Archinect - Features

'Architecture as Provider Instead of Shelter': Matter Design's Brandon Clifford Discusses Architecture and Speculative Design as a Catalyst for Social Good

2021-04-14T08:25:00-04:00

Learning how a design studio begins its journey into professional practice is an eye-opening experience. For Matter Design, they started with a mission to build projects they designed themselves. While this response may seem simple in its approach, they explain, "we were much more interested in the means, the methods, and communication between design and materials." Yet, four years after our Studio Snapshot interview with co-founders Brandon Clifford and Wes McGee, the practice has grown into a catalyst for bridging architecture, speculative design, and interdisciplinary social missions.

Archinect re-connected with Clifford to discuss recessions, running a speculative design studio, and how the firm's latest project AquíAquí is more than just a public space project. Clifford shared, "I can say that we have built Matter Design on a series of speculative built works that serve as individual challenges to default practice." In response to the development of AquíAquí, he explains, "we t...

Leroy Street Studio on Engaged and Inclusive Design

2020-09-21T13:14:00-04:00

For New York City-based firm Leroy Street Studio, good design is just one part of the architectural equation. Uniting several, integrated branches under one roof—architecture, community workshop, construction, and interiors—the terms 'multidisciplinary' and 'collaborative' aren't just marketing buzzwords but core values.

For the latest Studio Snapshot, Archinect reached out to LSS partners Marc Turkel, Morgan Hare, and Shawn Watts to learn more about the firm's growth process, integration of disciplines, and community outreach.

ASU Graduate Selina Martinez Highlights the Influence of Indigenous Worldviews on Architecture

2020-07-16T14:32:00-04:00

Finding a "balance between the sacred and mundane" has been a driving force for recent M.Arch graduate Selina Martinez. As she completes her academic journey and steps into her career, Martinez emphasizes the role indigenous cultures have on the built environment. In her thesis BACHIA, she focuses on "prioritizing the survival of Yaqui communities, culture, and knowledge" and how this investigation within indigenous communities impacts infrastructure.

A recent graduate from Arizona State University, Martinez shares her experiences of navigating the completion of her thesis during a pandemic and discusses adjusting her workflow via remote learning. We also discuss her thoughts on the architecture industry and how her passions have given her a specific perspective on the future of employment. "I think it is obvious that we need to uplift diversity in these fields, as a lot of architecture schools are still led by white men and continue to teach 'Bauhaus' design processes that disregar...

"Discovering a Black Aesthetic in Architecture" — An Investigation by Woodbury Grad Demar Matthews

2020-06-09T13:29:00-04:00

Demar Matthews is a recent M.Arch graduate of Woodbury University. We first met Demar with the publication of his article A Black Architecture Education Experience, a piece that propelled the young designer into a rigorous investigation of Black architectural aesthetics in America. Due to COVID-19, Demar was forced to rework his approach to his project and decided to curate all of his research on a website, offtopdesign.com, which is a work in progress. Demar's academic exploration of Black aesthetics is something he says he's only just begun.

He says this thesis is a first step to what he hopes will be a much longer and deeper path. I connected with Demar, to talk a bit more about his project and thoughts for his future.

Archinect's Spotlight on 2020 Thesis Projects: 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year for architecture graduates. Students were displaced as schools shut down, academic communities had to adapt to a new virtual format, end-of-year celebrations were can...

Developing a Better City With UCLA's IDEAS Urban Strategy Studio

2020-02-27T14:30:00-05:00

How do we go about shaping a better city? How can land use and urbanism be explored to create solutions for pressing urban problems? Can multidisciplinary approaches to urban planning help create new ways of defining and shaping urban growth?

In Los Angeles, ubiquitous and challenging land development conditions have positioned the University of California, Los Angeles Department of Architecture and Urban Design to unpack these topics and explore them like perhaps no other school of design can. An institution that focuses on collaborative research between its students and faculty, UCLA AUD strives to create learning environments fueled by experimentation and discovery. As a means to highlight the initiatives being focused on at the school, Archinect spoke with Associate Adjunct Professor, Jeffrey Inaba, and lecturers David Jimenez Iniesta and Gillian Shaffer of UCLA AUD's IDEAS Urban Strategy Studio. The studio is one of four research topics: Entertainment (studio previously covered...

Deans List: University of Calgary's Dr. John Brown Discusses the Importance of Fostering Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship

2019-11-05T06:00:00-05:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the dean — giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty, and academic environment.

For this installment, Archinect spoke with Dr. John Brown, dean at the University of Calgary School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. A seasoned architect and academic, Brown's background has allowed him to explore how academia can not only teach students but foster a level of thinking. From running a practice filled with people-centric design, research, and entrepreneurial spunk, Brown expresses for students to "look at what it is they want to do and how they can do that most effectively without being constrained by conventional practice."

A supporter of design innovation and entrepreneurship, Brown shares the challenges the program has faced and how the blending of research and multidisciplinary has led t...

Deans List: University of Detroit Mercy's Dan Pitera and the Three Questions That Drive His Career

2019-08-30T09:00:00-04:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the dean—giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty, and academic environment.

For this installment, Archinect spoke with Dan Pitera, newly appointed dean at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. An influential leader in architectural academia, social justice practices, and community engagement in the city of Detroit, Pitera brings a passion for education and dedication to creating "practice-ready graduates." According to Pitera, "design is really an issue of social justice, which our School defines as the distribution of both advantages and disadvantages across the full cross-section of society."

The City That Could: Understanding Detroit Through Inclusive Design and Public Policy

2019-08-14T07:00:00-04:00

In 2015, Detroit was announced as a UNESCO City of Design honoree, the first American city to receive the recognition. Since then, Detroit has made efforts to revitalize and revamp its once declining fortunes. A city with a complicated history of trying to reposition its vibrant industrial past into a thriving future, the current push to modernize Detroit has taken time, if nothing else. However, collaborative efforts between local government, planners, designers, and the community at large has helped turn the once "forgotten city" into "the city that could."

To learn more about Detroit's progress, Archinect chats with Executive Director Olga Stella of Design Core Detroit. A formidable force for change within the city, Stella helped initiate the Detroit City of Design Competition that calls for architects and designers to create solutions to help transform Detroit neighborhoods for the better. Together with Stella, we discuss the role public policy plays in architecture, the import...

Win ECO-MONOPOLY by playing for sustainability, not profit

2016-09-07T11:42:00-04:00

When the Parker Brothers' version of the game Monopoly was released in 1935, it was primarily a celebration of capitalism; players were encouraged to build as much high-priced real estate as they could by acquiring desirable tracts of land and then forcibly renting them out to unlucky arrivals. The goal was to bankrupt the other players, all the while dodging the slings and arrows of the often financially ruinous 'Chance' cards.

If you can’t stand the domesticity, get out of the kitchen

2016-08-15T09:26:00-04:00

Kitchen design in the U.S. has evolved substantially in the last 100 years, moving from a service-oriented back room to the third largest space in houses. This shift has played a role in how people define domesticity, domestic relationships, and even community at large.