November 2021: Culture-based Community, Designing for the Mind, and Vulnerability

To our readers,

As this season transitions into what we typically associate with fall - events on the upswing, activity accelerated, celebrations back, and deals being made left and right - what I’m seeing is that people are looking for a closer community within all of this, to ease back in, to feel confident in getting out and about again, and to know that the communities of support that have carried them through the pandemic are still intact.

Like a true friend is not fair weathered, real communities of support and collaboration ride both the high and low waves together. I'm curious to see how the communities and collectives established during the pandemic will impact the post-pandemic world as they evolve, and especially the ideas and new design methodologies that this coming together will result in. Read on for my thoughts:

Marianna Martinelli's Grand Trine Studio launch. Photography by Tory Williams.

What I’m Seeing - ie. What’s Current

A Few More Thoughts on Community - Last month, I was lucky to attend the launch for Marianna Martinelli’s new venture, Grand Trine Studio. It was clear that joy is at the heart of this transdisciplinary group and what they aim to do together. I saw the same thing at events hosted by Brick & Wonder and ULI, leading me to write that the communities we build are actually less about our professional identities, but more about the way we want to exist in the world and the belief systems we share. As we get closer to 2022, I encourage you all to articulate what those are for you, and find some in-person gatherings centered around that.
Firm-to-Firm Collegiality - WIP Collaborative is partnering with Verona Carpenter Architects and Sasha Topolnytska for the Design Trust for Public Space (more on that below); one of our latest interviews with Florencia Pita and Cecilia Quezada explores their project collaboration as well. Architects have been doing this for years, but the coming together wasn’t celebrated until recently, as the lack of new business opportunities, remote work, and the everlasting need and benefit of diverse teams catalyzed these new partnerships. The collegiality, thought sharing, and community coming out of these collaborations has been extremely healthy for our industry in a peer-to-peer respect, and I’m curious to see as these architecture collectives start to partner with entities outside the industry as well.
Temporality in Adaptive Reuse - Now that we’re going back to work, reinvesting in cities, and reintroducing things into our lives, how will we reuse that which no longer serves us? Physical presence is necessary, but is it necessary to be permanent? The "Instagram-takeover" has taken over physical spaces - I see temporary pop-ups more and more that are season-based. What does that mean for the design community that has always aimed for much more substantive impacts on the built world? I for one am all for increased temporary installations - as the saying goes, “Fail fast” so that you learn quickly as well. The more experiments we do as architects on a smaller scale, perhaps the more astute the solutions will be that will be around for a long time.

*me + you*, Reddymade's centerpiece installation of the “FUTURES” exhibit at the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of Reddymade.

What I’m Hearing - ie. What’s Coming

Architecture and the Mind - The design theses of Suchi Reddy’s latest projects, me + you and the Google Store in Chelsea, stem from activity of human mind, the intelligence of technology, and neuroaesthetics, which Reddymade’s founder, Suchi Reddy, has been exploring for years. WIP Collaborative and their Care for Hudson Square design was centered around the principles of neurodiversity; now in their partnership with Verona Carpenter and with Sasha Topolnytska in their winning proposal for the Design Trust for Public Space, “The Neurodiverse City,” they are focusing on this again. As we’ve become so attune to the effect our environments truly have on our mental health in the pandemic, I’m curious to see who else will take these elements into account like Reddymade and WIP have, and how.
Formgiving - As the definition of architecture continues to expand, I saw a new term come to the surface recently: “formgiver.” BIG recently put out a call for a new communications intern, saying to join their "team of formgivers in Copenhagen.” This is interesting in two themes currently in the zeitgeist: the expanding definition of an architect and firms actually moving away from a formal practice and towards a social and performative one. So, what else can we call what we do? I invite you to explore with me - send me your thoughts!
Vulnerability - In thinking a lot about leadership during a time of an employee retention crisis, I’ve realized that effective leadership comes down to a quality Brené Brown has been speaking about for decades: vulnerability. After the inside look that we got into people’s homes through our Zoom screens, there is now a heightened expectation that our leaders will continue to be real with their context, and empathetic to ours. It’s not only leadership that becomes more effective from this practice, however - teams and peers also benefit from not only seeing the highlight reel but the realities of our shared experience. I encourage you to give Brown’s TED talk a watch and to try and put this kind of sharing practice in your daily work life.

What I’m Reading:

This Sh!t Works by Julie Brown - Brown makes a refreshing case for why sincere relationship building is crucial to business and to life. She tells us how to approach the practice effectively and authentically, and how to get past any shyness for those of us who are not self-proclaimed natural socializers. A shout out to Ciara Cronin, National Council member, for the recommendation!
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh - Dark but comical, and heart wrenching but uplifting, Moshfegh molds an anti-heroine that decides to sleep for a year. You’ll have to read on for why and how she does so, but as we too all come out of a sort of hibernation, Moshfegh’s showcase of the contrast of alienation and participation is exceptionally timely.
What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life by Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue - A funny one for me to recommend here, but as I’ve been making my way through the interviews, I’ve realized the anecdotes and advice shared here are applicable to any long-lasting relationship...with family, friends, and business partners. Esther Perel translated her wonderful work with couples therapy to all kinds of relationships and this follows the same vein. If there are relationships of any kind that you’ve navigating and would like resources, this book is an excellent one.

The limited edition Nostalgia Candle from Common Candles by Kristi Hayden.

Final Picks:

To enjoy: Common Candles - I missed the window for this limited edition Nostalgia Candle last year, and made sure not to this time around. It’s truly lovely - sweet but hearty, and certainly nostalgic. I recommend the piece to anyone who is tucking in as the city transforms come winter.

To wear: Live the Process - I lived in LtP’s pieces throughout the pandemic; the clothes are durable, warm, and yet allow for perfect ease-of-movement. What draws me especially to the brand though is their incorporation of poignant environments as part of their image-building around escape, calm, and vitality, reminding us further of the power and influence of architectural design to connect emotionally with an audience. See what I’m talking about, here.

To listen: Nice Try! Interior - Centered around the ubiquitous lifestyle products that we’ve all encountered, the second season of Nice Try! considers how they have served and failed their users. With Avery Trufelman returning as host, the show is as forward-thinking as it is nostalgic, and a lovely way to spend forty-five minutes.

And with that, I'd love to hear what you've been thinking and talking about lately, and your recommendations for what to keep my eye on next! Reach out on Instagram or email hello@madamearchitect.org.

Yours,

Julia Gamolina