Following our previous visit to California-based Abramson Architects, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to New York this week to explore the work of Valerie Schweitzer Architects.

Based between New York and Los Angeles, the firm describes its ethos as one that “defies standardization and insists upon a universal language of friendliness and sublime moments.” Using a blend of light, color, texture, and “sometimes unexpected contours in a new modernism that taps into the ancient,” the firm has developed a portfolio anchored by family homes, apartment buildings, and pavilions.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Construction Detail Specialist to join its New York office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the firm’s output, we have rounded up four bold, playful projects by Valerie Schweitzer Architects that exemplify the firm’s ethos.

Outside-in Pavilion, Watermill, NY

The Outside-in Pavilion is constructed of one-third salvaged cedar, with construction waste used as a bracing material. Intended to allow one to “gather in nature and forge greater connection with the earth,” the pavilion features an oculi frame, and varying gradients in cedar posts, with the aim of allowing the materials to blend with surrounding trees.

“Cantilevered pods on steel posts simulate a forest,” the firm explains. “While the project was commissioned by a matriarch to gather her family outdoors, it can also be used as a workspace or for star gazing at night. This wood pavilion allows the materials to speak for themselves and for the inhabitant to marvel.”

Hide-and-Seek Apartments, Los Angeles, CA

Located on Overland Avenue in West Los Angeles, the four-story Hide-and-Seek Apartments is defined externally by garden loggias carved into the facade, a move which “deepens a sense of place and nurtures the street,” according to the team. The scheme has also been designed to blend private living with shared rooftop dining and garden areas.

“While addressing new modalities of hybrid living, the building also aims to elevate the street life,” the firm explains. “It replaces a dilapidated two-story building and adds a playful dimension across from a charter school and in an area of growing density.”

Butterfly Studio, Westport, CT

Located in Westport, CT, the Butterfly Studio comprises a 350-square-foot workshop and guest house. Imagined as a light-filled sanctuary standing adjacent to a family home, the studio’s unique form seeks to create a “dynamic dialogue” with the traditional gables of the main house.

“The architecture suggests shards protruding from the earth and the closing of a butterfly's wings,” the team explains. “Salvaged teak, radiant heat in the concrete floor slab, Mistusbishi thru-wall unit for efficient heating and cooling, insulated skylight with neoprene extrusions at the aluminum mullions, steel columns, and stucco cladding to integrate with the nearby cottages along the Long Island Sound.”

The Tides Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA

A five-story apartment building on a prominent corner site in Brentwood, The Tides Brentwood was designed with a sculptural front facade to reflect nearby ocean tides. Intended to be a “visual landmark” for a formerly drab intersection, the structure has also achieved LEED Gold certification.

“Discrete use of bold yellow, orange, and blues celebrate the free-spirited and irreverent personality of the city,” the team notes. “Vertical aluminum struts at the wide balconies mimic the thin palm trees on site, while fiber cement cladding provides a very durable and resilient material.”

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.