Cory Mattheis
Recent economic conditions have created a volatile stage for young architects to establish themselves. Globally, the design profession has witnessed some of its highest highs and lowest lows within the course of a decade. The 2008-2009 meltdown has certainly reached all corners of the earth, however certain locations seem to be fostering a creative design community that is pushing the borders of traditional architectural practice. The ambition of young, lightweight firms seem to be driving a migration towards these cities in an effort to draw upon the latent design opportunities within these specific social, cultural, and economic climates.
Media reports taken over the last decade concerning the locations of up and coming firms reinforce the relative centralization of young talent despite a decentralized clientele. The increasing connectivity of global systems seems to be producing design hubs capable of fostering young firms that work across traditional geographic and practice boundaries.
The combined recognition of young firms (practicing less than ten years) from 2000-2008 awarded by Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard Competition reveals that the 80 distinguished practices were spread between 31 cities. At first glance this may seem like a decent spread, however the specific numbers suggest a disproportionate concentration. Of the 80 firms, 42 were located in New York City, Los Angeles, London, or Tokyo. This trend is further reinforced by Europe’s 40 under 40: Emerging Young Architects and Designers which places over half of its recognitions within the last two years in the countries of Germany, Great Britain, and Italy. Significant concentrations of accomplished young designers also occurred in Spain, Denmark, and Poland.
Two major trends define the types of cities capable of fostering young designers- both are associated with a general willingness to take risks, the difference lies in the parties assuming that risk. Places like New York and Los Angeles exemplify cities containing private parties willing to invest in the arts, rather than development. This type of investment often encourages interdisciplinary work outside of typical architectural practice. Conversely, the European model often shifts investment risks to the government and general public. Competitions for public work are frequently open to all architects regardless of age and provide equal opportunities for all.
Interdisciplinary experimentation- film, art, fashion and Los Angeles
Much of the support that drives these young offices comes from the willingness of their social community to be risk takers. Los Angeles has been a haven for young designers for years due to its ability to produce clients with the money to support experimental and unproven firms. The film industry has likely had a large effect on all of the design professions in Los Angeles. It not only provides a precedent for risky investments, but may even serve to employ any number of designers in areas slightly outside of their intended focus. Given the current economic situation, the ability of architects branch into the fields of like fabrication, animation, set construction, installation art, product design, and even web design, proves to be a viable (and often times more lucrative) option.
Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich of Los Angeles based Patterns have built a career split between (but entirely dependant on) installations and buildings. Although the firm has realized only a few of its building projects, the business progresses due to the income from installations, product design, and graphic work. Similarly, Ball-Nouges Studio of Los Angeles was created by two designers who had been working in both the film and architectural fields, and saw an opportunity to become design generalist taking on spatial constructs of any kind. While these projects typically take the form of art installations, the firm depends on the social networks of both the architecture and film industry to generate work.
The academic scene in Los Angeles reinforces the interdependence of design fields by encouraging this sort of cross-pollination. Young graduates of the Sci-arc seem to be heading in a direction that considers the future of architecture in digital environments. Programs and buildings that exist exclusively in virtual space escape the economic obstacles of permitting and construction costs while proving to be in high demand. The film industry has become increasingly dependant on digitally constructed environments (both virtual and physical), creating the need for armies of young computer apt designers. The money and time associated with filming and travel may soon be outweighed by the ability to digitally reproduce the same scene. However depressing this may be for both the fields of film and architecture, it introduces an interesting opportunity for designers of all types to get involved.
Interdisciplinary connections prove to be a crucial link in the successful incubation of young LA design firms. The city supplies a highly developed fabrication industry driven by automotive and technological fields from which forward thinking designers are constantly being influenced. Industry overlaps are unique in every city and undoubtedly provide opportunities to any designer willing to step over the fence. Similar situations could be equated to the art scenes of New York or the fashion industry in Milan, Paris, and Tokyo. Cities capable of fostering creative professions provide a platform for architects to seek work in design of any kind.
Social Trust- competitions, public work and Denmark
Another type of city, possibly the polar opposite of Los Angeles, seems to foster young architects by means of an egalitarian design culture. Many European countries have developed a competition driven architectural industry. Essentially this levels the playing field and enables all architects to compete for the same public work regardless of age and experience. Architects are selected based on the quality of the proposal rather than the qualifications of the firm. In many ways this reflects a culture that genuinely values design and places a high degree of trust in the hands of architects.
Denmark is one of numerous countries that have adopted a policy requiring the design of all public buildings to be selected via competition. Young Danish firms like Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Julien De Smedt Architects (JDS) have used this opportunity as a platform to establish themselves both regionally and globally. In 2009 BIG was recognized by Europe’s 40 under 40: Emerging Young Architects and Designers and Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard.
The downfall of a system that places so much trust in the hands of inexperienced architects is the probability of actual construction. Many competitions remain inbuilt due to the impossibility to realize the ambitions of young designers. A simple look at the portfolios of both BIG and JDS indicates a disproportionate relationship between competitions won and those built. And although many of these projects never materialize the offices can survive to employ upwards of 50 people, with a history of only five built projects.
2009- locality vs. mobility
Global economic factors have produced a new paradigm for architectural practice placing emphasis on the versatility rather than establishment. The geographic and professional weight of a design firm may be tending towards the lighter. The most recent assessments of young practices (Vanguard 2009) reveal geographically diverse firms with multiple roots. These are collective firms with members from multi-national backgrounds, operating from multiple locations while remaining small in scale. The 2009 Young Architects Forum recently recognized Bureau E.A.S.T. for its contribution to research within the architectural field. The office is based in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Fez, Morocco and consists of three people.
The importance of geographic location to a young architect is undeniable. The opportunities offered are specific to each location, and a product of the variable social, cultural and economic conditions. However, given the current state of architectural practice and the continuing pressure of globalization, the most important factor in the success of a young designer may actually be his or her diversity of geographical experience. Versatility could allow designers to draw from the opportunities afforded by multiple locations from Los Angeles to Copenhagen.
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