Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 38

PHOTOGRAPHY: MATTHEW MILLMAN

INTERIORS AWARDS

fourth-floor studio and office they occupy today, where the unobstructed view
of a skyline that grows denser and taller by the minute is striking-and reflects
the changing cultural landscape that the firm must navigate. Natural light in the
office shifts as the sun (and signature fog and clouds) moves across the downtown
sky. Requisite blueprints and binders lie across desks in the open-plan area,
and the controlled clutter includes a mishmash of materials that range from blocks
of raw concrete and rammed earth to models in various states of refinement:
the Hollywood Hills, molded from memory in Plasticine; a chipboard sculpture
of a private residence in Doha, Qatar; kraft paper in evocative crumples pinned
to a bulletin board. There is also a fully functional woodshop on-site for producing
one-to-one models and full-scale explorations. "If we can share something detailed
with a contractor or craftsman, that builds a bit of credibility," Aidlin says.
As principals, they extend their mutual respect and methodology to
include "artists, chefs, musicians, builders"-anyone and everyone they collaborate
with-as well as their 18 colleagues (a number that has stayed consistent for
over 15 years). Everyone at the firm is involved on every project in ways that suit
strengths, encourage growth, and challenge complacency. "We want to give
38

people the confidence to become their own autonomous project leads, so that they
in turn can help others to do the same along the way," Aidlin says. "When you have
that kind of trust, it's like jet fuel."
Harnessing this supercharged momentum is a priority. Thursdays are
reserved for regular field trips and extracurriculars like group drawing classes,
which help synapses start firing and encourage camaraderie beyond the official
to-dos. When it comes to work, they try to forgo formulaic solutions and instead
adapt a fresh eye for each new opportunity.
"We like to start with oblique exploration," Darling says. "At those early
stages, it's less about problem-solving, and more a gut response to a site or an idea."
To tap into those visceral instincts, it's common that they will camp out-often
literally-at sites to better understand "all the nuances." "We respect all the
different ways the human body is a receptor," Aidlin says. "What does a site sound
like? What does it smell like? Feel like? Urban, rural, suburban-we'll spend morning,
noon, and night just sketching and photographing, and we all come away with
unique observations that will influence the design."
For example: When imagining the plan for the Contemplative Sciences
contractdesign.com

JANUARY 2020


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Contract Magazine - January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - January 2020

Contract Magazine - January 2020
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Product Briefs: Cover Style
Designers of the Year
Visionary
Adaptive Reuse
Bar/restaurant
Civic/public
Education
Entertainment
Healthcare
Historic Restoration
Hotel
Large Office
Lobby
Retail
Showroom
Small Office
Small Office
Student
Sustainable
Exhibition
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Contract Magazine - January 2020
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Cover2
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 1
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 2
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 3
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Contents
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 5
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 6
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 7
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 8
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 9
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 10
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 11
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 12
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 13
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Editorial
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 15
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 16
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 17
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Industry News
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 19
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 20
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 21
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 22
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 23
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 24
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 25
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Product Briefs: Cover Style
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 27
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 28
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 29
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 30
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 31
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 32
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 33
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 34
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Designers of the Year
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 36
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 37
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 38
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 39
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 40
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 41
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 42
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 43
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 44
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 45
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Visionary
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 47
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 48
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 49
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 50
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 51
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 52
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 53
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 54
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 55
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 56
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 57
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 58
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 59
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 60
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 61
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Adaptive Reuse
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 63
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 64
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 65
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Bar/restaurant
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 67
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 68
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 69
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Civic/public
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 71
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 72
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 73
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Education
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 75
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 76
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 77
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Entertainment
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 79
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 80
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 81
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Healthcare
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 83
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 84
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 85
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Historic Restoration
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 87
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 88
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 89
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Hotel
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 91
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 92
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 93
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Large Office
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 95
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 96
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 97
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Lobby
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 99
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 100
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 101
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Retail
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 103
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 104
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 105
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Showroom
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 107
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 108
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 109
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Small Office
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 111
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 112
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 113
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Small Office
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 115
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 116
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 117
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Student
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 119
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 120
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 121
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Sustainable
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 123
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 124
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 125
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 126
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - 127
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Exhibition
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Cover3
Contract Magazine - January 2020 - Cover4
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