Archinect - Features

Faulkner Architects: 'The Site Will Tell Us What to Do. We Listen.'

2020-08-26T12:55:00-04:00

Should you ever have the pleasure of visiting the compact but growing portfolio of exquisite residential projects that Greg Faulkner and his small team have realized over the years, the drive would lead into picturesque and seemingly untouched landscapes of Northern California and the Lake Tahoe region of Western Nevada.

Nestled between pine trees, rocks, and steep cliffs, Faulkner Architects' residences and mountain retreats reflect the ruggedness of the embedding terrain with a bold material palette that makes confident use of weathered steel, reclaimed wood, and exposed concrete. Paired with a dedication to craft, regard to the vernacular, and careful site selection, the firm creates elegant, modernist jewels — one project at a time.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Greg Faulkner to learn about his design process, what drives material choices, and how he runs a team of seven from two locations.

ALLTHATISSOLID Talk Remote Work, Architectural Perspectives, and Starting Their Practice During a Recession

2020-07-28T12:22:00-04:00

Running a practice, in general, is no easy task, however as the onslaught that is 2020 continues, it's been made clear that studios and firms will continue to be challenged in unforeseen ways. Although the events that have taken place this year have prompted many re-evaluations within the industry, practices like ALLTHATISSOLID are using this abundance of obstacles to pause, reassess, and persevere.

The Los Angeles and Kuala Lumpur-based architecture practice consists of architects Max Kuo, Alex Chew, and Danielle Wagner. When the trio met as students in UCLA's Architecture and Urban Design M.Arch program, their bond over architecture, influential female figures, and creating a practice that "designs at many scales" helped establish the ethos of their studio. Starting their practice during the 2008 recession, they share their thoughts on the pandemic and the future of the industry.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Kuo, Chew, and Wagner to discuss their studi...

"Screen Time Has Gone up 1,000%," Charlap Hyman & Herrero Reflect on Their New Workflow

2020-07-16T13:00:00-04:00

Charlap Hyman & Herrero is a Los Angeles and New York City-based practice with an eclectic portfolio of visually stimulating and tightly composed projects that blend architecture, furniture design, and art in order to fill gallery spaces, performance stages, and remote sites with a maximalist flare.

The team, previously highlighted in a Studio Snapshot article back in 2018, is led by architect Andre Herrero and interior designer Adam Charlap Hyman and is now working on a series of ground-up residential projects in various locales, among other projects.

We caught up with Andre Herrero for our latest Studio Snapshot to get a better idea of how the practice has responded to the COVID-19 crisis, what kind of talent they are currently looking for, and how their work has progressed since we last spoke.

Oza Sabbeth Architects on Working Through the Pandemic

2020-07-15T09:00:00-04:00

Oza Sabbeth Architects is a Long Island, New York-based architecture and construction practice founded in 2014 by architect Nilay Oza and artist Peter Sabbeth. The pair runs a 10-person design-build office that focuses almost exclusively on high-end residential projects in the Long Island area. This specific project focus, as well as the firm's in-house construction capabilities, gives the design team an ability to iterate a variety of sumptuous spatial and material approaches with the help of their uncompromising clients. The arrangement has also made working from home a particular challenge for the hands-on team.

We caught up with Oza and Sabbeth to discuss where the firm stands in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, how the practice is pursuing new work, and what the future of the firm's office culture might look like post-pandemic.

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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WRNS Studio: A Practice Guided by Practical Necessities and Placemaking

2020-05-29T12:49:00-04:00

WRNS Studio partners Sam Nunes, Bryan Shiles, and Pauline Souza have run their 203-person firm since 2005, operating offices in San Francisco, Honolulu, New York, and Seattle. Over the last 15 years, the sprawling team has created an array of tech offices, university buildings, and other mixed-use projects that bring together bold architectural massing with delicate, thoughtful detailing and interior strategies.

For the latest Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Nunes, Shiles, and Souza to discuss the firm's history, ethos, and evolving approach to design and how the practice is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miami's Urban Robot Associates on Creating Fun, Multidimensional Architecture

2020-03-10T13:28:00-04:00

Miami-based Urban Robot Associates strives to create memorable projects within the realms of landscape, hospitality, residential, and interior design. Led by Giancarlo Pietri, Sebastian Velez, Justine Velez, and JJ Wood, the firm's work showcases a mix of formal playfulness and meticulous, detail-oriented design.

Founded in 2009, Urban Robot Associates has since become one of Miami's powerhouse firms as the team pursues its stated goal of creating "something memorable that's also multidisciplinary in nature, while also referencing the context within which we design."

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect chats with JJ Wood and the rest of the team as they collectively share their experiences of running and growing an integrated, design-oriented architectural practice .

Architensions on Creating Architecture That “Exists Beyond the Logic of Capitalism”

2020-03-03T09:00:00-05:00

When Alessandro Orsini and Nick Roseboro teamed up to lead Architensions, it was, as Alessandro describes, a “sort of a re-birth” for the architectural design studio. Since then, the Brooklyn- and Rome-based practice has been committed to exploring ideas that challenge “the paradigm of architecture as a financial tool” by putting human-driven design at the center of all their work.

In this Studio Snapshot, Alessandro and Nick thoughtfully reflect on their journey and what they've learned, from the ongoing process of evaluating their identity as a practice, to the importance of agency and social responsibility in the architectural field, to the thrill of getting to design an art installation for Coachella 2020.

Miami's Alexis Cogul Lleonart of Doo Architecture on Picking Up Where Tropical Modernism Left Off

2020-02-19T14:17:00-05:00

Ask anyone who has ever visited Miami and you'll hear that the city has a certain energy and vibrancy that's reflected in the built environment there. When one thinks of this region, for example, it's likely that visions of Tropical Modernism and luxe design come to mind. It's at this delightful intersection that Barcelona-born Alexis Cogul Lleonart is able to apply his dual degree background in urban planning and architecture to help shape Miami's architectural landscape.

After collaborating with various practices, including Miami's Oppenheim Architecture, Lleonart sought out to use his expertise and start Doo Architecture. According to Lleonart, "We believe in the process. We're engaged from inception to execution, and we believe our European roots taught us to develop a dialog with our clients and projects further than 'what is required.'"

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Lleonart to discuss his intellectually curious practice and what it means to work p...

Searching for the Elemental and Straight-Forward With Oppenheim Architecture

2020-02-14T10:00:00-05:00

Oppenheim Architecture is a Miami-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm that maintains a second office in Basel, Switzerland. The 40-employee practice works across residential, luxury hotel, office, and retail project types within a variety of international contexts and brings a precise and elemental character to the work it takes on.

The firm, which started in 2000, is going strong after two decades of hard work, according to founder Chad Oppenheim, mainly because it allows the design team "to do projects the way we wanted to." Oppenheim adds, "The practice is much more about creating a platform for expression."

That expression might take the shape of a high-rise, glass-walled condominium tower, a concrete-walled office complex, or even, a beautifully sculptural waste water treatment plant. Regardless, what results is sure to enliven the senses and increasingly, bring new energy to surrounding areas, whether that is Miami's Design District or a remote landscape in...

Leong Leong on the Power of Slowness, Weird Aesthetics, and Family in Architecture

2020-02-11T11:34:00-05:00

Rushing to found a firm may seem like a good idea for those looking to keep their creative naivete, but as proven by New York City-based practice Leong Leong, patience and deliberately planned growth pays off. Just over 10 years since its founding in 2009, the small office has already completed a handful of projects that include the first phase of the 180,000-square-foot Anita May Rosenstein Campus in Hollywood, as well as multiple high-end fashion stores, museum exhibitions, and furniture pieces. With even larger projects in the works, Leong Leong shows that widely accepted entrepreneurial mottos like “move fast and break things” don’t always apply so broadly -- architecture requires more than just charisma and fast-cash business acumen.

This week, Archinect talks with Chris and Dominic Leong, founders and partners at Leong Leong and Adjunct Assistant Professors at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where they teach an Advanced Desig...

Runa Workshop on Applying Austin's Startup Culture to Architectural Practice

2020-02-06T10:00:00-05:00

Runa Workshop is an Austin-based architectural and interior design practice with a rapidly growing roster of completed projects in the city's hospitality, retail, commercial, and institutional sectors. After gaining experience at a large architecture firm, founding principals Jean Pierre Trou and Aaron Vollmer longed for a different, more collaborative design process based on compact, nimble teams and decided to branch out on their own in 2009.

Since then, Runa Workshop has grown into a studio of seven architects and interior designers, with a strong emphasis on healthy work-live balance, and, as Vollmer and Trou told Archinect in this week's Studio Snapshot, they're ready to take it to the next level.

Smith-Clementi on Starting a New Practice Three Decades Into Their Career

2020-01-15T15:44:00-05:00

Architects Julie Smith-Clementi and Frank Clementi recently launched Smith-Clementi, a new multidisciplinary design practice that aims to operate at the intersection of architecture, product, and urban design. The creation of this new firm follows a 28-year run for the pair at Rios Clementi Hale Studios, where the two designers led a variety of award-winning projects at a variety of scales, "from plates to parks," according as they explain it.

Now, with a new fledgeling practice up and running, the two architects are poised to embark on a "more genuine and productive continuation of what we’ve long valued and in fact loved about the practice of design" via a slate of ambitious projects around the country.

For this week's Studio Snapshots installment, Archinect chats with Clementi and Smith-Clementi to discuss what prompted the desire to start a new practice and working without regard to geography or scale while reveling in "radical difference."

Austin Architect Michael Hsu On Balancing Roughness With Sophistication

2019-12-11T11:00:00-05:00

What is Texas vernacular? Beyond the beautiful landscapes and historical roots, its architectural history can be traced through centuries of colonization and hybridization, modernization and assimilation, technological and cultural advancements. Yet, according to Texas-native Michael Hsu, Texas vernacular is also represented "by roughness set against sophistication."

After moving to Austin in 1988 to study at the University of Texas at Austin, Hsu has created a practice, Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, that is very much engrained in Austin's gritty yet charming artisanal community. Establishing his practice as one of the firms transforming Austin architecture, Hsu emphasizes that the firm focuses on more than just aesthetics. From large commercial projects to residential and restaurant endeavors, Hsu has built his practice to emphasize design as a catalyst for storytelling and community experience.

This week Archinect chats with Hsu as he shares his experience in starting a pra...

Worrell Yeung On Perfecting The Art Of A Long-Game Architecture Practice

2019-12-05T11:27:00-05:00

There are many reasons for architects to start their own practice, and often, it's no easy task. As New York City-based architects Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung explain, "there's no road map or set course" for architects to follow. However, it's this level of ambiguity that is both daunting and exciting for the pair and their eponymous practice, Worrell Yeung. After spending 10 years working for firms in New York, Worrell and Yeung took the leap towards establishing their studio in 2014.

Since then, the duo has established themselves as a formidable force in residential, public, and commercial design. When running their practice, work/life balance and collaboration is critical. The two express, "it isn't a business or profession quite like a start-up where we are looking to grow quickly and sell the firm. Instead, building an architecture practice is a slow process, but one where we can shape and craft what our firm is."

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Worre...

Pursuing Authenticity and Place With Graham Baba

2019-11-20T13:09:00-05:00

Seattle-based Graham Baba Architects started in 2006 by Jim Graham and Brett Baba, two architects who met while working at what is now Olson Kundig (back then, the firm was named Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen). The pair embarked on their own to found a practice that "creates places that tell a story, places that people are drawn to, and spaces that encourage social interaction and community," according to the architects. More than a decade later, the firm has grown to 30 employees and is now engaged in projects across over a dozen states.

For Graham Baba, each project represents an opportunity to tie together particular considerations for site, materials, and program that convey a sense of authenticity. As the architects explain, "authenticity can—and should—be found in every building by use of honest materials such as metals, wood, and glass celebrated in their natural state."

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Graham and Baba to discuss, among other topics, c...

Living Walls: Balancing a Plant-Centric Process with People-Centric Design with Habitat Horticulture's David Brenner

2019-11-14T10:00:00-05:00

The built environment shapes our lives daily. Yet as we further explore the landscapes of the metropolitan areas we call home, designing with plant life is often seen as an accessory or an afterthought. However, for the San Francisco-based multidisciplinary design firm Habitat Horticulture, the possibilities for plant-centric spaces and the potential plants have to make our lives better is extremely high.

Founding principal and lead designer David Brenner explains that his passion for plant life started at a young age in his grandparents' garden. Today, Brenner seeks to shift the perception people have about plant life, often portrayed as “static accessories” to the built environment, by creating a way for people to experience these beautifully complex entities through larger than life living wall installations.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Brenner talks about his multifaceted team and how they create structural feats that go beyond standard plant management and cultivation. Ac...

Alloy Development: "We get to define the program, priorities, and the principles of how we engage"

2019-11-08T14:45:00-05:00

Alloy Development is a New York City-based architecture, development, and building management practice with over $1.6 billion in projects under its belt. The 17-person firm pursues an integrated and collaborative approach to practice that unifies design, finance, and construction to pursue a series of handsome buildings that manage to simultaneously prioritize design and the bottom line, a not-too-easy feat given the city's predominantly profit-driven development model.

Founded in 2006 by Katherine McConvey, Jared Della Valle, and AJ Pires, the firm works to not only develop its own projects but also invests the profits generated by the work it performs back into the practice itself. According to the firm, "We pursue our own work in a fun and granular practice where the definition of value unique to each project is the ultimate aspiration."

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect was able to connect with Della Valle and Pires to discuss, among other topics, how a firm's legacy c...

Somewhere Studio Discuss Architecture and Practice as an Ongoing Process of Conversation and Investigation

2019-07-09T11:28:00-04:00

Enthusiasm and the freedom to create your own design framework lie at the heart of every emerging studio. For Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless of Somewhere Studio, the inspiration for starting their practice is precisely that. With architectural interests in research and an understanding of "architecture as a conversation," the duo explores ways in which practice and academia provide new opportunities worth investigating. According to the duo, "setting up frameworks can both be a design method as well as an end goal for a project." With this in mind, the Arkansas-based practice thrives by approaching each new project with a scalable goal in mind that pushes new interventions and creativity.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect had a chance to connect with Colangelo and Sharpless. Together they discuss their goals for starting a practice and how working in academia influences their design framework. They also offer their take on research, intervention, and history's role...

Building Trust as an Attentive Firm with Fleetwood Fernandez Architects

2019-06-05T12:00:00-04:00

Trust between an architecture firm and its clients is as important as it is difficult to foster. As the founders of Fleetwood Fernandez Architects can attest, one method of establishing trust is to keep their firm small, allowing their relationships with select clients to become familiar and consistent during the arduous process of building a piece of architecture together. Through their strong partnership, they have achieved some of the most striking buildings and interiors in the Los Angeles area, including a Santa Monica home for a construction magnate and an upscale donut shop in Del Mar.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, we spoke with Hunter Fleetwood and Mariapaz Fernandez of Fleetwood Fernandez Architects. We discussed the difficulties of the first year of running the office, imagining an ideal client as well as the pleasures and setbacks of remaining a small firm.

10 Architects on Their Mid-Career Pivot From Employee to Employer

2019-05-23T12:08:00-04:00

That singular moment, the moment that you decide that you are ready to cast your own shadow is one of intense pressure and relief. The world of architecture is now up to you to discover, create and affect freely and yet, that also means that the world of architecture is now up to you to discover, create and effect freely. At this point in your career, you've likely managed a team, handled various aspects of business development, and have built up significant professional experience. While some are content to continue working for a great practice run by someone else, for others, the learning curve can seem to flatten. For those in the latter category, starting your own business may feel like the next step.

Understanding Visual Perspectives Through Risk and Research with Architecture Office

2019-05-20T11:51:00-04:00

The power of visual representation is key when expressing thoughts and ideas. The Syracuse-based architecture studio pulls together their passion for research and design practice to create projects which question the way people think about architecture and current issues.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect chats with Nicole McIntosh and Jonathan Louie of Architecture Office. During this segment, we discuss what it means for a promising practice to take risks and excel creatively while running a firm. After founding their practice in 2015, McIntosh and Louie explore the opportunity of how different perspectives strengthen research-based experimentation.

Patrick Lam Discusses the Search for Complexity Through Simplicity

2019-05-13T12:04:00-04:00

Hong Kong is known for its skyscrapers and busy urban landscapes. However, within the dense complexity of the city architect Patrick Lam uses Hong Kong's crowded landscape as inspiration to creating simple design solutions for residential living. Skilled in both architecture and fine arts, Lam's design firm Sim-Plex taught him to think of every possibility a small space could offer.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect chats with Lam about art, living in Kowloon City, and what it means to expand the possibilities of limited space.

19 Young Architects on Why They Decided to Start Their Careers With Their Own Firms

2019-05-02T12:00:00-04:00

Striking it on your own can be an exhilarating process, the ability to take on your own clients, building your imagination and growing your own company. While your mind will jump immediately to the successes of your own company, learning the nuances of the nuts and bolts is just as if not more critical of launching your own design office. Looking through our Small Studio Snapshots, we look to highlight the reasons, decisions, and motivations from some of today's young, successful and productive offices.

Geoffrey von Oeyen on Exploring Resilience at a Number of Scales

2019-04-29T13:32:00-04:00

From Pavilions in China to Horizons in Malibu, Geoffrey von Oeyen blurs boundaries and explores the means and methods of architectural exploration at both environmental and social scales.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Geoffrey von Oeyen Design walks us through how their firm is pushing from conventional building substrate to conventional substrate of other construction methods from other industries.

Margaret Griffin & John Enright on Defining the Projects that Define You

2019-04-22T12:00:00-04:00

Looking for a rebuttal to the question "What have you done on your own?", Griffin Enright Architects has delved into the profession through a combination of landscape, pedagogical, and built environment explorations as a means to define and build their own history.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, John Enright walks us through their journey of breaking away from a large firm to start their own. And, how their ability to remain hands-on on so many fields has forged and solidified their relationships within the professional and academic worlds.

Garrick Jones of Ten to One on How to Fold Pro Bono Work Into Your Business Model

2019-04-15T13:32:00-04:00

In only six years, Ten to One Architectural Design Studio has built up an impressively high volume of projects, many of which are offered up as pro bono services. Working across a diverse range of budgets, scales and types, the New York-based firm is motivated by a commitment to public architecture, and bringing design equity to underserved communities—an aim that was further codified after the 2016 election, the firm's founder Garrick Jones says.

While providing free architectural services can be tough, especially for a small firm, the benefits are worthwhile. In this week's Studio Snapshot, we talk with Jones about how him and his team of four manage to make it work.

Kelly Bair and Kristy Balliet Discuss What's Possible And "Sufficiently Weird" in Architecture

2019-04-08T10:30:00-04:00

Computational design. Experimentation. Practice. Academia. Kelly Bair and Kristy Balliet of BairBalliet traverse these realms of architecture daily. From their work as educators shaping the future of architectural thinking and discourse to showcasing their skillsets as contemporary architects, the duo use their similarities and differences to open up new opportunities of what is possible. Recently publishing their collaborative curatorial project, Possible Mediums, Kelly and Kristy explore themes of two-dimensional and three-dimensional volumes and the relationship between "inside and outside" perspectives.

For this week's Studio Snapshot, BairBalliet shares their early experiences of starting a practice and how their collaborative efforts allowed them to find "methods and mediums to expand the dialogue" in the profession.

Meet Future Firm, the Chicago-Based Practice Calling on Architects to Visualize Vibrant New Futures

2019-04-01T14:13:00-04:00

Ann Lui and Craig Reschke see themselves as "the ones that start awkwardly dancing to jumpstart a bigger dance party." As founders of the Chicago-based practice Future Firm, the two are pushing boundaries in urban architecture and design by starting conversations and sparking fresh ideas. A core group of four, the small office collaborates with a network of people to manifest new futures, working across a range of mediums, scales, and disciplines. For this week's Studio Snapshot, we talk with Ann and Craig about agency in architecture, the need for a public architect, and the feminist activists, the Guerrilla Girls.

XTEN's Monika Haefelfinger on Swiss Technique and Resilience in Architecture Practice

2019-03-25T12:43:00-04:00

For this week's Studio Snapshot, we talk with Monika Haefelfinger about her practice, XTEN and explore the various aspects of a firm whose name and ethos is inspired by the film, Powers of Ten (by Ray and Charles Eames). In the movie, the observer can see how zooming in and out of an object will give you a completely different perspective. The X factor, or unknown variable, is their discovery of a sustainable solution that is very simple but yields very high results for the inhabitants.