Contract Magazine - June 2018 - 48

PROFILE

Yaiza Armbruster (left)
founded Atelier Armbruster
in 2010. The firm's commercial
work includes Magic Mix Juicery (bottom) and a New York
photography studio (below).

PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANCOIS DISCHINGER (MAGIC MIX JUICERY); CHRISTIAN OTH (PHOTO STUDIO); WESTON WELLS (HEADSHOT)

Designer
You
Should
Know
Yaiza
Armbruster
Hailing from Munich, Germany, Yaiza Armbruster
trained as an architect and engineer in her native
city before landing a number of design fellowships
across Europe. Eventually venturing to New York,
Armbruster worked as a designer for six years
at Selldorf Architects before founding her
practice in 2010.
Operating out of Manhattan's Chelsea
neighborhood, Atelier Armbruster tackles
a diverse range of commercial and residential
design renovations, modernizing and streamlining
select spaces across the city, while upholding
the unique history and identity of each site. The
six-person firm's portfolio of projects includes
the design of Magic Mix Juicery-a small raw
food restaurant and flagship store in Lower
Manhattan-as well as the studio for New Yorkbased wedding photographer Christian Oth.

How does your background inform your design
practice and approach?
I'm inspired by the culture and aesthetic of the
places I've lived-Germany, Mexico, and Spain-
and also by the rigor of my educational background.
I have an engineering degree and have always
loved demolition and construction. At the same
time, I am passionate about new materials.
What makes the work of Atelier Armbruster
unique? And what distinguishes your firm's
overall design approach?
We are a woman-owned business. In an industry
that is dominated by tough guys, it sometimes feels
like you have to be twice as smart-and also
cunning-to ensure your design intent is executed.
What makes our work unique is a combination of the
precision of detailing and craftsmanship and the
emotional effect the space has on the people that
inhabit it. Think of the formal clarity of contemporary
design and then enrich the atmosphere with textures,
materials, and finishes that truly appeal to people.
Our spaces are minimal but never cold.
How wide is the scope of your firm's work?
Over the years we have designed all kinds of
spaces where work gets done and many spaces
where people live. I think it is actually more
48

interesting to consider the range of scales that an
architect can work on today rather than the typologies.
On one given day, we are engrossed in the details
of a tile layout for a space as small as a bathroom
and on others we are coordinating a dozen consultants
for a hotel that will have upwards of 100 rooms. With
New York being New York, we do many renovations.
What, in your opinion, is important in design today?
I think we've come to a place where the things that
were once important to me while at university 15 years
ago are important to people again. Authenticity,
materiality, craftsmanship, timelessness-the basics,
really-but still endlessly challenging to execute well.
Those qualities of design are more important today
than the form, gesture, and expressiveness of the idea
were a few years ago.
What is next for Atelier Armbruster?
As a business that is only seven years old, we have built
a portfolio and we are working on communicating our
vision more clearly. We're documenting our work more
diligently by investing in good photography and actively
cultivating relationships that will help us become
known for what we love to do most. In terms of projects,
we are always looking for the next big thing. You
have to hustle to run a business in New York. I'm sure
anyone reading this can empathize with that reality.
contractdesign.com

JUNE 2018

http://www.contractdesign.com

Contract Magazine - June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - June 2018