We see architecture as an act of profound optimism. Its foundation lies in believing that it is possible to make places on the earth that can give a sense of grace to life - and in believing that that matters. - Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. The New York City studio of Tod Williams Billie Tsien and Associates has built a practice based on a search for certain qualities: an architecture of serenity, a balance of logic and intuition, the primacy of perception over theory, the connection of a building to its site, the strength of restraint, and the importance of the space between. Work Life: Tod Williams Billie Tsien, the first monograph published on the architects’ work, presents photographic portfolios of ten recent works, including the masterful `scientific monastery` of the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, California; the sculptural forms of the Phoenix Art Museum; the complex of seven buildings that make up New College at the University of Virginia; and two buildings at the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York. Two sections of the book are devoted to early and in-progress work. The final essay, Who We Are, is a personal exploration of not only the architecture but also the architects.