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One of the UKs most famous architects has withdrawn from an environmental coalition in a dispute about the destructive role of aviation in the escalating climate crisis. [...]

The decision follows a row over Foster and Partners work on airports around the world seen by critics as incompatible with tackling the climate and ecological emergency. The Guardian

Airport designs have been key projects in Foster + Partners' portfolio for years, with prominent recent commissions and competition entries in Saudi Arabia, Marseille, Chicago, Mexico City, and Beijing.

Following Foster's decision to withdraw from his initial commitment, Architects Declare issued following statement on its website today:

We are disappointed that Foster + Partners has chosen to withdraw from the declarations and we would welcome a conversation with them on the points raised.

We recognise that addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies challenges current practice and business models for us all, not least around the expansion of aviation. We believe that what is needed is system change and that can only come about through collective action. Architects Declare is not a protest movement but a collaborative support network to innovate positive transformation. Our movement is global. As of today there are 1037 UK practices committed to the declaration and over 6000 companies signed up in 26 countries under the broader banner of Construction Declares.

The debate, and indeed the very definition of sustainability, has evolved considerably as the depth of the crisis we face has become ever clearer. Our declaration represents a positive vision of how our profession can respond to the planetary emergencies. This involves embracing new approaches and being realistic about what can be solved with technology in the next crucial decade.

Were looking forward to working with our signatories to raise the level of ambition in preparation for the critical COP26 climate negotiations next year.

Read more:
Foster + Partners withdraws from Architects Declare over aviation dispute - Archinect

Less than three months ahead of the (pushed-back) opening of Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, the first exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to examine the ties between architecture and African American and African diaspora communities, seven architects, artists, and designers featured in the forthcoming show have signed a letter demanding that the MoMA remove the name of the late Philip Johnson from all titles and public spaces due to what the letter describes as his widely documented white supremacist views and activities.

In addition to his prolific architectural output, Johnson was a MoMA curator, patron, trustee, subject, and institutional figurehead who had and continues to have posthumously vast associations with the museum.

As the November 27 letter states, the racist, antisemitic worldview held by Johnson makes him an inappropriate namesake within any educational or cultural institution that purports to serve a wide public.

There is a role for Johnsons architectural work in archives and historic preservation, the letter reads. However, naming titles and spaces inevitably suggests that the honoree is a model for curators, administrators, students and others who participate in these institutions.

As of this writing, the letter, which is also addressed to Johnsons alma mater, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and any other public-facing nonprofit in the United States that uses his name for honorific purposes, has been signed by a total of 31 artists, architects, designers, and educators, including, as mentioned, seven of the architects and designers featured in the upcoming MoMA exhibition. Diana Budds at Curbed was the first to report on the letter, which was initiated by and published on the Instagram account of the Johnson Study Group.

Formed this past summer amid the historic Black Lives Matter-led social justice and anti-racism movement, the largely anonymous collective is dedicated to examining Johnsons lasting influence on MoMA and design institutions as a whole while considering his significant and consequential commitment ties to white supremacy.

Along with members of the Johnson Studio Group, signees of the letter include Amale Andraos, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; artist Xaviera Simmons; Alvin Huang, founder and design principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture and associate professor at the USC School of Architecture; Bryan C. Lee Jr., design principal of New Orleans-based Colloqate Design; Jennifer Newsom of Minneapolis-based practice Dream the Combine, and Kate Orff, founding principal of landscape architecture and urban design studio SCAPE.

V. Mitch McEwen, co-founder of Atelier Office and assistant professor at the Princeton University School of Architecture, was among the signees who is also a member of the Johnson Study Group and a featured architect in Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America. The other letter-signing architects and designers featured in the exhibition, which runs from February 20 through May 31, are Felecia Davis, Sekou Cooke, Emanuel Admassu, Olalekan Jeyifous, Germane Barnes, and J. Yolande Daniels.

As detailed in the letter, the openly gay, Cleveland-born Johnson used his early tenure at MoMA (he worked in various capacities at the museum from 1932 through 1988 including heading the Department of Architecture and Design from 1932 to 1936 and then again from 1944 to 1954) as a pretense to collaborate with the German Nazi Party, including personally translating propaganda, disseminating Nazi publications, and forming an affiliated fascist party in Louisiana. In his curatorial role, he also omitted the work of Black architects and designers from the collections under his purview. He not only acquiesced in but added to the persistent practice of racism in the field of architecture, a legacy that continues to do harm today, the letter explained.

The inaugural Pritzker Prize winners decidedly more-than-flirtatious relationship with fascism has been explored in-depth since his death in 2005, including in Mark Lamsters 2018 book, The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century. His Nazi associations were even the subject of an FBI investigation although he was ultimately never prosecuted.

The letter concludes by calling on all members of MoMA and alumni of Harvard GSD to cease supporting these institutions until Johnsons name is scrubbed from all titles and places. It specifically implores white allies to step up: Organize. Spread the word. Further the impact. We must not only speak of undoing the work of white supremacy, we must call it out by name and uproot it.

AN has reached out to Justin Garrett Moore, executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission and a signee of the letter, and Barry Bergdoll, former Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design (2007-2013) at MoMA and current Meyer Schapiro Professor of art history in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, for further comment and insight.

We have also reached out to the MoMA for comment and will update this article accordingly.

Read the original:
Architects and designers call on the MoMA to remove Philip Johnson's name - The Architect's Newspaper

When it comes to the playbook for architects who specialize in designing healthcare facilities, COVID-19 came like a wrecking ball. The years-long migration to fewer private offices and more collaborative workspaces? The friendly trend of checking patients in without a desk? The vast multispecialty clinics, with common areas meant for lingering? Gone, gone and gone.

Weve spent so much time over the last decade making waiting rooms cozier, like living rooms, says Jennifer Arbuckle, a Vermont-based partner in E4H Architecture, which specializes in healthcare offices and facilities. Now were trying to make them more spread out.

HVAC issues are top of mind also, as are square-footage conundrums. But each question Should patients wait in their cars? What about those who cant come in alone, like a mom with three kids in tow? What services work in a drive-through? cascades into so many other questions, she says. Right now, everyone is trying to figure it out.

Despite the question marks, experts seem sure that even if a vaccine brings a return to normalcy within months, this pandemic is driving long-lasting design changes.

Making room for technology

The transition to telehealth is the most massive change, says Sheila F. Cahnman, president of JumpGarden Consulting, a healthcare planning and design firm based in Wilmette, Illinois. While that shift had long been underway, the pandemic vaulted adoption rates years ahead of schedule.

Doctors like it. Patients like it. And as long as insurance companies and Medicare continue to cover it, its going to be a permanent part of their practice, she says.

That calls for plenty of small, well-lit offices where providers can offer telehealth in privacy. And because many patients wont have the required technology or broadband at their homes, healthcare facilities will need to make video-equipped rooms available to patients when they come into their offices.

Those will gobble up the square footage now used as open areas, designed to promote more teamwork between doctors, nurse practitioners and other providers. Ive been doing this for 25 years, and weve spent the last 10 or 15 years urging practitioners to share space and collaborate more, says Arbuckle. This [division of space] is a new direction.

Doctors homes are now part of the equation too, as many want to continue working from home more. That brings up all the same issues and considerations that face other remote workers, she says. Do the doctors have the right secure technology at home? Enough broadband? Do they have young kids, which makes it hard to concentrate?

And all tech questions intensify the ongoing effort to develop solutions for balancing the demand for more screen time from doctors without dehumanizing patients. About two-thirds of most visits are spent talking, says Cahnman, who is also a board trustee for the American College of Healthcare Architects. How can you design offices that are tech-friendly yet make patients feel heard?

Underscoring every technology is heightened security. More telemedicine means more potential leaks, just as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issues increased warnings about ransomware attacks.

Solving real-estate riddles

For years, smaller practices have been affiliating with larger health systems, with mega ambulatory centers. These bigger facilities attract a higher volume of patients than a small practice, offering patient-friendly conveniences like plenty of parking and on-site labs and imaging centers.

But higher patient volume means a greater risk of infections, and patients are staying away. That means lower revenues for the facilities.

I dont think these large centers are going away, says Arbuckle. For one thing, theyre space savers. Because many functions, like restrooms and administrative office spaces for things like copiers, can be shared, providers in these larger facilities can save about 500 square feet per provider, as compared with smaller practices. And patients love them because theyre a one-stop shop. But they are going to need many modifications.

Facilities that flex

COVID-19 has shown healthcare executives that even the most massive bureaucratic organizations can move fast when they need to, making them more open to quick changes. Among these? Traditional exam tables that look more like seats but quickly convert to flat surfaces (in case of disease surge) and deeper reception desks to create more distance. Drive-through options, such as those used for COVID-19 testing, will continue, and so will sensor technology, making everything from sinks to doors to light switches completely hands-free.

In a survey of its members shortly after the pandemic began, the American College of Healthcare Architects found that more than 60% of members said theyd been asked to create more bed space. And more than 70% believe that designing for mass patient surges will be an important design element for hospitals.

Thats true for medical offices, too. More offices will have soft spaces, especially in multifunction areas, that can quickly be converted to exam rooms, offices or hoteling space.

Adaptability means designing rooms, usually of similar size, that can have many uses, Cahnman says. That was a trend before, and COVID has accelerated it.

See the rest here:
How Architects and Designers Are Rethinking Healthcare Facilities After COVID-19 - Medical Bag

Revolver has teamed with Architects on an exclusive "Blue Dream Splash" 2LP variant of their new album,For Those That Wish to Exist, limited to 500 worldwide. Order yours before they're gone!

Architects have been a band for over 15 years. In that time, they've put out eight albums, endured numerous lineup changes, and sadly lost their founding guitarist Tom Searle to cancer in 2016. The English metalcore quartet have been through a lot but they've managed to secure longevity in a genre where young acts have historically burned bright and fast. At this point, Architects are lifers with one of the most passionate fan bases in the scene, but they'd be lying if they said they weren't nervous to release their ninth record, For Those That Wish to Exist.

"I feel discouraged from taking creative risks because I find the prospect of being at the wrong end of an internet onslaught difficult," says drummer Dan Searle during a Zoom call with vocalist Sam Carter and Revolver. "People will call me a snowflake and all sorts of things for that, but it's a scary thing to do these days, to take a chance. Because it's almost harder when the band is more established and, if we're being totally transparent, this is our way of making a living. This is how we pay our bills and feed our families, so there's a lot of risk involved."

Searle's anxieties aren't unfounded. The 15-song, hour-long album weaves a sprawling tapestry of French horns, strings, synths, and alien-like vocal processors into their signature breed of stadium-sized metalcore. Compared to their already grandiose 2018 album Holy Hell, everything on this record is even bigger the melodies, the sheer breadth of the arrangements, and the scope of its concept, which navigates the push-pull of hope and nihilism in a world that's falling apart. It's the most ambitious album they've ever made, and although it felt incredibly liberating for them as creators, they know that it's going to be a challenging listen for some metalcore purists.

"There were definitely points when we were writing some things where it was like, 'Well, this moment in this song is gonna really piss some people off,'" Searle says matter-of-factly.

After releasing Holy Hell, their first without Searle's late brother Tom and the final entry in a trilogy of records that boosted their sound from rabid mosh-pit fodder to stadium-tier metal anthems, Architects felt like they had solved that puzzle and they were ready to try something different. While Searle was listening to Kendrick Lamar's 2015 jazz-rap masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly a stark pivot from the gangsta rap of his previous work he began to question why that type of experimentation doesn't really exist in the world of metalcore.

"There's a lot of 'don'ts'," Searle says. "I was just noticing how when you listen to a hip-hop record, there's one thing that's consistent and that's the vocals. But you can go anywhere you want. It can be jazz ballroom, but as long as it has the vocalist on it, it's fine But with us, it felt like, 'Well, it's got to be two distorted guitars, bass, drums, and a guy screaming.' I don't want to sound like I'm throwing shade at the genre because we like the music, but I just felt like, Well, can we rip this up a little bit?"

The result is a record that Searle defines as being influenced by metalcore, but not metalcore itself. He and Carter elaborated on their intentions behind this sonic pivot, the record's topical lyrics, and finding a strange sense of comfort in accepting that we're all going to die and that's alright. Our conversation has been condensed for clarity.

WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU KNEW YOU WANTED TO DO GOING INTO THIS RECORD, EITHER LYRICALLY OR MUSICALLY? SAM CARTER It felt like it would be real easy to carry on where we were going because the last three before this were in a similar sort of vein. So after a while it's like football: if you take the same free kick enough times, more often than not, you know that it's going to go in. So every now and then it's nice to move the ball to feel a little bit out of your comfort zone. And just get that general feeling of excitement that you're doing something that you haven't done before.

DAN SEARLE I think Holy Hell would've been a very different record if Tom had still been here, and it was more in the same vein as the previous two records because we felt like we needed to consolidate and readjust as a band without Tom. And it wasn't the time for us to change the script. Whereas with this album, it just felt time to spread our wings a little bit and challenge ourselves and take it somewhere new.

WHAT ABOUT THIS RECORD FELT THE MOST OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE?CARTER Everything feels a lot grander than before and it feels a lot bigger and it feels like we were in a position to do the ideas justice. Whether it be having French horns on a song and actually having French horns properly recorded or writing with that sort of stuff in mind and knowing that we would be able to do it.

SEARLE When you're a band for a decent amount of time, the sound of your band is to some degree governed by the rules you self-imposed. What you are allowed to do and what you're not allowed to do I think when we were writing it, it was more about asking ourselves whether we liked what we were writing, rather than what other people would think. And to be honest, the way we're talking about this, you people are going to expect it to be a ska record. We didn't throw the baby out of the bathwater, we just stripped back what we were allowing ourselves to do.

THE ALBUM IS CALLED FOR THOSE THAT WISH TO EXIST. TELL ME ABOUT HOW YOU LANDED ON THAT PHRASE IN PARTICULAR.SEARLE I felt like it sounds like something that could be really cryptic, but I actually see it as being really blatantly obvious. The album is generally about: Wow, we're really messing this up but we're all struggling so much to get through the day. How do you save the world when you can't make ends meet or you're struggling with your mental health? We've got a lot of challenges on a personal level, so when we're dealing with the micro it's hard to even address the macro.

So that's what the album is looking at broadly. Like, "What the fuck are we doing?" It's not so much a finger-pointing, "Fuck authority the government are trying to screw us." It's kind of like, "Oh my god, I'm finding it so hard to deal with my own life. How the hell are we gonna get out of this?" So it's that feeling of being overwhelmed and kind of that sense of powerlessness.

CARTER The same with so much of life, I think your overall mood when you go into the record depends what you take from it as well. Because sometimes you really do have that will to fight and talk about what you think is important and you're ready to take the hits from people who will criticize you for it and you're ready to take the hits from putting yourself out there and feeling brave enough to do it. And other times, like Dan says, you got your own shit going on and you don't want to take the punches to try and do something good.

THE RECORD SEEMS TO BE ABOUT GOING BEYOND POLITICIANS, BUT THAT WE AS A CITIZENRY HAVE TO COME TOGETHER TO STOP CLIMATE CHANGE AND OTHER LOOMING THREATS.SEARLE Yeah, there's stuff about that and there's stuff about the hypocrisy of both political wings. Just trying to look beyond these pre-packaged tribes that we've been sold into. That you are either the left or you are the right, and these are the things that you will believe. You will believe that taxes should be lower for rich people, but you also disagree with gay marriage. It's not like these beliefs that we hold on the left and the right are intrinsic to our human nature and certain personality types.

THE SONG "ANIMALS" CONVEYS THE AGONY OF THE RECORD'S SUBJECT MATTER, AND THERE'S THIS PUSH-PULL IN THE SONG BETWEEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE OUTLOOK WHILE ALSO ASKING, "SHOULD I JUST PULL THE PIN?" IS THAT THE CENTRAL TENSION YOU GUYS WERE FEELING DURING THE WRITING OF THIS ALBUM?SEARLE Yeah, and there's always someone saying that change is not possible. And that song is also kind of saying, "Man, a lot of this stuff we worry about doesn't matter." There's lots of contradictions on the record. And I kind of started seeing that coming when I was writing the lyrics and just made my peace with it because that's just human nature, isn't it? Having these different aspects of ourselves that contradict. So I kind of let go of the idea of having a consistent belief or message I was driving out and just surrendered to the fact like, "Well, one day I feel like I can save the world and the next day I feel like we're fucked."

It's a difficult balance. Surrendering to that and not just being OK with terrible things happening all over the world. . .I'm not saying it's about giving up or letting go, just tempering your everyday anxieties with a little bit of a surrender. That no matter what, we'll be OK.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE CLOSER, "DYING IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE," CAPTURES THAT SENTIMENT.SEARLE Yeah, exactly. That was like 14 tracks being pummeled by how bad things are and how terrible I feel about them, and then at the end going, "But it's OK because, chill." Obviously, everybody knows, we've been through this with losing Tom, you do get this blunt hit over the head and for me it was a real brutal sense of nihilism. I just felt like nothing matters.

I felt like after Tom died, a sense of like, "Oh, so that was all for nothing." Like his life was for nothing. What does that mean? When does it become something? You get a key at the end that's like, "I did it, I completed it." It's not like that, you think that you're heading somewhere and then you don't. That's quite a harsh realization but after a while and the dust settled, I realized in this moment I'm OK, Tom is OK. Because as far as I'm concerned, he's OK now. I couldn't say that for some time when he was actually suffering.

CARTER That's the thing I relate to quite a lot with the record is the ups and downs of it. That can work with grief as well. With losing Tom, I'd say 50 percent of the time I still live in a very nihilistic world where I don't give a shit about anything. And then the other 50 percent of the world I feel ready to fight the good fight and find the small things in life, whether it be literally seeing a bird fly into my garden. That can make my day sometimes, and some days I look at that and feel nothing. And that's the rollercoaster of life, trying to understand that you could drive yourself crazy.

SEARLE Circling around to the change in sound on some parts of the record and the length of it and being able to explore more territory and more sounds, is that we were kind of able to give a background of us riding those waves of how you feel day to day. That's why "Black Lungs" is more of a fist-in-the-air, let's save the world song. It's more of an anthemic, everyone together, we can do this thing. And then other parts of the record are much more bleak. And perhaps a bit more downbeat and less hopeful, and I feel like because we were able to diversify more, we were able to more honestly express a more complete picture of the human experience.

See the article here:
Death, Hope, Nihilism: How Architects Found Peace on Boundary-Pushing New Album - Revolver Magazine

2020 Best of Design Award for Public & Social Impact: Memorial to Enslaved Laborersat the University of Virginia

Designer: Hweler + Yoon Architecture in collaboration with Mabel O. Wilson, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, Frank Dukes, and Eto OtitigbeLocation: Charlottesville, Virginia

The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia (UVA) honors the lives, labor, and perseverance of the community of enslaved African Americans who built UVA and sustained the daily life of faculty, students, and administrators at the university. Nearly a decade in the making, the memorial was designed by Hweler + Yoon in collaboration with historian and designer Dr. Mabel O. Wilson of Studio&, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, community facilitator Dr. Frank Dukes, and artist Eto Otitigbe. The sites formal dedication has been postponed because of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, but in the interim, the memorial has been spontaneously inaugurated as a gathering place for group and individual contemplation during the national protests against racialized violence.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Conference House Park PavilionDesigner: Sage and Coombe Architects

Project Name: FDNY Rescue Company 2Designer: Studio Gang

Editors Picks:

Project Name: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Concourse D AnnexDesigner: HOK

Project Name: High Line Section 3, Phase 2Construction manager: Sciame ConstructionArchitect: Diller Scofidio + RenfroLandscape architect: James Corner Field Operations

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Javits Center Medical Station & Temporary HospitalDesigner: di Domenico + Partners

Project Name: MLK1101 Supportive HousingDesigner: Lorcan OHerlihy Architects [LOHA]

MLK1101 Supportive Housing. Designer: Lorcan OHerlihy Architects [LOHA] (Paul Vu)Editors Picks:

Project Name: DineOut NYCDesigner: Rockwell Group

Project Name: Girls Inc. of Memphis, Urban CentersSouth Park & LDTDesigner: archimania

2020 Best of Design Award for Urban Design: The PeninsulaDesigner: WXY architecture + urban design and Body Lawson Associates with Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape ArchitectLocation: The Bronx, New York City

WXY architecture + urban design, in partnership with Body Lawson Associates, was commissioned by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to develop a master plan to transform the 4.75-acre site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center into a mixed-use community with five new buildings containing affordable housing; commercial, retail, and community facilities; light-industrial space; and recreational space. Material choices for the buildings were guided by the residential and industrial context of the Hunts Point neighborhood, with apartments predominantly brick and commercial spaces concrete, steel, and glass. A network of publicly accessible open spaces connects the buildings with the neighborhood. The landscape blends native plants and includes salvaged rock that recalls local natural ledge formations.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Eastern Market Neighborhood Framework and Stormwater Management Network PlanDesigner: Utile

Project Name: Moscone Center ExpansionLandscape architect: CMG Landscape ArchitectureArchitects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Mark Cavagnero Associates

Editors Picks:

Project Name: Essex Market and The Market LineDesigner: SHoP ArchitectsAssociate architects: Hugh A. Boyd Architects and Formactiv

Project Name: Mulberry CommonsDesigner: Sage and Coombe Architects

2020 Best of Design Award for Landscape: Mill 19 at Hazelwood GreenDesigner: TEN x TENDesign architect: MSR DesignAssociate architect: R3ALocation: Pittsburgh

Nested within the armature of a former steel mill along Pittsburghs Monongahela River, three new mixed-use buildings are integrated in the shadows of trusses clad with a photovoltaic array. The quarter-mile-long structure celebrates the history of labor and the potential of a revitalized future while creating new landscapes from industrial remnants. An event plaza, a stormwater channel, disturbance-adapted gardens, and a public loggia with salvaged steel furniture define a reimagined public realm that embraces the past.

Mill 19, an LEED v4 Goldcertified project, lays the groundwork for a new type of regional economic hub that celebrates Pittsburghs industrial legacy, initiates renewal, and rebuilds a healthy relationship between the community, the site, and the river.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Chicago Botanic Garden: Regenstein Learning CampusLandscape architect: Mikyoung Kim DesignLocal landscape architect: Jacobs/Ryan AssociatesArchitect: Booth Hansen

Project Name: Water Conservation Garden at Red Butte GardenDesigner: Studio Outside

Editors Picks:

Project Name: Houston Botanic GardenLandscape architects: West 8 urban design & landscape architecture and Clark Condon AssociatesArchitects: Overland Partners and Dykema Architects

Project Name: The Aga Khan Garden, AlbertaLandscape architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape ArchitectsLocal landscape architect and architect: DIALOG

2020 Best of Design Award for Infrastructure: The New St. Pete PierDesign architect: Rogers PartnersExecutive architect: ASD/SKYDesign landscape architect: Ken Smith WorkshopExecutive landscape architect: Booth Design GroupLocation: St. Petersburg, Florida

Beyond simply replacing an aging icon, Rogers Partners new St. Pete Pier constructs the basis for a sustainable relationship between the natural and built environments. The 12-acre pier extends the urban and recreational features of St. Petersburg into the bay through a multitude of flexible programs and amenities, including an education center, a tilted event lawn, dining venues, and places for fishing, kayaking, boating, and swimming. Along a naturalized shore edge, a breakwater and coastal thicket improve the water quality and marine animal and shorebird communities. By enhancing existing renewable coastal resources and providing flood-resistant infrastructure, the St. Pete Pier improves coastline resiliency and models the future for sustainable bayside city living.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: BrightlineDesigner: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in association with Zyscovich Architects

Project Name: PG&E Larkin Street Substation ExpansionDesigner: TEF Design

Editors Picks:

Project Name: Grand Avenue Park BridgeDesigner: LMN Architects

2020 Best of Design Award for Adaptive Reuse: MuseumLabDesigner: Koning Eizenberg ArchitectsArchitect of record: Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel Architects (PWWG)Location: Pittsburgh

A historic Carnegie librarys legacy of educational innovation and access is reinvented as the MuseumLab. Opened in 1890, the library was one of the first free public libraries in the United States. It fell into disrepair after lightning struck the librarys clock tower and caused a three-ton piece of granite to crash through the roof. The library closed in 2006. Renovated in 2018, it now offers experimental art and technology programs for youth, a Title I charter middle school, and space for community events. Expedient interior alterations from the 1970s were stripped away to reconnect spaces, reintroduce daylight, and reveal the bones of the historic architecture. The resulting beautiful ruin has challenged conventions for both preservation and educational settings.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Preserve at 620Designer: Nelsen Partners

Project Name: Rejuvenation of a Historic Powerhouse, San FranciscoDesigner: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects

Editors Picks:

Project Name: 122 Community Arts CenterDesigner: Deborah Berke Partners

Project Name: The MomentaryDesigner: Wheeler Kearns Architects

2020 Best of Design Award for Facades: Victorian Music BoxDesigner: CCY ArchitectsLocation: Aspen, Colorado

This family compound marries a restored Victorian with a music-inspired modern addition affectionately called the Music Box, designed to accommodate guests as well as music recitals. A single material, Galvalume, bent with four-inch exposures, covers the Music Boxs roof and walls in a continuous, perforated, thin aluminum envelope. This skin was inspired by Frdric Chopins Nocturne in E-flat Major, op. 9, no. 2. The perforated aluminum stands off the structure through a batten/rain screen system that allows light to pass through but maintains privacy for those inside. The design team broke down Chopins composition into its discrete elements to create a pattern that daylight superimposes on the buildings elevations.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: 215225 West 28th StreetDesigner: DXA studio

Project Name: Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School ExpansionDesigner: Wheeler Kearns Architects

Editors Picks:

Project Name: Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall, University of OregonDesign architect: OFFICE 52 ArchitectureArchitect of record: Rowell Brokaw Architects

Project Name: Enlace New OfficesDesigner: Canopy/Architecture + Design

2020 Best of Design Award for Cultural: The REACH at the Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsDesigner: Steven Holl ArchitectsAssociate architect: BNIMLandscape architect: Hollander Design Landscape ArchitectsLocation: Washington, D.C.

As a living memorial for President John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts takes an active position among the great presidential monuments in Washington, D.C. Through public events and stimulating art, the Kennedy Center offers a place where the community can engage and interact with artists across the full spectrum of the creative process. The REACH expansion, designed by Steven Holl Architects, adds much-needed rehearsal, education, and varied, flexible indoor and outdoor spaces to allow the center to continue to play a leadership role in providing artistic, cultural, and enrichment opportunities. The design for The REACH merges architecture with the landscape to expand the dimensions of this living memorial.

Honorable Mentions

Project Name: Burke Museum of Natural History & CultureDesigner: Olson Kundig

Project Name: Jones Beach Energy & Nature CenterDesigner: nARCHITECTS

Editors Picks:

Project Name: A New Campus for the Rothko ChapelArchitect: Architecture Research OfficeLandscape architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz

Project Name: Oklahoma Contemporary Arts CenterDesigner: Rand Elliott Architects

Original post:
The 2020 AN Best of Design Awards winners, part 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

In their editorial accompanying last years Best of Design magazine, AN editor in chief Bill Menking and then-executive editor Matt Shaw observed a tendency toward muted color and understated form among the winners. They asked if this was evidence of a broader trend or if 2019 was just a quiet year.

As we close out 2020, we might flip the interrogative emphasis around. Do this years Best of Design honorees reflect the tumultuous events of the previous 12 months? The short answer is yes: Both the Project of the Year and the first runner-upthe Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia and the 1199SEIU member spaces in New York, respectivelyaddress Americas fraught history of race, albeit in different ways. The former circumscribes a space for mournful contemplation by making an earthly incision, while the latter emanates the moral optimism of another age.

And yet the answer could just as easily be no. The majority of the winning projects were completed in mid-to-late 2019 or early this year, just skirting the construction lockdowns of April and May and the street protests of June and July. These forcesexogenous, perhaps, to the AEC sectors but not to society at largewere most likely to affect the operations of the buildings and interiors compiled in the following pages, rather than their final form.

So, if we are unable to draw any determinative aesthetic trends, what can we say about these projects? What attributes connect these 47 discrete works, representing a total of 50 categories and culled from more than 800 submissions? To begin with, the quality of the submissions has rarely been stronger or, as mentioned above, more timely. A few were especially creative in the face of current constraints, particularly Outpost Offices Drawing Fields, the winner in the Temporary Installation category; the project employs roving robots to reimagine a performance venue for the COVID-19 era.

Meanwhile, Koning Eizenbergs MuseumLab in Pittsburgh and Adjaye Associates Webster retail store in Los Angeles underscores the importance of mood to interior spaces. Marlon Blackwell Architects Thaden School Bike Barn, which took the top prize in the InstitutionalKindergartens, Primary & High Schools category, is the cheeriestand, thanks to its wood slat enclosure, breeziestproject. And is there a more ideal locale for self-isolating than PRODUCTORAs Bautista House, whose residents are shielded by a Yucatan nature reserve?

In closing, wed like to thank our talented cast of jurors, who gave our submissions the discerning scrutiny they all deserve. Wed also like to point the reader to the 2020 Best of Product winners. While many are particularly well suited to the new normal, they certainly arent constrained by it. We hope that all the work contained in this issue inspires and provokes in equal measure.

We will be updating this list over the next few days with winner and honorable mention profiles (part 1 here). To see the complete feature, dont miss our 2020 Best of Design Awards Annual issue, out now!

Winner

Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia

Howeler + Yoon Architecture in collaboration with Mabel O. Wilson, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, Frank Dukes, and Eto Otitigbe

Charlottesville, Virginia

Finalists

1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers EastAdjaye AssociatesNew York City

Winter Visual Arts BuildingSteven Holl ArchitectsLancaster, Pennsylvania

Winner

Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia

Howeler + Yoon Architecture in collaboration with Mabel O. Wilson, Gregg Bleam Landscape Architect, Frank Dukes, and Eto Otitigbe

Charlottesville, Virginia

Honorable Mention

Conference House Park PavilionSage and Coombe Architects

FDNY Rescue Company 2Studio Gang

Javits Center Medical Station & Temporary HospitalDi Domenico + Partners

MLK1101 Supportive HousingLorcan OHerlihy Architects

Editors Picks

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Concourse D AnnexHOK

High Line Section 3, Phase 2Sciame ConstructionDiller Scofidio + RenfroJames Corner Field Operations

DineOut NYCRockwell Group

GirlsInc. Of Memphis, Urban Centers-South Park & LFTarchimania

Winner

The Peninsula

WXY ArchitectureBody Lawson AssociatesElizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architect

The Bronx

Honorable Mentions

Eastern market Neighborhood Framework and Stormwater Management Network PlanUtile

Moscone Center ExpansionLandscape architect: CMG Landscape ArchitectureArchitects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Mark Cavagnero Associates

Editors Picks

Essex market and The Market LineSHoP ArchitectsHugh A. Boyd ArchitectsFormactiv

Mulberry CommonsSage and Coombe Architects

Winner

Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green

Ten x TenMSR DesignR3A

Pittsburgh

Honorable Mention

Chicago Botanic Garden: Regenstein Learning CampusMikyoung Kim DesignJacobs/Ryan AssociatesBooth Hansen

Water Conservation Garden at Red Butte GardenStudio Outside

Editors Picks

Houston Botanic GardenWest 8 Urban Design & Landscape ArchitectureClark Condon AssociatesOverland PartnersDykema Architects

The Aga Khan Garden, AlbertaNelson Byrd Woltz Landscape ArchitectsDIALOG

Winner

The New St. Pete Pier

Rogers PartnersASD/SKYKen Smith WorkshopBooth Design Group

St. Petersburg, Florida

Honorable Mention

BrightlineSkidmore, Owings & Merrill with Zyscovich Architects

PG&E Larkin Street Substation ExpansionTEF Design

Editors Picks

Grand Avenue Park BridgeLMN Architects

Winner

MuseumLab

Koning Eizenberg ArchitectsPerfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel Architects

Pittsburgh

Honorable Mention

Preserve at 620Nelsen Partners

Rejuvenation of a Historic Powerhouse, San FranciscoMarcy Wong Donn Logan Architects

Editors Picks

122 Community Arts CenterDeborah Berke Partners

The MomentaryWheeler Kearns Architects

Winner

Victorian Music Box

CCY Architects

Aspen, Colorado

Honorable Mention

215-225 West 28th StreetDXA studio

Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School ExpansionWheeler Kearns Architects

Editors Picks

Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall, University of OregonOFFICE 52 ArchitectureRowell Brokaw Architects

Enlace New OfficesCanopy/Architecture + Design

Winner

Atelier Cho Thompson

San Francisco and New Haven, Connecticut

Winner

West-Seattle Net Zero

SHED Architecture + Design

Seattle

Honorable Mention

DC Water HeadquartersSmithGroup

King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School and Community ComplexWilliam Rawn Associates with Arrowstreet Architecture & DesignLighting designer: HLB Lighting Design

Editors Picks

University of Victoria District Energy PlantDIALOG

Wheaton College Pine HallSGA

Winner

DPR Sacramento Headquarters

SmithGroup

Sacramento, Californi

Honorable Mention

The International WELL Building InstituteCOOKFOX Architects

University of Delaware The Tower at STAR CampusBernardonEcoWallsParker Interior Plantscape

Winner

The Reach at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Steven Holl ArchitectsBNIMHollander Design Landscape Architects

View post:
Announcing the winners of the 2020 AN Best of Design Awards - The Architect's Newspaper

The parklets that have taken over commercial corridors all over the Bay Area didnt just get built on their own. In many cases, they were the result of community coming together with scores of professionals offering their services for free or with heavy discounts.

Architects, designers, contractors and artists have been quietly volunteering their time during the pandemic for parklets, with one San Francisco landscape architect estimating that the work would have cost around $20,000. They sprang into action sometimes working weeks at a time not only to help local restaurants, but also in the hopes of sparking ideas about what public space could look like in the future.

And they want to do more.

In San Franciscos Richmond District, landscape architect Alec Hawley of Fauvescraper Studio created pamphlets for merchant associations in his neighborhood to help businesses navigate the new parklet permitting process. He also offered his design services for free, noticing parklets pop up around the city that failed to meet accessibility and safety codes.

In the midst of this pandemic and people closing their businesses, the last thing they need to do is read through paragraphs and paragraphs of literature to understand how theyll possibly save their business by bringing some of it outside, he said.

After weeks of silence, three Outer Richmond restaurants took him up on his offer: creative neighborhood favorite Cassava, noodle specialist Kio Ramen and comfort food spot Eat Americana.

He worked through different budgets for Kio Ramens less than $2,000, he passed along instructions for a series of colorful milk crates that served multiple purposes: They propped up donated redwood slabs to function as counters, held succulents Hawley pulled from his own garden and, lined up side by side, look like a rainbow. The design was simple enough that owner Iris Wongs family built it on their own. But it was effective Wong said dinner services have actually been busier than pre-pandemic because customers like the parklet experience so much.

My customers feel like theyre just sitting in a garden, she said.

Cassavas parklet is much more elaborate, with dividers between tables, colorful wooden slats and a mural painted on the exterior. Its a reflection of owner Yuka Iorois desire to create as safe a space as possible as well as to aesthetically contribute to the neighborhood. Hawleys friend, contractor Mike Tinnea, gave a steep discount on building it. And muralist Pablo Raiz Arroyo painted the goldfish on the sides for free. For the most part, Ioroi just had to pay for materials.

Hawley estimates his work spent on the three parklets, pamphlet, community meetings and other related advocacy work during the pandemic would add up to roughly $20,000. At its peak, he was spending five days a week on pro bono work, staying at his computer until 1 a.m. to juggle everything.

Ioroi called Hawley a godsend. Without the parklet, she wouldnt be able to seat anyone outside, and now outdoor dining accounts for 50% of Cassavas business.

In Oakland, efforts have been organized not by one person but by the Oakland Indie Alliance, an advocacy group for small business owners. The group sent an email to its members this summer asking who couldnt afford to build a parklet on their own, and 30 immediately responded. Three parklets have been built as a result, with two more under way.

While huge, elaborate parklets costing anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 have gone up all over San Francisco, there have been fewer in Oakland.

Its the equity issue, said Oakland Indie Alliance Executive Director Ari Takata-Vasquez. People who didnt have access to resources for their businesses generally also didnt have access to build parklets.

Takata-Vasquezs goal is to help business owners who have traditionally seen fewer resources. Two of the first parklets went to Sobre Mesa, a Black-owned bar, and La Frontera Mexican Restaurant in East Oakland.

Turner Construction tagged in to build parklets downtown while the industry group fundraises to pay for more contractors thats been the main bottleneck so far, along with getting donated materials. Its been remarkably easy to find architects and designers who wanted to help, Takata-Vasquez said.

As much as this whole time has been terrible, this is really the silver lining, she said. Oakland has always been a place thats looked out for Oakland, and that hasnt been wiped out by COVID.

In Berkeley, multiple design firms have created free design guides for business owners in the hopes of demystifying the process and as with Hawley, some direct work with restaurant owners followed.

Landscape architecture firm Groundworks Office sketched out parklets for two Berkeley wineries, though they havent been built yet. The work takes time. Though many parklets look structurally similar, Groundworks David Koo said it takes about a week just to present sketches because of the many small, important details in designing a structure for a public area where nothing is standard. The width of the sidewalk can vary. Plus, are there trees? Bike lanes? Parking meters?

It also needs to be simple and cost efficient, said Kristen Sidell of Sidell Pakravan Architects, which has already completed parklets for Berkeley restaurants Vanessas Bistro and La Mediterranee. She and partner Rudabeh Pakravan enlisted a contractor, graphic designer and muralist to work pro bono for the Vanessas Bistro parklet. For La Mediterranee, the owner had his own restaurant staff build the parklet, with Sidell and Pakravan swinging by to create the swooping blue graphics. Theyre now in the early phases of designing parklets for several other restaurants and coffee shops.

Its not rope and a wine barrel, Pakravan said. Were trying to find a happy medium between something that feels like a permanent part of the cityscape and something quickly erected.

Ultimately, architects and designers said it was a no-brainer to jump in and offer their services during the pandemic. Some felt guilty that their financial livelihoods werent interrupted, while others called it a moral imperative. At the same time, there is another pull: Building these parklets is one step in creating a more vibrant, people-centric city, where space to gather in public is more valued than cars. The pandemic proved that cities can adapt.

The parklets arent the interesting thing its the change that I think is potentially afoot throughout these small districts, said Groundworks co-founder Brennan Cox. Weve taken all this parking away, and hopefully the pandemic will go away, but were still going to have these quaint places to eat outside.

While San Franciscos COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force has proposed keeping the parklets through 2023, Berkeley and other cities havent made any formal declarations about how long these parklets may be allowed. But optimism is part of what drove these architects to build sturdy parklets that are up to code and can last.

Its like incumbency: When something is there, its a lot harder to take it away, Pakravan said. Were really hoping theyll stick around long-term, and we think theres a good chance.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker

More:
Restaurant parklets are expensive, so Bay Area architects, artists have been designing them for free - San Francisco Chronicle

The patio style was innovative when architect Paul Revere Williams used it in the 1920s through the ... [+] 1970s.

HomeAdvisor, a platform that connects homeowners to home improvement contractors, has created a visual tribute to Paul Revere Williams, a trailblazing Black architect whose work carried the glamour of classic Southern California style to the rest of the world.

Williams opened his practice in the early 1920s when Southern Californias real estate market was booming, according to the American Institute of Architects. His early practice focused both on small, affordable houses for new homeowners and revival-style homes for his more affluent clients.

As Williams reputation grew, so, too, did his client list. Between the 1920s and his retirement in 1973,Williamsdesigned more than 2,000privatehomes for legendary figures in business and entertainment. He counted Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Tyrone Power and Barbara Stanwyck among his celebrity clients.

Williams left his mark in the citys most glamorous and exclusive enclavesBeverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air and the Hollywood Hills. His architecture design varied from casual ranch-style to Colonial Georgian.

In recent years, A-listers such as Denzel Washington and Ellen DeGeneres have lived in Williams homes. He also designed public housing and a host of civic, commercial and institutional buildings. Regardless of style or use, his work shared the common threads of elegant composition and perfect proportion.

Karen Hudson, granddaughter of Paul Revere Williams, inside the lanai at her home in Los Angeles ... [+] designed by Williams.

Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style, a book written by Williams granddaughter, Karen Hudson, gives a visual tour of the prolific architects most spectacular houses, with a special focus on their roles not only as places for high living but also as venues for world-class entertaining.

They feature many characteristics that were innovative when he used them in the 1920s through the 70s and are considered common practice now like the patio as an extension of the house and hidden, retractable screens, the book states.

Williams was deeply involved in the Black community in Los Angeles and in African-American affairs nationally.He spoke about the challenges he faced in an article for The American Magazine.Without having the wish to show them, I developed a fierce desire to show myself, Williams wrote in a 1937 essay, I Am a Negro. I wanted to vindicate every ability I had. I wanted to acquire new abilities. I wanted to prove that I, as an individual, deserved a place in the world.

Eight of Williams works have been named to the National Register of Historic Places. In his support of Williams nomination for the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2017, William J. Bates, a fellow of AIA, wrote: Our profession desperately needs more architects like Paul Williams. His pioneering career has encouraged others to cross a chasm of historic biases. I cant think of another architect whose work embodies the spirit of the Gold Medal better. His recognition demonstrates a significant shift in the equity for the profession and the institute.

Link:
Visual Tribute Honors The Trailblazing Legacy Of Black Architect Paul Williams - Forbes

KEYSTONE Depending on where you are, luxury can mean something a little different.

In warm places, it might mean large homes with plenty of space for pools or outdoor activities. In the mountains, it often means catering to the active mountain lifestyle.

Tim Sabo, an architect and designer with Allen Guerra Architecture in Frisco, said he always starts a project by looking at the driveway, where the space is going to be and where the views are.

First and foremost, it comes down to the site and where the views are from the site, Sabo said. People love to see the mountains from their house, so we orient a lot of the spaces to the views.

When designing homes in the mountains, architects are also sure to look at their orientation in relation to the sun. While some people may have heated driveways to manage snow, something as simple as putting the driveway in the direction of the sun will do, said Zane Levin, an architect with Collective Design Group.

(Were) just thinking about where the sun is throughout the day, Levin said. If people like to wake up to the sun, then we may orient the master bedroom in the eastern side of the home. If people dont like the sun in the morning, then we may put the master bedroom on the western side of the home.

While many luxury homes are built with winter in mind, Sabo said he still has lots of clients who want to have a deck for cooking and spend time outside.

Weve always got outdoor spaces that are somewhat protected from the heavy snowfall, he said.

Snowfall is a major factor in the design of winter homes. Both Sabo and Levin focus on orienting the roof of homes in a way that will prevent snow from building up around windows or doors.

Were looking at rooflines very diligently, making sure were never shedding snow in front of doors or in front of garages or allowing them to pile up in front of windows if we can help it, Levin said. The roof is quite key in understanding how snow is ultimately going to fall off the home and into the areas around the home.

While architects are tasked with finding ways to design and orient the home for winter elements, interior designers must think about how people use the spaces.

We always look at the convenience factors in the beginning, said Lisa Yates, a senior designer with Collective Design Group. Typically, that would be for a ski-in, ski-out, so you want to have a well-appointed mudroom.

Yates said the mudroom and ski storage are key factors in the design of luxury homes. When designing the homes, she looks at features like durable cabinetry, boot warmers and even built-in water bottle fountains for the mudroom.

In the winter, its just so important to have a place for all of the gear, and a lot of people like to be able to hide it behind doors, she said.

Yates also looks at ways to make homes more fun and relaxing in the winter environment. For example, hot tubs continue to be in style. Yates said shes seeing more and more hot tubs that are built into the ground so people dont have to climb up to get inside them.

Gyms and saunas have become more popular, as well, Yates said.

Were seeing saunas more and more in residential homes and applications, she said. (Theyre) not just the little steam closets but full-out rooms that we build to be a sauna.

Yates said Collective Design Group also has started heating homes with radiant heat to create more comfort in the wintertime.

Every tiled surface, the wood floor, everything has that nice, cozy feeling to it, she said.

Because so much can go into the design of a luxury home, its important for clients to have a good relationship with their designers and architects.

Every project, whether its a small project or a massive project, has a budget, Levin said. To these clients, the budgets important no matter what the budget is. So having open communication and talking through that throughout the entire design process and into the construction process is really important.

More here:
Designers and architects focus on weather and convenience in building luxury mountain homes - Summit Daily News

Founder and Principal Casper Mork-Ulnes.

For this week'sStudio Snapshot, Archinect spoke with Casper Mork-Ulnes, Founder and Principal of San Francisco and Oslo-based firm Mork-Ulnes Architects.

We talked about his approach of managing offices on two continents as a nimble 10-person practice, touched on strategies of combining two design mentalities Scandinavian practicality and Californian optimism as a unique asset, and learned how lessons from Norwegian work culture could contribute to increased productivity among the entire team.

Can you tell us how Mork-Ulnes Architects was founded?

The office was founded in 2005 when I was given the opportunity to work on a project for a friend. I had long thought about starting my own practice and was very fortunate to be able to take this opportunity to set up an office.

How many people are currently employed at the firm? How is your office structured?

We typically are around 10 people currently we have 7 designers in San Francisco and 3 in Oslo along with a bookkeeper. Our office structure is a relatively flat, non-hierarchical structure. What makes us unique in many ways is that we are a small and nimble international practice in contrast with most other international firms that tend to be large organizations. We divide the staff into teams based on the needs of current projects, but since we are a small practice, most of the team has something to do with each project in some way.

Can you talk about the benefits and challenges of maintaining operations on two continents?

We think that having two locations is a great benefit to our clients, and certainly with Covid, it has become more apparent that we can design global projects remotely. Construction administration makes it necessary to have boots on the ground locally, but we find that this can be done with a good local partner. We sometimes joke that having two offices on different time zones also allows us to work almost around the clock when we have deadlines.

The only real challenge with the 9-hour time difference is for me personally having to take meetings late at night when working with our West coast clients. We have projects as far west as Hawaii which means a 12-hour time difference to Oslo, but that is a challenge I am grateful for allowing us to take on work in diverse geographic situations. Being the son of a diplomat, I spent my childhood traveling and living in many different places. I have perhaps therefore always been interested how different places can generate specific design solutions inherent to each different situation.

How do the mentalities towards architecture and design in Norway and California compare with each other?

In many ways they stand in contrast to each other, so we approach projects with both Scandinavian practicality and a Californian can-do spirit of innovation.

On the one hand, the Californian influence on our work is the spirit of optimism, resourcefulness, and comfort with experimentation thats always been present in California. While the Norwegian influence is more grounded and based on being very rational, functional, practical, and also climate-driven in a very different way.

Obviously, California's climate is also very different from Norway's. Whereas a typical Norwegian building is trying to protect from the environment, a characteristically Californian building is often open and extending outwards. So one is more introvert and protective while the other is more open and extrovert. We are often balancing these two forces depending on where we are working, but clearly the California Modernist tradition of indoor-outdoor relationship, as a way of being, is always a definitive driver behind our work.

So I think it is right to say that our work is often negotiating between these two different regional contexts and that we are always optimistically looking for a synthesis between them.

Would you like to scale up and grow your team? What do you consider the ideal size for your practice?

I am interested in always being part of the design process, so I personally do not really want the practice to grow so much that my position becomes only administrative. That said, as we are starting to get larger commissions, we also need to scale our team to allow us to support these types of projects. So there is definitely a tension between the desire to do bigger projects and keeping a nimble and close-knit team.

Describe your office culture. How do you nourish it?

Our office culture is such that hopefully everyone feels that their ideas are welcome, equally valued, and that we work as a team. We also value a positive life-work balance maybe especially due to our Norwegian roots so we encourage everyone to take time to recharge their batteries, prioritize their private lives, and spend time with their friends and families. This stands in contrast to the culture of many US firms, but I think there is a lot to be learned from the Scandinavian work culture. Happy and healthy architects are a lot more productive than overworked ones.

What have been the biggest challenges starting and running your own practice?

The ups and downs of the economy is probably the most challenging part of running a practice, though we have been very fortunate to work with some excellent consultants who've brought a sense of planning strategy and order to those of us who like to dwell more on the conventional design side of the practice. The administrative part of the practice is unfortunately very important, and this is something we are not taught in school, so it is often the most challenging aspect of running a successful practice. Surrounding yourself with people who are good at this has been very helpful to me.

How has your practice shifted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on a day-to-day level?

While we are accustomed to working remotely given that we have two offices over 5,000 miles apart, I think working virtually has still affected the DNA of the office culture. We have also had new hires during this period, so getting to know them via a screen is different than normal, but I think we have fared OK, and I hope we can maintain our office culture when the pandemic subsides. Our Oslo office has been open through most of the pandemic since we are only 3 people, and we are lucky to have ample space. So we have been very lucky here versus our US office in that sense.

Pre-Covid, we were starting to be invited to prepare proposals for a more diverse types of projects like masterplanning, housing, mixed-use, restaurant and hospitality projects. However, these projects have mostly been put on hold due to Covid. That has really been the biggest issue from a business standpoint. On the flip side, we have been faring pretty well given that we are beginning to be known for our cabins and houses, so we have seen quite a bit of new projects in that sector.

Finally, seeing how Covid has affected our team as individual is the most unfortunate effect of the pandemic. We have office wide meetings twice a week, and I try to speak to the team as much as I can. But Covid has clearly affected everyone mentally and socially, so that is something I hope we can all mend as we pull out of the pandemic.

Describe your work. How do you define your own unique style and approach?

I would like to think that our clients would say that we listen closely to their brief and find unique solutions that address their specific situations. All of our work is context-driven with that context being many different things like specific site conditions, budget, schedule, cultural specificities etc. We try to use these challenges as motivators to create good and unique solutions. I would also say that we try to create pared-back, precise and refined design solution for all of our projects deducing the essential character of the building to a unique and clear solution.

What do you want your firm to be known for?

Making good projects that are a clear resolution of the brief. Hopefully, all while being mindful of their context be it economical, cultural, or site-specific etc.

Where do you see Mork-Ulnes Architects in 5 years?

We hope to be building more projects in Europe and finally execute one of our larger mixed-use projects (which seem to take a very long time to push through planning and the development phase). Prior to Covid, we were also starting to explore new project typologies in the US which is exciting, while also working with new types of clients.

Do you have a favorite project? Completed or in progress.

It was a labor of love to design our own mountain cabin, so that project is my favorite from a personal perspective because it gives me and my family so much joy. Our kids love to ski, and we love to have friends and family come and visit and enjoy the beautiful nature of the area and hopefully the architecture as well.

If you could describe your work/practice in three words, what would they be?

Pared-back, resourceful, playful.

Original post:
Mork-Ulnes Architects on Balancing Californian and Norwegian Design Spirits - Archinect