MC,

i wouldn't say olson sundberg is progressive by any means.

that was helpful...

Good talk.

SHOP

when ever i hear 'progressive'... i think of that crappy euro dance trance music.....


pro-gr3SS1ve think thats right

Wow - I can't believe someone would actually consider Cutler and BCJ as "progressive"... If anything, they're (especially Cutler) "regressive"...

Cutler's office just started using CAD a couple years ago.

OSKA's a good office, but Kundig is the star... not sure why he hasn't broken free yet.

i wasnt considering them progressive, by any means. i was merely linking them as similar firms to oska. i still think oska is the more elegant and forward thinking, but still. just trying to give the guy some examples.

Kundig may be the star but why does he need to break away, gets the fame, the recognition and has a great team behind him to support him. Gee maybe he's figured out that he's got a pretty good gig. Breaking away gains him what .... more hassle!

Progressive Rock is so much better...

who said im a guy?

anywho...if you know any firms that are heavily involved in service in their communities, I would love to know about them...

thanks.

cutler and oska are diametrically opposed...

and i was going to keep my mouth shut on cutler being progressive.

but i enjoy not helping people :)

has anyone worked for Tod Williams and Billie Tsien? How hard is it to get a job / intership there these days?

God forbid! Guess that means they can't design for shit then.

I think Kennedy Violich out of Boston qualifies as "progressive"... as far as being a firm that is interested in investigating new ideas, experimenting with materials, while doing work that has positive social benefits... Work that is about research and about experimentation rather than being primarily focused on form making...

http://www.economist.com/printedition/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10789282

IMHO the "progressive" we should be talking about is which are the ideas firms, the firms that build a practice around innovation, experimentation and growth?

I think OSKA also qualifies as "progressive". They do interesting stuff, collaborative work that's interdisciplinary and tied to relationships with other professionals in the art and design community... They're an ideas firm, even if their work retains links to a tradition of modernism that emphasizes craft, details, etc...

I think "progressive" doesn't mean doing something different *all the time* just because it's *new*... I think progress is also about refinement, striving for something, looking for ideas but also learning from good ideas, and sticking to your guns when the thing works... (eg. POMO was just a bad idea IMHO... There are trends that are good and then there are trends that are bad...) Good ideas are the ones that endure, so when you discover something, building on it...

IMHO:

Ideas Firm + Ongoing Learning + Refinement = Progressive

SHOP
Studio Gang Architects
n architects
Work AC
Howeler Yoon
Garafalo Architects
Terreform
Thom Faulders Studio

I would definitely put Howeler Yoon, and some other "progressive" firms in the trendy camp, or as bRink put it "There are trends that are good and then there are trends that are bad". I wouldn't go quite that far, but simply doing beautiful projects that have some elements of newness does not make something progressive in my mind.

so then...anyone ever work/interned there? know anyone who has?

whats it like?

I haven't worked for them but I was taught by both Howeler and Yoon in a studio abroad. Great people.