Darell Fields was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington with honors, he pursued a masters degree at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) at Harvard University. Fields graduated with distinction in 1988 and received the Henry Adams Medal, the architecture department’s highest academic honor. 

After graduating from Harvard, Fields returned to Dallas where he was an architectural designer for RTKL Associates. While practicing in Dallas, he also received an award for the NASA Astronaut's Memorial Competition. From 1989 until 1995, Fields taught at several institutions, including the GSD, Arizona State University, and Northeastern University. During this time, his practice shifted to more conceptual projects with sites in New York, Boston, and Tokyo.

In addition to teaching design, Fields began to publish widely and in 1993 co-founded the journal, Appendx—an interdisciplinary project focused on issues of race in the field of architecture. During the same year he produced a video montage of New York City entitled "Co-Lateral Damage," presented at the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 1995 Fields’ formal research culminated in a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. The aesthetic underpinnings of this phase and future speculations are represented in his book, Architecture in Black (2000). He is the editor of Carlos Jimenez: House and Studio (2003) and his “House for Josephine Baker: A parody Series” was exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem (January-April 2004).

Fields joined the School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas in Fall 2005. His current research remains rich and diverse. He is the founder of an innovatively streamlined academic/practice model, Superbia. The Superbia Lab initiates, designs, prototypes, tests and licenses innovative building technologies. Products originating from the academic environment are disseminated by the project’s business entity, Superbia LLC.

In addition, Fields edits Appx journal. Like its predecessor, Appendx, this journal establishes an interdisciplinary venue for criticism, scholarship and creative activity as they relate to the discipline of architecture. This ongoing work nurtures the realization of black modernity within architectural discourse.