architects ville hara & anu puustinen

Finland may only be a country of 5.4 million people, but it produces some amazing architecture and design. Even withstanding its size and population. Take this garden shed by Avanto Architects for Kekkilä Garden. It was co-designed with Linda Bergroth, and the model you see pictured above is one she adapted for her summer house. The duo who founded Avanto are Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen. Among their award-winning projects are some churches and chapels like you've never seen before.

Which five words best describe you? Young, sensitive, responsible, innovative, ambitious.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? Avanto Architects was established in 2004 after Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen won an open competition for the design of the St Lawrence cemetery chapel. Since then the office has successfully participated in a wide range of competitions in Finland and abroad, winning second prize in the Tsunami Memorial International Design Competition in Khao Lak, Thailand in 2006, for instance. The work of Avanto Architects is featured extensively in leading architecture magazines in Finland and overseas and has been displayed in several exhibitions. The most noteworthy accolades of the office include a Bryggman Prize for young architects and interior designers and two separate nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Prize.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? You cannot please everybody if you try to achieve something new in architecture.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Bringing projects successfully to the end. Like chapel where it took eight years.

What’s been your best decision? Start your own office.

Who inspires you? Everything we have around from nature to city life.

What are you passionate about? Sauna and avanto swimming!

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Michel Foucault

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Live a life in peace and harmony with other people and nature.

What are you reading? Mostly professional books.

images courtesy of avanto architects and arsi ikaheimonen via yellowtrace

architect brooke aitken

While many architects tend to focus on the shell of a building, Brooke Aitken likes to take a more wholistic approach. She believes the interior design is just as important as the facade, and helps to create a seamless finish. It is a philosophy developed during her time working in the UK, with leading figure Anouska Hempel (who is featured in the March/April 2012 issue of Vogue Living). And during her time with Richard Johnson.

Which five words best describe you? Passionate, inquisitive, travelled, determined... clichéd..

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? My first job was with Denton Corker Marshall Tokyo whilst at university studying architecture and I then joined the Sydney office once I had graduated (now JPW). I stayed with them until I moved to England and worked for Anouska Hempel Design. Richard Johnson (JPW) taught me to pare design to simple key elements and Anouska Hempel taught me that the design of large project is as important as a simple object - God is in the Detail. I also learnt that interior decoration is so important to finishing a space – something that the practice of architecture tends to shun in this country. Since returning to Australia I opened our office and we predominately work on residential, retail and office design. We like to work from the external architecture down to choosing the bed linen so it is a seamless design.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? To know that your first design idea for a project is often the best and be committed to it.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Actually there are two so far. The first is being the project architect for the interiors of the Melbourne Museum before I turned 30. I look back and wonder why they gave me the job at such a young age! The other is building my home/office on a shoestring budget and staying married. I tell my clients building is one of the most stressful things for a couple to do, but now I can personally attest to it! The fact remains, I can wake up every day and smile that I live in something I love and I’d definitely do it all again.

What’s been your best decision? To open our office.

Who inspires you? So many architects and designers from across the world. Japanese architects such as Ando and Maki, French designers like Putman, Liaigre and Delcourt, Scandinavian architects such as Aalto and of course Anouska Hempel and Richard Johnson have inspired much of my work.

What are you passionate about? Japan – its culture, design, food, people.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Difficult question: there are so many amazing people with stories out there. Maybe Le Corbusier because he had so many ideals which fell so short, yet his buildings still bring me to tears when I visit them.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? A work-life balance.

What are you reading? Life with Picasso by Francoise Gilot. What an incredible woman.

images courtesy of brooke aitken; chair brett boardman; ottoman steve back; bookcase house & garden and prue ruscoe; portrait prue ruscoe

architect william smart

There is a building on Bourke Street, Surry Hills that catches my eye every time I drive past. It is thoroughly modern, yet integrates almost seamlessly with the surrounding heritage-listed terraces. It is the base for Smart Design Studio, and is representative of what founder William Smart achieves with his architectural practice: thoughtful and thorough design. Since studying architecture at university, and earning his stripes at Foster and Partners in London, William founded Smart Design Studio in 1997. It is an award-winning practice which has created buildings such as the Seven Network offices in Pyrmont and the White Rabbit Gallery in Chippendale. In 2012 Smart Design Studio has won Best Residential Design and Best Colour in Residential Design at the Australian Interior Design Awards as well as Best Residential Interior at the Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards.

Which five words best describe you? Forward-thinking, detailed, optimistic, technical and creative.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I’ve wanted to be an architect since I was a small boy. After university I worked in France and then London for Foster and Partners before returning to Australia to work on Olympic Park Railway station. I then started my own practice, 14 years ago, and commenced work on small projects where I learnt about detail, collaboration and started to discover again my own design voice. Since that time we have steadily grown to an office of 30 people today with specialist teams for houses, apartment buildings, offices, public buildings or master planning. We do architecture and interiors because the best results are created when the two are seamlessly integrated.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Never taking my eye off the ball: I learnt to keep close to all of our projects to maintain quality of result and efficient execution as well as building a team of people around me who do the same.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Creating our studio: where the culture is great, the people have fun and we’re together building a great body of work.

What’s been your best decision? Building the Smart Design Studio in Bourke St has transformed our business. The building has become a local landmark and gives us a beautiful environment to work in.

Who inspires you? The Spanish architect, Carlos Ferrater. His work is very simple, bold and has an exciting geometry which changes on each different site.

What are you passionate about? Uncompromising quality and being a leader in my profession.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Guy de Cointet

What dream do you still want to fulfil? To be at a point where we feel we have enough extraordinary projects to warrant a great book of our work.

What are you reading? Dress your family in corduroy and denim - David Sedaris

images courtesy of smart design studio

architect & interior designer thomas jacobsen

Sailing from Australia to America three times, island hopping along the way, after finishing high school had a big impact on architect and interior designer Thomas Jacobsen. It taught him to appreciate design, and make the best use of the limited resources around you. Thomas went on to study architecture and interior design, and now has his own award-winning practice, designing venues such as the Beresford Hotel in Sydney's Darlinghurst and North Bondi Italian Food. He also creates furniture, which is available through his website.

Which five words best describe you? Caring, headstrong, understanding, resourceful, independent.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? My career started from my love of sailing at an early age - it taught me about designing, building and fixing things. It was a good test to make use of the limited resources around you. It also gave me an understanding of nature and it's forces. After high school and one year into my university studies my family decided to go sailing across the Pacific, which we crossed from America and Australia three times visiting numerous islands. This gave me an appreciation of the sea and all the different cultures. It also taught me how really small we are in the scheme of things and how to be practical. These lessons have been very useful in designing structures to furniture and how to pare design down to the simplest form while having longevity against the environment it will be living in. Once I finished my studies I landed my first interior architecture job which was awarded by the SIDA which is now the DIA. With this recognition other projects followed. During this time I started designing furniture and manufacturing it myself. Dedece decided to represent me, which then followed with eight years of Space Furniture being my reseller in Australia and Asia. I've been very lucky that my career to date has been very versatile ranging from components and furniture, to commercial and domestic projects.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? To listen to my clients and my team, understand their needs and apply these to my ideas.
What’s your proudest career achievement? Being able to work in so my disciplines from furniture to architecture to building to manufacturing.
What’s been your best decision? To believe in myself and my ideas.
Who inspires you? People who survive, create and problem-solve.
What are you passionate about? Integrity and honesty in people and design.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Arne Jacobsen. I would like to have met him as he had a similar design aesthetic, faced my difficulties and detractors during his career but still created beautiful practical designs which are still sold and used today, from his furniture to his architecture.
What dream do you still want to fulfill? To teach my children to sail, and to appreciate the beauty and uncompromising harshness of nature, and share this as a family.
What are you reading? Nothing at the moment. Really, I just have time to read about architecture, sailing and engineering on the internet and in magazines.

images courtesy of thomas jacobsen

architect & designer mariapia ruggerini

When I recently asked architect and designer Mariapia Ruggerini about her favourite place in her home in Modena, she gave me an Italian type of answer. She said, "Marcello [her partner] likes to stay in the studio upstairs and see all of the house - megalomanic. I prefer to sit on the stairs and watch outside the window, the trees - claustrophobic." But there was a lot of sense to what she said - on design, too. She said it was important for architects to add poetry to a space. And Mariapia sited Russian literature and Roland Barthes' Empire of signs as inspirations. I interviewed her for the latest issue of real living. The name of the studio she runs with Marcello is Amorfo, which translates to "formless" in English, and reflects their cross-disciplinary approach.

Which five words best describe you? I would rather be described in five words by someone else. But I think that the words that best describe me are oxymorons, hyperrealist-pragmatic-dreamer, chaotic-essential, and completely incomplete.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I started working during the first degree course, every kind of work, from town planning research (collaborating with different architectural offices) to interior design and graphics. Now with amorfo (my studio), I decided to focus on the handcrafted approach to my work. I feel at ease with every order of scale, I mean, it's all a question of proportion (mathematics), harmony (musicality), functionality (engineering) and beauty (art); somebody said that architects are the last exponent of renaissance humanism, they work with both technology and art, I think it is a great challenge.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? To be humble and curious.

What’s your proudest career achievement? The publication of my home all over the world but not in Italy. (Nemo propheta in patria...)

What’s been your best decision? To stop studying the pipe organ at 12, and seven years later going to Florence to study architecture. (I believe they are connected.)

Who inspires you? All illogical, taciturn people.

What are you passionate about? It would be easier to list what I'm not passionate about. However - typefaces, empty spaces, Bauhaus, mat objects, neuroscience, books, asymmetry, rust, weed plants, drawing, liquorice.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? All my forefathers. I heard so much about them over the years that they miss me, and the other versions of me in all parallel universes (if possible).

What dream do you still want to fulfill? To solve the Goldbach's conjecture, design a baker's shop and see the polar lights - not necessarily in this order.

What are you reading? The unofficial autobiography of Maurizio Cattelan and The tell-tale brain by Vilayanur Ramachandran.

images courtesy of amorfo

ARCHITECT BENJAMIN MITCHELL

It hasn’t taken Sydney-based architectural firm Those Architects long to start collecting awards. Even though Benjamin Mitchell and Simon Addinall joined forces in 2012 the duo have already won the 2014 Australian Interior Design Award for Workplace Design, as well as the 2014 Australian Timber Design Award for Commercial Interior Fitout. The same project, a collaboration with End of Work, has been shortlisted for an IDEA 2014 too (winners to be announced 21 November). But the brief wasn’t without its challenges. A heritage listing for the former Metcalfe Bond Store in The Rocks, Sydney, meant that the designers weren’t able to mechanically fix into or change any of the fabric of the building. The solution was to create a fitout that in some ways mirrored the way the technology company operates - via a “cloud”. Everything was designed to float within the space - to occupy for the medium-term and be able to relocate with minimum fuss. What started out as well-thought-out design with a strong focus on the client’s needs, is now gaining recognition within the broader design community. Ben shares a little more of the back story to Those Architects.

Which five words best describe you? Bad dancer but die trying.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I actually started my career in the Royal Australian Navy serving aboard the guided missile frigate HMAS Melbourne. It set me up with some very valuable tools as I transitioned into my architecture studies at Sydney University. After studying for six years I established my own firm which recently became Those Architects when I amalgamated with my long-term friend and colleague Simon Addinall. Our studio-based practice is underpinned by collaboration and open dialogue in pursuit of quality design outcomes.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? I can think of three. Work hard, maintain your integrity and follow your instincts.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Receiving several major awards for the first project completed by the office is my proudest career achievement to date.

What’s been your best decision? To pursue a career in architecture against all the advice I was given.

Who inspires you? Many people. My partner Diana inspires me to be the best man I can be. My kids inspire me to enjoy every moment of this short life. My parents inspire me to live life by your own rules and my brother inspires me to take on a challenge when one presents itself. I’ve also got many talented friends who inspire me on a daily basis.

What are you passionate about? Life. Just so many reasons to get out of bed each day. In particular I’m passionate about rigorously pursuing my architecture career and making a meaningful contribution to the built environment both here in Australia and abroad.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Sir David Attenborough. He has an acute awareness of the natural world and our place within it.

  

What dream do you still want to fulfil? I’d really like to be in a position one day to act as my own client.

What are you reading? Papillon by Henri Charrière. 

images courtesy of those architects; photography brett boardman

ARCHITECT ADRIAN AMORE

Good architecture is a meeting of form and function. Great architecture takes these elements and elevates the union into art. Enter the Melbourne loft apartment designed by Adrian Amore Architects. It won the Residential Design Award at the 2014 Australian Interior Design Awards, and has caught the eye of editors across the world. Since establishing his practice in 2008, Adrian has worked on a range of commercial and residential projects, including Nique in Melbourne's St Kilda and the Sydney home of Gourmet Traveller editor, Anthea Loucas.

Which five words best describe you? Impatient, wise, loose, alive, thinker.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I think my career has started? Hmm, sometimes I wonder.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Just push.

What’s been your best decision? To study architecture. I met my wife Michelle at architecture school. She is my muse. 

Who inspires you? Nils Frahm, musician, composer from Berlin. Genius; channeler of god.

What are you passionate about? Architecture. Wine. Perfect Martinis. Experiencing life, enjoying life, seeking pleasure. Sleep.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I am terrified of meeting people I greatly admire. I find the idea incredibly awkward.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? To make visions real. To materialise them.

What are you reading? Jean-Paul Satre: A Life by Annie Cohen-Solal.

images courtesy of fraser marsden

ARCHITECT JADE VIDAL

It was during his first year of studying architecture that Jade Vidal met two fellow students, Chema Bould and Anna Dutton, who went on to become his partners in Bower Architecture. That was 20 years ago but it wasn’t until 2005 that the Melbourne-based trio joined forces. “Architecture is an extremely rewarding and challenging field with a strong sense of camaraderie and dedication amongst architects,” Jade says. Together they have worked on a range of mostly residential projects, including the Hover House, above, which was a Victorian Architecture Award Winner 2014.

Which five words best describe you? Intuitive, loyal, determined, impatient, passionate.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I went as far as getting a science degree in evolutionary biology before changing course completely to pursue architecture. Too long studying – but this background provided a great perspective of how our surroundings can shape us and the places we live. After a few years of working in architectural practices post graduation, formed Bower architecture in 2005 with Chema Bould and Anna Dutton.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? That the solution to a problem will always come in time, often in the form of a new opportunity which will make the end result better.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Facing and working on weaknesses, like learning to draw and present work with confidence.

What’s been your best decision? My choice of business partners. Although we're different individuals we make a great team and balance our personalities in a really productive and potent way.

Who inspires you? My wife Jackie and boys Leon and Atlas. And all the people out there who aspire to make beautiful things by thinking for themselves ‐ regardless of style, field or scale.

What are you passionate about? Savouring the good things and moments in life and not taking them for granted. Honesty and Integrity. Designing memorable houses.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? So many. Songwriter Steve Forbert, architect Louis Kahn, the entire Brazilian soccer team from 1970... Gabe Newell of Valve Software would probably be top of the list though.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Design my own house. See my boys grow up into who they want to be. Make the ultimate mixtape. Discover the videogame Half Life 3 is being released and play the hell out of it. Crack open a bottle of Jagermiester with loved ones on a trip to New York when I hit fifty.

What are you reading? Pezzettino by Leo Lionni to my son, every night.

images courtesy of bower architecture

ARCHITECT CLINTON COLE

Clinton Cole approaches architecture from a slightly different perspective from many of his colleagues in the industry. He not only holds a degree in architecture, and is registered in his profession, but he’s also a licensed builder and accredited construction supervisor. Clinton’s passionate about combining these skills, and transforming the industry. He is also dedicated to creating designs that always have one eye towards sustainability. Clinton has received a swag of awards since establishing his practice in the mid-90s.

Which five words best describe you? Creative, belligerent, inquisitive, disruptive, artistic (at least those were the words my teachers used on my school report cards and they would know best).

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? What I am doing now is very similar in many ways to what I did when I was a kid - pulling objects apart and reassembling them, building things from scrap material I would find around building sites near my home, working with my hands creatively with many different materials and mediums. The challenge has always been working out how to use my skills most effectively in the team environment that I lead and do less of the physical side of construction which I spent my first 10 years doing. It is little more than a romantic notion to do everything yourself, architecture is a craft but not a sustainable craft nor meaningful craft if only 50 or so projects are produced from a lifetime of energy as both an architect and builder. The path I have taken in the last five years is to create a business environment in which reciprocal learning is cultivated amongst a broad cross-section of design and construction-based team members to allow my company to successfully deliver multiple projects at different stages of production concurrently.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Architects are their own worst enemy when it comes to providing services for free. Getting too close to clients generally leads to a relationship where favours rather than invoices are expected. What I have learnt is that clients appreciate a service that brings value to them and their project not just value for money. If you provide services for free your time has no value. Be professional: your client is not paying you for your friendship. The reality is that the clients whom you provide a professional and valuable service to during the performance of the work often become a friend after completion of that service.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Creating a company that consists of exceptionally talented team members and getting to a stage where I can - almost - balance work and family, although imbalance can be a healthy thing in a creative industry.

What’s been your best decision? Marrying my soul mate and having children. The second best decision I made over 10 years ago was splitting with my then business partner and realising I could lead a team on my own and produce much better results. This was quite a pivotal moment in my life.

Who inspires you? Anyone who is hard working, loves life, is creative or respects those that are. My wife is my true inspiration. Architecture and creativity are everything to me but perspective from a partner not directly part of the industry I am involved in keeps my approach to the design of architecture objective and my approach to the business of architecture free of tradition and indoctrination which the practice of architecture in Australia suffers greatly from.

What are you passionate about? I am passionate about making architectural design more affordable. Whilst I enjoy making beautiful things which cost more than most can afford the fact that my friends and family can’t really afford what I produce is something I have spent the past three years trying to address. Watch this space as I am getting close to a solution that I hope will change the way the average Australian will think of architecture and whom architects think they can deliver architecture to.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I’d have a coffee with Alvar Aalto, a cup of tea with Nanna Ditzel and a beer with Kurt Cobain.

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Playing Wembley stadium to a crowd of 100,000, but I think I’ll have to download an app for that and experience it through my Google Glass. Next year we will be starting to develop our own properties and this has been a dream since I started my career.

What are you reading? My reading list is a little sad. I tend to read technical documents, standards, building codes, Acts, legal precedents and the like. The practice of architecture and indeed construction is increasingly restricted by so many external forces that the only way to work through them is to have a fundamental understanding of what those forces are. It’s on this basis that we can push boundaries and take risks whilst steering through the middle of these issues. Other than this I am definitely a picture book sort of person. I love any architecture books, particularly those where images are what they are instead of the fully pimped hyper reality architectural photography of today. I read a little online, get great little pieces through Twitter and I only read newspapers when I am on holidays and usually because my hot chips were wrapped in them.

images courtesy of clinton cole; photography murray fredericks