With 90+ categories and 300+ jurors, the Architizer A+Awards is the world’s definitive architectural awards program. In anticipation of the Awards Gala and Phaidon book launch on May 14, we are pleased to share the stories behind the winners of the 2015 Awards program — see all of them here.
Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design won the 2015 A+Awards, Jury Choice, for the Office Interiors Category with OFFICE > ENTROPY. For this office space, the architects rigidly applied a grid, constructed from plywood, to the interior space.
Your name: B. Alex Miller
Firm name: Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BArch), Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture de Versailles (one year), MIT (Masters)
© Emile Dubuisson
When did you decide that you wanted to be an architect?
That came during toddler years: I drew and sketched constantly, and I think that, given my upbringing and context, architecture was the condoned profession for one looking to be in the “fine arts.”
First architecture/design job:
My first job out of undergrad was working for a small firm in Chicago by the name of Wilkinson Blender. They are now running their own shops, but it was a wonderful time and I still remember it very fondly. I got to really understand what it meant to design real buildings — physical things that actually had to stand up and stay that way.
Design hero and/or favorite building (and why):
I would have to say Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp was the most eye-opening for me; as much for when I saw it as for what it actually was. I went with a group while studying in France for my third year of undergrad. It was the first real architectural pilgrimage I had taken and had done a tour of Corb’s projects all over France. When I got to Ronchamp, I just felt like I was seeing a real manifestation of critical thought and artistic exuberance.
© Emile Dubuisson
Tell us something that people might not know about your A+Award submission:
This client (Echoing Green) was referred to us by a client for which we designed our collapsible workstations (which also won an A+Award in Architizer’s inaugural year). Also, what people may not realize is that there were also two to three full years that separated the installation of the first composition from the second composition. We knew the client was moving into a larger space at some point, but we didn’t realize how much denser the new office configuration would have to be. We had originally assumed that the system would get more “organized,” but perhaps more in a “space within space” manner, where the spatial dividers acted more like pods in an open space. Instead, they became peeling and layering screens of material … which we like more. It’s always good when client needs push us past our own obsessions!
Among your fellow A+Award winners, what is/are your favorite(s)?
As a New Yorker, it’s almost boring to say it, but I love every bit of the High Line. I always find it magical to take a detour up there.
© Emile Dubuisson
Other than your computer (or phone), what is your most important tool?
Talking/debating. If you can argue a design stance critically in relation to how it works and feels, it sticks. If the argument falls apart, it doesn’t. We’ve had many a knockdown, drag-out debate in the office about design moves, and that is by far our best intra-office design tool!
What do you find exciting about architecture and design right now?
I think it’s a really interesting time in architecture right now because young architects are really exploring construction methods on their own terms. We see a lot of firms doing it the way we did it; if your clients can’t afford to build a project a certain way, find a way to build it yourself more cheaply. Simultaneously, I see an undercurrent of Hejduk kicking around, which I appreciate greatly. The combination of these two is interesting.
See all of the 2015 A+Award Winners here and all of the Winner Q+As here — and order the book from Phaidon here.