Episode 1: The State of Architecture

The patronage model of architecture is being challenged. No longer satisfied with trying to meet budget and time constraints after a client purchases a property, architects are moving upstream in the process. Going beyond notions like “design-build” to take control of bids, land decisions, and even becoming developers in their own right.

Is this the future of architecture, or a momentary trend? To find out, By Design travelled to two young firms on the edge of this new movement.

Inside the Episode

Through rapid-fire prototyping and unique forms of design improvisation, residential firm Laney LA and NYC-based commercial practice KURV are unlocking the potential for architects to fully evaluate and cost a project before the land is even bought.

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Episode 4: Breaking Ground

Decades of statistics show that women are entering accredited architectural programs at an ever increasing rate. Yet recent AIA surveys indicate that females still make up less than one-third of architectural staff, and only 21% of principals and partners. Given this, it’s no surprise that over 70% of female students and professionals believe that women are underrepresented in the industry.

With a new generation of women preparing to enter the field in even larger numbers, how much progress toward equality will they find, and what changes are likely to shape them? By Design went to Washington DC to hold a frank conversation with two architects breaking new ground in every sense.

Inside the Episode

For nearly 40 years, Olvia Demetriou has blazed her own trail as an independent architect and entrepreneur. The daughter of a successful urban planner, Olvia set out at the age of 17 to follow her passion for architecture, and gain the experience necessary for her to build a solo career on her own terms.

One of only six women in her graduating class, Olvia gave up the familiarity of a family firm to start her own practice at a time when having a man’s name on the masthead was deemed a necessity. Through her own brilliance and business acumen, Olvia rose to become one of the nation’s most sought-after restaurant and hospitality architects, with appointment as an AIA Fellow in 2000.

In 2011, Olvia merged her company to form HapstakDemetriou+, where she continues to lead her own teams in the creation of evocative, trend-setting projects. Her story is not only a view into how far the industry has come, but the type of courage and confidence that remains critical for women to succeed.

Across town, Allison Cooke represents the major strides female professionals are making within the traditional firm environment.

An interior designer who recognized how a grounding in architecture can deliver more creativity and project control, Allison sought out the cross-team collaboration of CORE architecture + design to reorient her career while on the job. Establishing retail and hospitality as her focus, Allison gained increasing client recognition first on a regional stage, then a national one as her ability to innovate and create spaces from the inside out blossomed.

After proving her capabilities as an effective manager and business executive, Allison recently became the first female partner in the firm’s history, as well as the youngest. Her insights are required reading for all who want to follow in her footsteps.

Watch the episode to hear the candid thoughts of these pioneering figures:

Episode 3: Pacific Rising

Architecture and technology have always influenced each other. On the West Coast, a more profound relationship is happening. From Silicon Valley to Seattle, the tech economy is creating an unparalleled boom in architectural projects. Where Lautner and Neutra once reigned, a new generation of architects are pairing with tech-fueled clients to explore daring ideas in innovation and freedom, often made possible by the very technologies those clients create.

Is this merely a continuation of West Coast idealism, or the source of a global architectural movement? By Design traveled the Pacific coast to explore two firms at this new intersection of digital and design.

Inside the Episode

Born from a love of architecture as an exploration of story and abstraction, San Francisco-based Ogrydziak Prillinger Architects (OPA) draws its inspiration from the mathematics and physics that power the tech revolution all around them.

Through a unique combination of intellectual curiosity and technological fascination, OPA utilize every digital tool at their disposal to experiment with narratives that push the boundaries of shape, structure and materiality. For the firm and its tech clients, every project is a new chance to relentlessly challenge convention — and create new forms of individuality rooted in the California dream.

800 miles to the north, Seattle’s CAST Architecture is at the center of a digital economy rivaling Silicon Valley in size and stature.

Rather than use technology to subvert the system, CAST capitalize on cutting-edge tools to further the Pacific Northwest passion for tectonics, natural elements and indoor/outdoor environmental harmony. In doing so, it is not only appealing to a different type of tech clientele, but bravely testing new ideas of how technological progress and timeless nature can peacefully coexist in urban spaces.

Watch the episode to get a view of West Coast architecture from an entirely different perspective. Then follow us on social media to enjoy bonus content that will take you inside the studios of each firm and the technologies they employ.

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Episode 2: The New Urbanism

The migration back to inner cities is creating huge economic benefits, but also major challenges around diversity and marginalization. Increasingly, architects are finding themselves on the front lines of the debate, and are being asked to deploy new methods of engagement and partnership to make urban transformation work for everyone.

Is this a new age of architect as ethical city builder, or a societal issue best left to others to solve? That’s the question By Design posed to two firms at the leading edge of city planning and development.

Inside the Episode

Not content with the traditional lines between private and public sector, Chicago architects Landon Bone Baker (LBB) and Toronto-based planning firm Urban Strategies are driving entirely new models of cooperation based on mutual civic as well as economic benefit.

Drawing upon their training under public housing pioneer Harry Weese, LBB is reshaping inner Chicago by giving local residents a dominant role in how their neighborhoods are updated and new constituencies introduced. Working together to not only create new buildings, but transformative ideas in workplace housing, education, elder care and community services that lift opportunity for all.

Realizing that the diversity of cities is their greatest competitive advantage, Urban Strategies is using their planning role to link government, community and developers in common cause. By replacing the imposition of change with open dialog and development of joint goals, their visionary work is helping cities create a future that strengthens rather than divides their unique cultural fabric.

Watch the episode to explore how their work is making a difference, and the lessons it holds for architects worldwide. Then follow us on social media to go behind the scenes and inside their studios via exclusive bonus content.