Daniel Matthew Silvernail Architect (DMSA), founded in 1997, is an architectural firm in Soquel, California. Our projects and experience are wide-ranging, from the most intricately small to the largest residential additions and new custom homes, from tenant improvements and commercial buildings to municipal projects, planning, and urban design.

Daniel Silvernail’s undergraduate degree is in environmental biology: prior to embarking on his professional career he was and remains an ecologist, cognizant of the context within which we design – a space within a room, a room within a building, a building in participation within an environment, an environment interacting with the global ecosystem. Environmental conviction forms a vital part of his architectural ethos, and encouraging environmentally responsible design and sustainability rank high among the goals of our practice.

Daniel’s graduate work was at School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon, among those rare schools where artists and architects study together under one roof. There his interests and coursework converged, and a typical term might include figure drawing, painting and urban design in addition to the core of architectural design. He remains a successful artist whose works have been exhibited at the Bargetto Gallery in Soquel, the McPherson Center for Art & History in Santa Cruz, and The CELLspace Gallery in San Francisco.

Architectural Services:
Programming, existing facilities surveys, project scheduling, project administration, disciplines coordination, materials research/ specifications, schematic design, design development, construction documents, bidding and negotiation phase services, construction contract administration phase services.

Structural Engineering:
Residential structural analysis and design including gravity load path and member analysis, lateral resisting analysis, roof framing, floor framing, and foundation plans, associated details and specifications.

Site Planning:
Site analysis and selection, site development planning, site utilization studies, zoning research and processing assistance, disciplines coordination including geological, geotechnical, environmental, etymological and other supporting consultant’s studies and reports, public representation.

Sustainable Practice:
Passive solar design; day lighting strategies; site responsive programming, orientation, and massing; non-toxic applications and specifications; alternative methodologies including straw bale construction; net zero energy; green building cost-benefit analysis; LEED analysis and certificate coordination; life cycle analysis.