Architect & Founder
Prescott Muir, FAIA
Prescott Muir founded the practice in 1976 with an instinct that architecture should do more than satisfying need, it should reveal hidden potential. Five decades later, that belief continues to evolve through Muir Architects, a practice built around collaboration, curiosity, and an enduring commitment to design. Working alongside a select group of colleagues and collaborators, Prescott remains deeply engaged in the work: listening to new and returning clients, exploring possibilities with them, and helping transform aspirations into meaningful solutions. Muir Architects represents both a continuation and a new chapter, exploring how thoughtful design can respond to changing ways of living, working, community, and thinking about buildings.
The ambition extends beyond the success of any single project. It is to create architecture that contributes to something larger, strengthens communities, reinvigorates neighborhoods, anticipates new technologies, and finds meaning in the places we share. For Prescott, architecture remains an evolving practice, one that demands curiosity, relevance, and the willingness to continually test assumptions.
Prescott’s career has moved fluidly between practice, writing, education, and mentorship, each informing the way he thinks about architecture and the best it can be. His work has received numerous design awards and has been widely published, including his monograph, It By Bit. In recognition of his contributions to design excellence, he was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.
Yet for Prescott, the greater measure of a career is not recognition, but giving back. Teaching and mentoring generations of architects has created an exchange of ideas that continues to resonate, inviting new perspectives, and pushing the discipline forward. That exchange defined his seven years as Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Utah and he continues a commitment to education as Emeritus Faculty. While he has recently stepped away from academia, the role of educator and mentor remains integral to his practice and to the culture of Muir Architects, where experience is not simply preserved, but shared, questioned, and used as a foundation for what comes next.
Prescott reflects on the people, ideas, and experiences that have shaped his career in AIA Utah’s Legends of Architecture podcast.
Prescott’s experience spans the intersection of architecture, community, and the natural environment, from urban infill to sensitive intervention in nature, his work includes nature preserves, museums, theaters, galleries, libraries, civic buildings, healthcare, affordable and transitional housing, and new community development. This breadth of work has reinforced a fundamental belief that architecture has the greatest impact when it responds not only to preservation, but to what it has the potential to create and foster new intercommunities. He is continually energized by clients who bring new perspectives to the design process and share an ambition to make a meaningful difference in local communities. Their ideas create opportunities to question conventions, explore new possibilities, and develop precise, thoughtful design responses that are inspiring.
This perspective shapes the future of Muir Architects. The practice seeks opportunities to engage with diverse communities, drawing upon the distinct character, knowledge, and aspirations of each to create places that are more connected, resilient, and sustainable.
Prescott received a Master of Science in Architecture and Building Design from Columbia University, a professional Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Utah.
Principal
Lisa Arnett
Lisa Arnett has an extensive background in programming, master planning, architecture, interior space planning and design. She has worked on numerous arts and educational projects, retail and shopping centers, mixed-use developments and community centers as well as custom, high-end, residential projects. Her experience includes the Pleasant Valley Branch Library, and five branch libraries master plan for Weber County, the Swaner Nature Preserve Education Center, the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Weber State Visual Arts Building, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and the Bridges Project. Ms. Arnett has worked with several of the leading New York and Boston architectural firms, including work on the Carnegie Hall Renovation, and space-planning the IBM Headquarters in White Plains, New York. Ms. Arnett received her Bachelor of Architecture and Masters Degree in Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. She has been working with Prescott Muir since 1990 and a Partner since 2008.
Principal Architect
Thomas Morahan, AIA
Thomas Morahan is an architect with over 22 years of professional experience, educated at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina and the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Utah. His practice encompasses a wide range of project types, including residential, institutional, commercial, cultural, and public architecture, developed across both Argentina and the United States. His career, working for Prescott Muir FAIA has been grounded in a strong technical and visual education, his work reflects a comprehensive approach to design, combining conceptual clarity, constructive precision, and a deep understanding of architectural representation.
Designer
Ana Benítez
Ana Benítez is an architectural designer and visual artist from Mexico City, where the city’s multilayered cultural and historical conditions shaped her understanding of the built environment and aesthetics. She earned her architecture degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2019.
Her work is guided by a contemporary understanding of architecture as a cultural and material practice that mediates relationships between people, geography, space, and technology. Thoughtful and concept driven, she has contributed to residential, cultural, and commercial projects, engaging in design, documentation, and visualization through all stages of the project. Alongside her architectural work, art remains a central passion, sharpening her sensitivity to light, material, color, geometry, and the atmospheres of everyday space.
She is motivated by the belief that architecture shapes daily life, becoming the background for social relationships, a vessel for culture and memory, and a framework for the future.
Designer
Mia Hendershot
Mia Hendershot is an architectural designer dedicated to creating thoughtful, human-centered spaces grounded in sustainable practices. With a strong foundation in visual communication, she specializes in shaping project vision, developing compelling graphics, and translating complex ideas into clear and engaging narratives. Whether it’s an urban design project or a neighborhood hidden gem, her passion for design lies in the details and human-scaled impact, creating visuals that tell a story.
A native Texan, Mia grew up in San Antonio and earned her master’s degree from Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture before relocating to Salt Lake City. Outside the studio, she channels her passion for the arts through pottery, reading, and film, always gathering inspiration from wherever it finds her.
Designer
Kassandra Cobian-Gutierrez
Kassandra R. Cobian-Gutierrez is an Architectural Designer passionate about creating spaces that feel welcoming, resilient, and deeply connected to the people who use them. Born in California to immigrant parents, she brings a perspective shaped by movement, curiosity, and community-centered values.
Before architecture, Kassandra served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Her military service strengthened her leadership skills, adaptability, and appreciation for strong teamwork. During her service, she traveled across the Pacific, including Australia, Thailand, and Japan. Those experiences deepened her love for culture, place, and the way architecture carries identity and meaning.
She earned her Master of Architecture from the University of Utah in 2025, where her academic work explored how design can better support people navigating uncertainty, transition, and change. Her graduate thesis, Refugio Esperanza, received the Bronze Medal Award for its community-driven approach and vision. The project proposed a resilience campus in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and sustainable shelter designed for the Sonoran Desert climate.
Kassandra is inspired by community needs, the stories people carry, and the strength and beauty of the natural world. She is committed to deepening her understanding of sustainable practice and is actively working toward architectural licensure as part of her long-term goals. Outside the studio, she recharges by weight training, running, and hiking—always pushing her limits, exploring new places, and staying connected to nature, which in the intermountain west shapes the way we live.
Director of Operations
Adria M. Swindle
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Adria M. Swindle brings a multidisciplinary background in business operations and law to her role at the firm. She earned an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Utah Honors College and a law degree from the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. Following law school, she returned to Salt Lake City and developed a diverse professional career that includes practicing law, working in the non-profit sector, and owning and operating a small business.
Adria appreciates that the strength of design lies in its details. With a long-standing eye for design and the way architecture shapes experiences, Adria was drawn to a role that bridges creative practice with operational rigor. At the firm, she oversees business operations, applying her legal training and strategic insight to support the design process. Her work ensures that the practice functions efficiently, allowing architects to focus on thoughtful, high-quality design. Outside the firm, Adria enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, three kids and two dogs.
Accountant & Office Manager
Beatriz O. Muir
Beatriz O. Muir was born and raised in Mexico and holds a degree in Business Tourism Administration. She began her career working in both the private and public sectors, contributing to projects associated with Marriott Hotels, the Antara Shopping Mall development, and the launch of new development initiatives. In 2016, she moved to Utah, where she focused her professional experience on financial and administrative roles within the architectural field. She enjoys working with numbers and contributing to the financial strength and organizational structure of the companies she supports. Equally important to her is the human side of the architecture profession, building meaningful relationships, collaborating openly, and creating a work environment where everyone supports one another and makes our time together both positive and fulfilling.