Archinect - Features

Brooklyn and New Orleans-based ALAO on Engendering Humanist Design With a Dispersed Team

2020-07-10T09:00:00-04:00

Operating as a networked outfit with offices in Brooklyn, New Orleans, and the Philippines, ALAO-founders Aya Maceda and James Carse and their team strive to create architecture that goes beyond four walls and a roof. Creating generous spaces filled with light as well as buildings that often work to advance social goals, the designers strive, as Maceda explains, to "work intimately with [the] clients and communities we serve" to produce human-centered designs. To which Carse adds, "Rather than seek a specific project-type we are always seeking clients and collaborators who are open to the idea that the legacy of an architectural project should be established by how it serves and inspires the community."

For our latest Studio Snapshot, we caught up with Maceda and Carse to learn more about how their office has navigated the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, how the firm is approaching acquiring new projects, and what they look for when adding to their team.

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As the City Grows, Bridging Manila's Bay Could Ease Population Strain

2016-10-21T12:28:00-04:00

Affordable housing, decent commute times, and an exploding population don't seem to have much in common until one considers the proposed "Journey by the Bay," a combined highway and high-speed rail backbone to bridge the Manila Bay.

Untangling Manila's Infrastructural Mess With a Web of Aerial "Capsules"

2016-10-20T12:15:00-04:00

Manila, the capital of the Philippines and its second-largest city, is beset by heavy traffic, public health problems, homelessness, pollution, water sanitation issues, and a growing number of informal developments. According to Jonathan Gayomali, this is due, in part, to its underdeveloped infrastructure.