Ballman Khapalova are architects who draw on collective experience in design and construction to produce integrated and visionary structures and landscapes that are physically and logistically achievable. We aspire to fuse the human, the elemental (i.e. “natural”) and the urban while always questioning and rethinking what these mean – historically, academically, intuitively – in the contemporary context of architecture. Each project, at whatever scale and in any setting, is a unique configuration of these factors. We try to tease out this indigenous relationship and utilize it in the design of original, unexpected and custom architecture.
We believe that contemporary circumstances ask more of architecture than has ever been asked before. A work must be more than a pleasing form, and it must be more than an efficient fit of its program or a clever solution to a singular problem. A building can no longer be just a building, a park no longer just a park. As we become more informed about environmental, social, cultural, economic influences on our collective daily lives, our design process must adapt accordingly. While we are highly selective about the forms, spaces and materials that we use, we strive to make every proposal serve an array of functions and lend itself to diverse interpretations.
We believe in the imagination as a generator and as a tool that must be tested and continually proven. We use drawing, modeling and a multitude of technological processes to mediate between the physical world and our ideas. We do not adopt a particular methodology, ideological framework or technology to define our body of work, but rather use every project (and our interpretation of it) to invent a process that is appropriate. This sometimes involves collaborating with a specific contractor, artist or organization at the outset to outline and choreograph a path forward. The goal for every project – whether commissioned or self-initiated – is to create a streamlined method that integrates concepts, cultures, personalities, and technologies with the historical, environmental and spatial conditions of a site.