CMLA, a female-owned practice based in Los Angeles, is run by Erin Cuevas and Jana Masset Collatz, two alumni of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Their work centers around creating hyper-sensory environments, with focuses on neuroaesthetics, interaction design, and digital media. Since establishing their practice, they have worked on projects ranging from small-scale product design to large-scale residences to collaborations with dancers and other artists.

For this week's Small Studio Snapshot, we talk with Cuevas and Masset Collatz about growing their own partnership with one another, establishing their own design agenda, and balancing experimental pursuits with commissioned work.

How many people are in your practice?

We’re two partners, together with a few collaborators who have been working with us on a project-to-project basis.

What hurdles have you come across?

Most of the hurdles we’ve come across thus far have dealt with balancing experimental pursuits with commissioned work, while simultaneously developing a new business. For example:

1. Convincing clients that they can trust our young firm, without being able to show them an extensive portfolio of built work
2. Developing connections with clients who share our design interests
3. Pursuing our more intellectual, experimental passions without interrupting our commissioned projects
4. Finding the balance between developing a successful business and developing a powerful design agenda
5. Increasing the perceived value of the architecture profession

Is scaling up a goal or would you like to maintain the size of your practice?

We’ve thought about “scaling up” as it relates to both our portfolio and our practice.  In terms of the former, the “scale” of our projects, we’ve been working on projects that vary from small-scale product design to large-scale residences.  We love working at a range of scales and believe our value is in the design approach we apply to different types of projects. Moving forward, we envision the range in our project scales continuing to expand.

In terms of the “scale” of our practice, we strive for efficiency - doing a lot with a little.  We want to grow a family of talented collaborators who we trust and enjoy working with, building a small but mighty team of individuals.

What are the benefits of having your own practice? And staying small?

For us, the greatest benefits are having control over our own design agenda and the ability to pursue projects that inspire us.  Being excited about the work we’re doing is our primary source of motivation. Additionally, we’re committed to developing the set of values by which we run our practice, and we’ve enjoyed working through this as our office begins to grow.  

We both appreciate having a flexible schedule, being able to work remotely and allocate time for teaching, passion projects, and family. The one benefit of starting our own practice that has exceeded our expectations is the growth of our partnership. We’ve learned how to lean on each other through difficult moments, not only in the office but also in other parts of life.  

How do you find yourself splitting time between your various pursuits in the field?

In addition to running our architectural practice, we are involved in performance art, film, and product design. These outlets have allowed us to explore design at various scales and with collaborators coming from unique backgrounds.  While splitting time between all these activities is difficult and sometimes overwhelming, our practice would not have the same breadth without being involved in these various pursuits.  

What other mediums of implementation does your office pursue?

A highlight of our office has been our involvement in Project XYZ, a collaboration with various dancers and filmmakers.  The project strives to intersect dance, architecture, and film, looking at the close relationship between the human body and its environment. Project XYZ has been a unique opportunity to explore design in ways we cannot otherwise pursue at a large scale (yet), including the design of interactive elements and the physical manifestation of digital media. This project also gives us an opportunity to highlight the work of women in other creative professions, a mission we will continue pushing forward in our female-lead practice.

How do you balance theory and production in your office?

Our ideas were all we had in the beginning, so we spent quite a bit of time applying for grants and writing papers for conferences and publication.  Now, though, we have multiple projects under construction and are striving to maintain a livable income, focused almost entirely on the production of commissioned work.  In the near future we’d like to reach a better balance, splitting time between theory and production, contributing to both paper and built architecture.

What is 5 / 10 / 15 years down the road?

5 years: We have a portfolio of built work that begins to showcase our design agenda while demonstrating a mastery of detailing and assembly.  We are starting to invest in the creation of our own commercial and social projects and have also designed and built each of our own homes.

10 years: Designing larger buildings and a larger quantity of projects, our portfolio clearly represents our mission statement and how it has evolved.  We have developed our first art gallery and performing arts space, designed a set for Beyonce, and/or directed her next visual album.

15 years: We have funded our own development projects in the residential, commercial, and wellness sectors. We’re both living/working in multiple countries, and have begun to move into more civic projects that bring our ideas to life, interacting with the public.  

How does academia make its way into your work?

Jana: Erin is teaching at USC, connecting us with mentors and colleagues who are shaping architectural pedagogy.  We surround ourselves with other individuals who are pursuing their own work, and continue learning from their unique approaches to our profession and to teaching.  Within our office, the two of us each have our own research pursuits. I have been studying neuroaesthetics, exploring specific techniques through which architects can design spaces that are conducive to specific psychological responses.  Erin’s research work, while also related to sensory environments, focuses on the relationship between social interaction and digital media.

CMLA envisions a new future of experience design within our media-rich urban cultures. The name, “Curious Minds Los Angeles,” embodies our vision to bring the subjects of our curiosities - nature, neuroaesthetics, performance art, industrial design, and social media - into design realities that actively engage the mind and emotions. We rely heavily on interdisciplinary collaboration to investigate various scales of spatial intervention, the unexpected moments created by carefully employing visible and invisible material palettes. We are passionate about the potential for architecture to improve human well-being with each sensory experience.

How did the office start and what was the first 2 years like?

We worked together as a team on the first studio project we completed at the GSD; we quickly realized that we have a similar approach to design while having completely different, yet complementary, skill sets. We worked well together and knew we wanted to continue the collaboration beyond the GSD. We each had several years of prior experience in the professional field, and felt ready to take on our own work - to start an office centered around creating hyper-sensory environments, with focuses on neuroaesthetics, interaction design, and digital media.  

We’ve packed a lot into our first year and are continuing to grow quickly.  We are currently working on our first ground-up project that embodies our explorations into contemporary urban living; we are excited to see its completion within CMLA’s second year, and look forward to future development opportunities and interdisciplinary collaborations.