Story Published by the Bozeman Chronicle The Village Downtown Townhouses, pages 14-19, October 5, 2004
2004 “Classic Symmetry: West Cleveland Remodel Stays True to Historic Home” by Seabring Davis, Photography by Thomas Lee At Home Magazine Published by the Bozeman Chronicle Martin Residence, pages 4-8, May 18, 2004
2003 “The Village Downtown: New Development Brings Urbanism to City’s East Side” by Michele Corriel, Computer Rendering by Andrew West At Home Magazine Published by the Bozeman Chronicle The Village Downtown Master Plan, pages 25-29, October 7, 2003
2003 “Uptown Affordable: Local Development Challenging Perception of Affordable Housing” by Carter G. Walker, Photography by Thomas Lee At Home Magazine Published by the Bozeman Chronicle Bridger Apartments, pages 4-8, September 9, 2003
2003 “Developers Plan Downtown Village” by Nick Ehli Business to Business Magazine – Comings & Goings Section Published by Big Sky Publishing, LLC The Village Downtown, page 3, March 2003
2002 “A Storied Mansion: Bozeman Architect Cherishes and Preserves the Rich History of Local Treasure” by Seabring Davis, Photography by George Erml At Home Magazine – Cover Story Published by the Bozeman Chronicle Villa Montana, pages 10-14, January 2002
2001 Mero Systems Corporate Brochure Villa Montana Glass Structure Featured
2001 “Developer Plans $20 Million Lodge for Big Sky” by Nick Ehli Business to Business Magazine – Comings & Goings Section Published by Big Sky Publishing, LLC Montana Trails Lodge, page 3, February 2001

Newspapers

2001 “A Dream Come True” by Marcus T. Hibdon Lone Peak Lookout Newspaper, Big Sky, Montana Montana Trails Lodge, Cover Story, January 18, 2001
2000 “What Was Old is New Again” by Heidi Hagemeier, Photographs by Thomas Lee The Bozeman Chronicle – Sunday Section Cover Story Villa Montana, Sunday, May 7, 2000
1999 “A Love of History” by Ann Arbor Miller, Photographs Nellie Doneva The Bozeman Chronicle – Big Sky Section Cover Story Villa Montana, May 28, 1999

Television

1999 “If Walls Could Talk” HGTV – Episode #322, The Architect Detective Produced by High Noon Productions Segment Devoted to the Renovation of Villa Montana

Books

2005 Building from the Best of the Northern Rockies by The Sonoran Institute Bridger Apartments, pp. 36-37
2004 Historic Homes of Bozeman Published by The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, a division of Pioneer Newspapers, Inc., Rick Weaver, Publisher, Copyright 2004 Photographs by Thomas Lee, Essays by B.Derek Strahn Villa Montana (a.k.a. The Kopp House), pages 116-121
1999 Bob Vila’s Complete Guide to Remodeling Your Home by Bob Vila and Hugh Howard (Copyright 1999 by BVTV; Avon Books, Inc., New York). Color Insert Photographs of Villa Montana, Bozeman, Montana
1995 Spector Group (Copyright 1995 by Rockport Publishers, Inc.; Distributed by The AIA Press) Selected Projects Presented
1993 Capital Berlin – Parliament District at Spreebogen: International Competition for Urban Design Ideas 1993 Felix Zwoch, Editor-in-Chief (Copyright 1993 Bertelsmann Fachzeitschriften GmbH, Gutersloh, Berlin and Birkhouser Verlag Berlin, Basel, Boston) Thomas E. Bitnar Design, page 173

AIA Conventions and Continuing Education Participation

Date Convention
2010 October 7 – 10, Belgrade, "Modern and Post-Modern City" AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
2010 April 8-12, Istanbul, "Layers of History, Culture, Architecture" AIA Continental Europe, Spring Conference
2009 October 8-10, Bozeman, "Sustainable Practice" AIA Montana Fall Conference
2009 May 28-31, Boston, "Roots of Modernism" AIA Committee on Design Conference
2008 September 18-20, Helena, "Livable Communities" AIA Montana Fall Conference
2008 May 15-17, Boston, "We the People" AIA National Convention
2008 April 3-5, Detroit, "Architecture, Industrial, Transportation, Interior" AIA Committee on Design Conference
2007 September 27-30, London, "Design Excellence, Design Build" RIBA/Royal Institute of British Architects Conference
2007 April 12-15, Miami, "Rejuvenation of American Cities of the Water" AIA Committee on Design Conference
2006 October 15-22, Hong Kong, Shanghai, "Pacific Crossings" AIA Committee on Design Conference
2006 May 4-7, Washington, "The Architecture of Sustainability" AIA Committee on Design Conference
2005 September 17-23, Prague, "Architecture in Transition" From Monarchy to Democracy, from Communism to Civil Society AIA Committee on Design Conference
2005 May 19-21, Las Vegas, "The Power of Architecture" AIA National Convention
2005 March 1, London, "Transparency in Architecture" RIBA/Royal Institute of British Architects Conference The Architecture Review Annual Conference
2004 November 11-13, Paris, "Paris Rive Gauche" AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
2004 May 13-17, Porto, "History and Urban Development" AIA Continental Europe, Spring Conference
2003 May 1-4, Berlin AIA Continental Europe, Spring Conference
2002 October 2-6, Florence, "Through the Millenia" AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
2002 May 3-5, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, "Dutch Light" AIA Continental Europe, Spring Conference
2001 May 17-19, Denver, "Leaders and Partners in Creating Community" AIA National Convention
2000 September 6-9, Copenhagen, "Design Diplomacy" Public Policy & Practice of Architecture in the International Community AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
2000 May 4-6, Philadelphia, "New Century, New Vision" AIA National Convention
1999 October 29-30, Missoula, "Sharpen Your Professional Skills" AIA Montana, Fall Conference
1999 September 24-27, Vienna AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
1999 April 9, Red Lodge, "Green Architecture in a Brown Region" AIA Montana, Annual Meeting in the Mountains
1998 September 26-28, Prague AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference Thomas Bitnar, Jan Kasl, Steven Miller, Organizers
1995 September 29 – October 1, Basel AIA Continental Europe, Fall Conference
1995 May 5-8, Atlanta, "Revisioning" Seeing Ourselves as Collaborative Leaders AIA National Convention
1994 April 23, Washington, DC AIA International Markets and Practice Committee Meeting
1992 June 19-22, Boston, "Engaging Society in Vital Ways" AIA National Convention
1992 May 1-2, Miami, "Global Architecture" New Markets, New Opportunities AIA International Markets and Practice Committee Meeting
1991 May 17-20, Washington, DC, "Delivering Information and Skills" AIA National Convention