Hospitality Design - November 2013 - 40

Photo by BILL PHELPS

from the guest editors

connecting the dots
When it came to choosing a theme for this issue, it didn't take long to collectively decide on connectivity. At
AvroKO, connectivity isn't just a design concept we constantly find ourselves striving for-it's also part of our very
methodology in how we work to achieve that final product. And for the four of us, the idea of connectivity runs even
deeper than AvroKO. It's part of our cellular makeup as co-creators and collaborators, and ultimately friends, who
have been working together since our teens.
It's impossible to say if our connectivity as a working collective was born from our friendship or vice versa-to
us, it's one and the same, and it's been that way from the beginning. At college we worked our way into each other's
projects and quickly found ourselves musing on what we might do as a group rather than individually. The phrase,
'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts' was an unspoken truism in our history book, one that called for group
thinks and upheld the belief that whatever our final result was, it was unquestioningly better than anything we
could execute solely. Call us needy, but that's still how we work today.
As we've grown as a firm, this mode of thinking has extended beyond just the four of us and our studio. Clients,
patrons, vendors, contractors, and other co-collaborators become equal parties in the creative process, resulting
in a vision that's forever changing in shape. It can be a challenge for us to keep track of all the design evolutions
that take place from every direction, but we've found that fostering these repeated connections and encouraging a
constant dialogue only enriches the original idea. The project incrementally shape-shifts until the very end, and if
we've succeeded, continues beyond that.
There isn't a final destination if design is done well. That's part of the brilliance of Chip Conley who reshaped
the paradigm of 'connected' hospitality experiences with Joie de Vivre hotels and is now advising and directing
Airbnb, likely the most intimate and innovative modern hospitality model. The same can be said for the team
behind rAndom International, the multifaceted, multi-talented collective responsible for inviting New Yorkers to
step out of the heat and into a darkened room of rain at MoMA this past summer. Though wildly different, both
ideas rely on a final, intimate connection to complete the experience.
That's exactly how connectivity continues to thrive beyond a project's creators to organically complete the
sequence. We want people to come play in our spaces and have an enjoyable experience, but those interactions exist
outside of the typical one-way 'user experience' model. Actions and reactions are a constant as the body and energy
of the space relentlessly changes accordingly to those inhabiting it.
Connectivity has especially been on our minds lately. This month marks the ten-year anniversary of PUBLIC
restaurant, our first designed, owned, and operated project as AvroKO. We're having a festive party to celebrate and
will be lauding all those who have been with us over the years, as well as bringing back people who have gone on to
build their own successful firms, restaurants, and bars. To us, that's the ultimate connectivity.
We hope you enjoy the issue.
Kristina O'Neal, Adam Farmerie,
Greg Bradshaw, and William Harris
Principals
AvroKO

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November 2013 hospitalitydesign.com

http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - November 2013