In his professional practice he has worked as an architect, community planner and urban designer on numerous projects across the country. His work begins with themes that are rooted in the physical and cultural context surrounding the site with the aim of exploring experiential phenomena, tactile details and the engagement of the body in space. Prior to architecture Williams was a musician, which highlights how his inter-disciplinary approach to design is often inspired by music, literature, and the visual arts.

Blake grew up in Seattle, Washington, studied percussion at the Manhattan School of Music and then earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at the University of Washington in 1987. He then went to Rome, Italy where he was an instructor in architecture and urban design for the University of Washington. The following year Blake was at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia where he earned his Master of Architecture degree in 1992. During his studies at Penn, Blake earned design awards and a fellowship to study architecture and craft in Japan.

Prior to launching BW.AR in 1998, Blake worked for a few of the top architecture firms including Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen and Weinstein Copeland Architects. He has also taught architectural design at the University of Washington, the University of Michigan and Mount Holyoke College. During spring 2007, Blake taught a design studio at Hampshire College, titled, "Zero Impact Home". Blake has been an invited team leader on several notable community design charettes that have been published and built.

In 2000, he was asked to present his work at the World Sustainability Conference in Seoul, Korea. His research on El Lisitsky was exhibited at the Walker Art Center, the Henry Art Gallery and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. In 2001 Williams was invited to give a lecture and exhibit at Washington on his publication, Seattle Case Study Homes. More recent work includes the SOLA home: a solar powered prefabricated home that appears in the book, Prefab Modern.