Charlie Firestone is a registered architect, educator, and builder. He is a partner at Matter – an architecture, design, and fabrication studio based in New York City. Previously, he worked as a Project Manager for Matiz Architecture & Design with a focus on higher education, non-profit, and residential clients. He also teaches at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, NJ.

At NJIT, Charlie has re-started the school's design/build program. With projects such as housing and support structures for Newark’s supportive housing communities, bird watching structures, and parklets. He believes that hands-on learning is an important part of architectural education and he strives to incorporate it both into his own practice and his pedagogy.

Charlie holds a B.Arch from Cornell University, and a M.S. in Architecture/ Option in Public Interest Design from Auburn University’s Rural Studio. His interests include design/build practice, socially engaged design, experimental structures, housing, vernacular architecture, and sustainable construction methods. Recently, he co-founded and hosted "Future View: Vernacular Technologies" - a symposium considering the impact of vernacular construction materials and methods on the future of architecture.