For their latest fashion show scheme for Prada, AMO has gone “back to basics.” Envisioned for the fashion house’s 2017 Fall/Winter Collection, “Continuous Interior” borrows from domestic design, taking the form of a series of curving wooden partitions paired with ordinary materials and emblematic furniture pieces to create a stage that speaks to the importance of authenticity in the political climate of today.
Photograph by Alberto Moncada, Courtesy of OMA
“In the current moment – when issues of simplicity and essentiality are becoming increasingly relevant – AMO and PRADA felt the need to go back to basics, to abandon the construction of hyper-realistic and fully immersive sets in favor of a modest and domestic design, in which the experience of the audience is triggered more by the relationship with the physical space than by visual impact,” said the architects in a press release.
“They also advocate a return to reality and to the possibility of an intimate, unmediated experience between audience and fashion.”
Photograph by Agostino Osio, Courtesy of OMA
Photograph by Alberto Moncada, Courtesy of OMA
AMO has created the sense of domesticity through the use of familiar materials such as terrazzo, tile and formica – the warm, smooth textures of the chosen materials contrasting with the rough, cool surfaces of Milan venue’s interiors – and through the introduction of key furniture pieces such as beds and benches. Together, the elements “define a rhythm for the overall composition.”
Photograph by Agostino Osio, Courtesy of OMA
Photograph by Alberto Moncada, Courtesy of OMA
Audience members are accommodated along the structure, the curving walls giving each guest a unique perspective from which to view the show.
“The partitions, with their limited height, act as a screen between the different rooms, providing an individual perspective to each observer, while still allowing views of the models behind the boiserie,” explain the architects. “All the guests share the same personal yet collective experience.”
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) have named 18 architectural and interior projects as recipients of the 2017 Institute Honor Awards, the profession’s highest recognition for excellence in design.
According to the AIA, “the 2017 Architecture program celebrates the best contemporary architecture regardless of budget, size, style, or type. These stunning projects show the world the range of outstanding work architects create and highlight the many ways buildings and spaces can improve our lives.”
The awarded projects were selected from nearly 700 submissions. The winners will be honored at the 2017 AIA National Convention in Orlando.
Founded in the late 1970s as a non-collecting institution, the Aspen Art Museum worked in tandem with the design team to determine programmatic needs and to ensure its new home completely supported the art it hangs. Adhering to a strict 18-month construction schedule, the new museum opened in 2014 and has seen a 400 percent increase in visitorship and a 1,140 percent increase in the number of students served by the museum’s educational outreach initiatives. Three floors—two above ground, one below—are dedicated to gallery space, while the top floor includes an ample multiuse space, café, and public terrace with sweeping views of the Rockies.
Winner of the 2012 adAPT NYC competition for New York City’s first micro-unit apartment building, Carmel Place represents a new housing paradigm for the city’s growing small household population. The design of the 9 story building’s 55 units aims for spaciousness and luminosity through the implementation of 9’-8” ceilings, 8’ tall sliding windows and Juliet balconies. With a goal of conveying the residents’ nested scales of community, afforded by varied interior and exterior shared spaces, the building’s brick exterior massing resembles four slender “mini-towers” – a microcosm of the city’s skyline.
Carnegie Hall Studio Towers Renovation Project / Iu + Bibliowicz Architects LLP
The Carnegie Hall Studio Towers Renovation Project centered on: renovation, reorganization, and repurposing of 167,000 square feet of non-performance venues at the National Historic site. The 7-year project encompassed the creation of a Music Education Wing, new roof terrace, consolidation of administrative offices, expanded backstage space and functionality, and façade lighting to showcase the landmark. Substantial interior structural modifications and infrastructure upgrades aided in the success of the renovation. The project was awarded LEED Silver Certification, one of the oldest and most notable buildings in the country with such distinction.
The Cotton Gin at the CO-OP District / Antenora Architects LLP
The reuse of the two existing cotton gin structures is the first piece of a 2012 master plan to revitalize the site, which was purchased by the City of Hutto. Both structures were selectively deconstructed and reused to create a single open-air 6,500-square-foot public events space. The new building is wrapped in perforated stainless steel that reflects the hot Texas sun during the day and provides intriguing transparency at night. The design team succeeded in creating a flexible space for public and private events that complements everything from programmatic functions of the local library and farmer’s markets to artisan fairs and wedding receptions.
Grace Farms was established with the idea that “space communicates” and can inspire people to collaborate for good. To realize this vision, Grace Farms Foundation appointed SANAA to create a porous, multipurpose building nestled within an 80-acre landscape that would encourage people to engage with nature, the arts, justice, community, and faith. The River building emerged as a new kind of public space that embodies these aspirations. Its sinuous structure is comprised of 203 individually curved glass panels containing five volumes: a sanctuary; library; commons; pavilion; and partially submerged Court.
Sitting on the southern edge of Chicago’s Midway, the Center houses the University of Chicago’s visual arts, film, music, and theater programs, finally uniting the programs under one roof. The building comprises a 10-story tower and an adjacent two-story “podium.” Both are clad in Missouri limestone cut into four-foot lengths and laid as bricks. The material echoes the limestone found on the University’s neo-Gothic structures as well as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, also located on campus. Bathed in natural light, the smaller building is lit by north-facing skylights throughout its many creative spaces.
Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, Marvel Architects has brought the brick and mortar ruins of the historic Tobacco Warehouse back to life, creating a new theater space for renowned presenter St. Ann’s Warehouse. Leading a team of Silman, Buro Happold and Charcoalblue, Marvel created a controlled acoustical environment using natural state materials – concrete, blackened steel, Douglas fir plywood. With a respectful sleight of hand, a new roof floats atop a ribbon of solid glass brick. Adjacent to the theater is a trapezoidal garden designed with Michael Van Valkenberg Landscape.
The SIX is a 52-unit LEED Platinum affordable housing and support services building for disabled veterans. Located in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles which has one of the highest densities in the USA with a total population of 120,000 people in 2.72 square miles. The SIX breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional shelter by creating public and private “zones” in which private space is deemphasized, in favor of large public areas. The organization is intended to transform the way people live-away from a reclusive, isolating layout towards a community-oriented, interactive space.
The Central Energy Facility is the heart of Stanford University’s transformational campus-wide energy system, projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68%. The centerpiece of this composition of large, industrial components is a central courtyard pivoting around a 2.5-million-gallon hot water thermal storage tank, showcasing the energy plant’s mission. The architecture takes its cues from Stanford’s rich heritage: the Stanford arcade is reimagined as PV trellis; integrally colored cast-in-place concrete nods to the prevalent limestone; and weathered CorTen steel accents suggest terra-cotta tile roofs that give the campus much of its character.
Located in the remote village of Sinthian, Senegal, this project offers multiple programs for the community, including a gathering space, performance center, and residency for visiting artists. In the design, a parametric transformation of the traditional pitched roof inscribes a series of courtyards within the plan of the building while also creating shaded, multi-purpose areas around the perimeter of the courtyard. The inversion of the roof creates an effective strategy for the collection and storage of rainwater, capable of fulfilling substantial domestic and agricultural water needs for the community. Relying exclusively on local materials and construction techniques, the building’s traditional structure is formed primarily of bamboo and spaced-brick walls that absorb heat and promote airflow through the building interior.
Following nearly forty years of continuous operation, the Yale Center for British Art, designed by Louis I. Kahn and recipient of AIA’s Twenty-five Year Award, faced mounting programmatic, infrastructural, and operational pressures which threatened to degrade its extraordinary architectural character. The multi-year conservation project renewed interior finishes that had grown tired and worn; restored and expanded teaching spaces that were oversubscribed and underequipped; fortified spaces for exhibition, storage, and study of the growing collection; and replaced vital building systems which had reached the end of their practical life.
2017 Institute Honor Awards for Interior Architecture
Gabellini Sheppard Associates opened a new chapter for the 13,160-square-foot Rainbow Room and 65th floor, blending contemporary needs with design that rekindled the room’s original Art Deco-inspired spirit and radiant notoriety of 1934. In the Rainbow Room, the revitalization of the rotating dance floor, addition of mesmerizing crystal window veils, and restoration of the chandelier and central dome, reinforce the modern-day grandeur. In Bar SixtyFive, a faceted ceiling composed of glass-reinforced gypsum panels anchor the space, reinterpreting the open-air height the room once had as a sun parlor.
In 1956, the General Motors styling team moved from Detroit to a new design space. The complex, originally designed by Eero Saarinen, has become a legendary corporate master piece of planning and design. For SmithGroupJJR, the overall design intent was to modernize the facility but to do so in a manner consistent with the original Saarinen detailing. Technologies of materials, lighting and audio/visual have progressed dramatically and the revised Design Dome is now poised for General Motors to re-establish the relevance of this significant space for the design community.
Located on iconic Washington Circle Park in the heart of the nation’s capital, this School of Public Health is a rigorous, innovative response to site and program. With its most sustainable solutions so deeply embedded as to be nearly indistinguishable, it keenly demonstrates the symbiotic relationship between sustainability and public health. The building’s unusual skylit atrium, in which classrooms and study areas overlook the city through an open latticework of floor openings, invites exploration and discovery. The building supports a highly effective learning and interaction environment that is equally memorable for its intimacy and transparency.
Located in the recently reopened San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA), In Situ represents a unique intersection of art, design, food and community. The restaurant features a curated collection of culinary innovators from around the world to make their contributions accessible for greater public engagement. Its design operates at many scales from urban to the intimate, and is intended to engage all of the senses with an emphasis on tactility and acoustics. The exposed interior shell of the building provides a backdrop for discreetly placed “artifacts” which include commissioned art, custom designed lighting, custom furniture and a sculptural wood ceiling.
The new Pinterest headquarters is inspired by the redesign of the company’s web platform — clean, simple, intuitive. It occupies a concrete structure in the SOMA district that previously housed a John Deer factory. A key aspect of the design extends the existing atrium through to the ground floor, spatially connecting all four floors. The Knitting Stair occupies this newly-activated heart of the building. The workspace program is organized as porous, concentric layers around the atrium and Knitting Stair, opening up to the city at the ground floor’s lobby, café, all-hands space and maker lab.
University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth, Claire T. Carney Library / designLAB architects Associate Firm: Austin Architects
Conceived in 1963 as a utopian community by architect Paul Rudolph, the UMass Dartmouth campus remains a tour de force of late 20th-century architectural exuberance and optimism. The Claire T. Carney Library is the 160,000-square-foot centerpiece of the concentric campus plan. designLAB’s transformation celebrates the historic architecture, while creating a state-of-the-art learning environment, improved group study spaces, a cafe, a lecture space, and a new campus living room. Inspired by Rudolph’s original design intentions, the renovation included the re-introduction of a vibrant color palette, bold supergraphics, and dynamic social spaces.
While functional requirements of performance venues often dictate opaque volumes, the 36,000-square-foot Writers Theatre is instead a transparent cultural anchor that embraces its community. A double-height lobby provides a flexible space for outreach, gatherings, and performances, with glass doors that open to the adjacent park. Clad in wood hewn from the site, box office and concessions are treated as furniture, integrated into flexible lobby tribune seating. A canopy walk hung from timber trusses provides an open-air gathering place before, after, and between shows. The two stages are configured to enhance the intimacy for which Writers is known while creating new opportunities for innovative performance.
From the architect. Carried out in a residential area of the Rosemont–La-Petite-Patrie borough, the project consisted in renovating and expanding a duplex built in the 1920s that housed three dwelling units. The added storey harmonized the building with the size of the surrounding constructions.
The intervention was minimal on Dandurand Street, rather extending along the perpendicular street. In the existing section, the brick was replaced, but the original openings were mostly retained, while large angled windows were built on the addition, multiplying the views on the urban landscape. The glass and white steel volume that was added on top of the first two levels stands out through both its angular shape and its materials. On each level, spacious decks equipped with glass railings lighten volume perception. A shared deck was inserted into a breach made in the volume, which also captures light.
This project consists of a new child and teenager campus, comprising a kindergarten, a primary school and a secondary school. The building location for this new project lies in Antwerpen-North, along the Hardenvoort street, on the edge of the Park Spoor Noord.
The building has two faces: a city side with higher building volumes and the tower, and a ‘softer’ park side with several levels, making the building a transition zone between the park and the Hardenvoort street side, and linking it to the education facility building. The plan is to create a central lobby to connect the street and the park sides and provide double access to the complex. There is a student entrance on the park side and an entrance for visitors, neighbours and students who are late on the street side.
The site has a twofold relationship with the park: on the west side, a part of the park is focussed on teenagers (skating bowl, graf ti, part-time art education), while the south side is connected to the facilities for younger children (playground, recreational water features,…). Therefore, the basic concept is to situate the secondary school and the general rooms on the west side, and the kindergarten and primary school on the south-east side. This will create a logical connection to the park. The general rooms, such as the gym, will be located in the head of the building, the hinge between park and city. The neighbours can use this gym after hours.
Section AA
Section CC
The separate departments can be clearly seen within the building, just like the cascade of accompanying outside areas.
The kindergarten is oriented towards the inner area that offers more cover, while the departments for the older children are more open to the park and street sides of the project. The ground oor will include a separate play ground for the toddlers, which will be closed to the other students. Large stairs will lead to another, communal playground, on the level of the cafeteria and the entrance to the primary school. As the child becomes older, the approach will become more open. Once the child becomes a teenager, they will have a wide view over the city and its surroundings. Because the plot is relatively small for the number of students that has to be housed here (680 students), most of the roofs will be used as playgrounds.
The building can be considered a passive school because of its thick insulation, the meticulous attention to soundproo ng, sun screens, a ventilation system with heat recuperation, and exterior carpentry with triple glazing.
When you’re looking for home inspiration in preparation for building a house, it’s easy to scroll through all different homes, styles, and decors in search of aspects and features you like best. Sometimes, however, it’s nice to find a grand and impressive “super home” where the designers have gone all out and incorporate just about everything you could possibly wish for in one place, just to see how people have..
At a lakeside camp, where tented and cabin campsites are proven attractions, the Girl Scouts set out to add a different sort of shelter. They wanted treehouses, something to evoke the sense of adventure, fantasy, delight found in the lofty constructs of backyards and forest getaways. The new 36-person site at Camp Graham consists of a series of pole structures along the wood’s edge, linked by an elevated path that winds among the trunks of the native trees. The challenge in treehouse making is to build without doing harm to the trees, and to extend access to all campers.
The Camp Graham structures are supported on tall wood poles that lightly touch the ground. They lean toward one another amid the surrounding, irregular tree trunks, becoming part of the forest. These frames are draped in canopies that combine both solid and translucent materials, which playfully catch or transmit the dappled sunlight that makes its way through the natural tree canopy. Each of the all-weather shelters accommodates six campers in bunks and cots, and each one includes a daylit central core, a place for playful mingling. The stick-framed forms soar overhead, reaching up to the branches of the trees that surround. The edges of end panels and floor boards stop short, allowing screened slots to naturally ventilate the space.
The connecting path begins at grade, rises gently and meanders a near-level course through the trees. Galvanized wire farm fencing minimizes the feeling of enclosure and promotes a sense of height, of being above the ground, in the trees. The elevated walk connects all six sleeping shelters and leads to the common troop house, located where the falling terrain allows a lower level for showers and storage. Stairs and a chair lift provide direct access between the troop level and the forest floor, which also provides location for the central firepit that is a feature of all the encampments at the lake.
Product Description. The lean-to frame is built with the same simple utility poles used most commonly as infrastructure. These poles fit comfortably among the trees with which they stand. As a product, the poles were economical and readily available up to the 45’ length required. To join the poles to the foundation, workmen on site saw kerfs for the steel plates which pin the structure together.
BREAKING: This is a developing story and will be updated as soon as more information is available.
In a meeting yesterday, The Board of La Biennale di Venezia appointed Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara as curators of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition in 2018.
In a statement issued by President Paolo Baratta, he explained
“The Exhibition curated by Alejandro Aravena offered visitors a critical overview of the worldwide evolution of architecture and underlined how important it is that a qualified demand on the part of individuals and communities be met by an equally effective response, thereby confirming that architecture is one of civil society’s instruments for organizing the space in which it lives and works.
Along these lines, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara will continue to address the same theme but from the point of view of the quality of the public and private space, of urban space, of the territory and of the landscape as the main ends of architecture. The curators, who are well-known for the refinement of their work, are also known for their intense didactic activity and their ability to involve and fascinate new generations.”
The 16th International Architecture Exhibition will take place from Saturday, May 26 to Sunday, November 25, 2018.
The spaces in which great architecture firms produce their work are a source of endless curiosity for architects. By understanding these workspaces, architects hope to understand the environment in which their favorite ideas and drawings are shaped, and gain a more intimate understanding of their favorite practices. For this reason, we have searched our archives for the architectural offices that have previously been published on our website. Among our selection are international names such as MVRDV and Selgas Cano alongside other offices which, though not so well known, also demonstrate how your workspace can be a source of inspiration for design.
Architecture salary. Perhaps one of the most talked about and passionately debated topics in the design community. I receive more emails on this subject than almost anything else.
Previously, in 5 Factors Affecting Your Architecture Salary, I covered several variables that contribute to your income. However, for this article I want to highlight the areas that will produce the best return on your investment of time and money.
While earning six figures doesn’t mean what it used to, it is still a very admirable (and achievable) goal. So how do you go about reaching this significant architecture salary milestone? Let’s discuss.
Just a quick note, I will be discussing how you can earn a large salary through an employer. I won’t cover running your own office for this post. However this can be a route to a high income—potentially very high.
1. Start now
If you are just beginning your architecture career it is unlikely you will be able to earn $100,000+ per year today. However, now is the time to focus on developing the points below. By the time you are twenty years into your career and earning half of what you should be it is often too late to make up the difference.
The architecture profession is a relatively slow accumulation of experience and qualifications. The sooner you can master the following points the better positioned you will be in the [near] future to command a higher salary than your less capable peers.
2. Develop your skills
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The same is true for your architecture career. If you are doing the same thing everyday and expecting a higher salary it is unlikely to happen.
What can you do today that will make you more valuable tomorrow? Increasing your “hard skills” is a relatively easy first step to implement.
Hard skills examples:
Design skill
Software knowledge
Code knowledge
Industry awareness
Hand drawing
Data analysis
Qualifications
Degrees
Foreign languages
However it is just as important to develop your “soft skills.”
Soft skills examples:
Communication skills
Leadership skills
Adaptability and flexibility
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Creativity
Team-working
Time management skills
Willingness to learn
These typically take longer to perfect so you need to start now. Focus on one topic per day and try to tweak one aspect of your work day or routine to improve one of these skills. The book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy explains this process beautifully.
Often it can be difficult to get substantial raises from your current employer, beyond the standard 3% – 5% cost of living increases. However, making calculated, strategic moves can greatly boost your base salary. If you are looking for a new position, start by checking out the 7 Reasons Why Your Architecture Job Application Is Being Ignored.
4. Reduce the stress of others
In a recent interview with Mark Cuban, he stated one of the keys to success is to “reduce the stress of your co-workers”.
When you are at work, reduce the stress of your colleges and supervisors. If you can reduce other people’s stress, those people will gravitate towards you. You will be seen as the leader and your colleagues will eventually want to work for you.
Here is a link to Mark’s excellent interview, I highly recommend watching.
5. Be the best
Without a doubt specialization is key to a high salary in architecture. In other words, “what do you do better than anyone else?” This can be as broad as expertise in a certain building typology or as specific as airport BIM Management (who, by the way, can make substantial incomes).
For example, an Architect III position: Ten or more years of experience, licensed architect who plans and develops medium- to large-scope projects with many complexities, executes and coordinates projects, and may oversee a large staff of architects and technicians.
In New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) the mean salary is $104,600.
Courtesy of The Architect's Guide
Keep in mind this is the average, so while some made less, others made more. While this does require 10+ years of experience there are ways to reduce this number by working through school to compress the post-graduation years required.
6. Take responsibility
As the saying goes, “don’t ask permission just ask for forgiveness”. Responsibility is not something that is just handed out, you need to take the initiative and go above and beyond what is expected.
You can’t be at the bottom of the pyramid and expect to be well compensated. If you want to climb the pay scale you must challenge yourself by taking on more responsibility, which will ultimately translate to more income. This doesn’t necessarily mean working long hours but you need to be as efficient and productive as possible.
If you are just beginning your career, start small. Take on the task of leading a small portion of a project. By proving to others that you are reliable and dependable you will be rewarded over time.
7. Have regular performance reviews
This is an opportunity for you to discuss with your supervisor(s) what you have contributed to the firm and will provide in the near future. Depending on the size of the office these may be organized by the HR department or you may need to take the initiative to set up a meeting.
Make sure you are well prepared with specific examples. How and where you have been successful? What do you want to provide moving forward?
You can think of this as re-interviewing for your own job. While that may sound scary it is meant to emphasize the importance of your review and why you are asking for a raise. Generally you should have this sit down once a year but if there has been a major change in your role or responsibilities it could be sooner.
Remember, just taking up office space and breathing air for a year does not qualify for an increase. Neither does the cost of living or your personal financial situation.
8. Get your license
One of the best places to begin on your journey to a high architecture salary is to become licensed. Yes, it is expensive and takes a lot of time but it is very important to advance in the profession.
If you don’t believe me just look at the senior members of your or other architecture offices. Are they licensed? Odds are most of them are registered architects. There are exceptions, but it is best to follow a proven path.
In the U.S. NCARB is making it easier to complete your license by reducing the number of tests and required hours of internship experience. Tear off the band-aid. Just get it over with. The longer you wait the more difficult it will become to finish the exams.
Depending on your state you can complete the exams BEFORE you complete the Intern Experience Program, and you can record MORE than 40 hours per week.
Both of these techniques can greatly reduce the time it takes to become licensed. The longer you hold a license generally the more you are worth in the marketplace.
9. Move to an urban area
This may not be the best solution for everyone but since we are putting all the options on the table, this can be the quickest route to a six figure income. Often by following the cyclical construction booms you can take advantage of a hot market looking for talent.
The big benefit of working for an architecture office in a prominent city is that the salary will almost always be higher than the equivalent job in a rural environment. Of course the reason often cited for this is the higher cost of living.
However, if you are willing to live below your means and skip the penthouse apartment you will be financially better off in the long run. Setting your salary high as early as possible will be a huge advantage throughout your career.
10. Develop Multiple Income Streams
This topic is perhaps outside the scope of what we have been discussing but if we are strictly talking about breaking the $100k annual figure, it is relevant.
I recommend that everyone have multiple income streams. The riskiest position to be in is where one company provides your only source of income. Think about your skill set and what you can do on the side to generate additional income.
There are hundreds of ways to earn additional cash related to the architecture profession. Who knows, that side work may turn out to be even more profitable than your day job.
Pick up freelance architecture work? Provide model building or rendering services? This can not only provide income in the short term but also create long term connections and contacts. Ultimately, this may lead to additional work or even a more lucrative position.
One note on side jobs, depending on the type of work you are performing your employer’s liability insurance can prohibit freelance work, so be sure to do your homework.
I hope this has been helpful for your architecture salary goals. So what are you waiting for?
In some uniquely designed contemporary homes, the signs that you’re in for a visual treat are very subtle from the street. The outside of the home might look deceivingly “normal” at first, leaving you to be surprised when you walk through the door and encounter the modern visual masterpiece that is the interior. EN House is the perfect example of what we mean! EN House is a wonderfully subtle but..
Sig Nordal 