Tag Archives: Interview

Interview: Dave Johannas

Posted on by
1

Dave Johannas


Dave Johannas is the principal at Johannas Design Group (JDG), as well as a member of the planning commission for the city and the Commission of Architectural Review. We have previously featured the Mews at Cary Mill from JDG.

What is the underlying philosophy or mission of the work done at Johannas Design Group, and which projects do you think best exemplify these values?

We are overall community oriented, which is important in terms of working for the city and the future of how our city develops. Everything we do has somewhat of a planning oriented bent to it, as opposed to specifically architecture, and our goal in small-scale work is typically to beef up density in the city. Most of our work is incorporated into the central part of the city, working with or adjacent to historic architecture.

To me, the Mews on West Cary St is a really nice example of integrating modern architecture with historic architecture, infill that attempts to create density in the city, with stuff a little taller than the area was before. The integration of outdoor space, with every dwelling unit connected to the outdoors almost forming a pocket park, is a really important philosophy to the project and something that urban spaces need just as much as any other space.

What is your opinion of the architectural culture in Richmond? What would you say is our city’s chief strengths or shortcomings in this regard?

I’m going to go shortcomings. Because we’re not a city that tries to experiment or takes chances with our architecture, or promote modern or current architecture in itself. We do have a great architectural heritage with a lot quality historic buildings, but in terms of everyone projecting that into the future and thinking about where we’re going, we’re not trying to promote that ethic as a city. There are other cities that are trying to continue to have an architectural heritage, and we fall short of that. We do have talented people here, every city does, but as a culture, our city is not supporting high quality architecture.

You’re also a member of the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR). Can you speak to the importance of this organization and the success of its mission?

The CAR has been around for at least 50 years, and currently oversees about 6,000 properties in the city. The mission has grown and the level of professionalism has gotten more and more focused. It is a relatively sophisticated commission. Without the CAR, without the doctrine of old and historic districts, we would have lost a lot of our heritage and our urban fabric. It takes that type of organization to keep that essential fabric, which is what gives our city its character and culture.

And you don’t see modern architecture as at odds with an historic architectural culture?

Yes I do, no I don’t. You always have to deal with that conflict. At what point is it damaging? How far do you extend into modernity? At what point are you being too historicist? Our commission supports a lot of historicist detailing; good or bad, it will be supported politically. Very seldom do people have the energy, time or client to create modern architecture. The balancing point in neighborhoods can be so delicate, how far do you go or not go?

As a member of the planning commission for the city, what do you believe are the largest issues regarding the city’s urban realm that we face in the present and future?

I’m excited about the planning commission because I’m probably the first dedicated urbanist on it and really philosophically believe in the need for our central city to become more urbane. That’s the message, and I’m going to have the opportunity to keep on delivering it. It’ll be interesting to see where the commission goes.

We need to promote the central city and the level of density here, looking towards affording public transportation and a multi-modal society. Looking at the last thirty years, it’s no question that the cities that thrive financially are the ones that embrace urbanism and have dealt with them in an aggressive fashion.

Johannas Design Group:

http://johannasdesign.com/index.htm

Commission of Architectural Review:

http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionArchitecturalReview/index.aspx

Planning Commission:

http://www.richmondgov.com/CommissionCityPlanning/index.aspx

M.F.A.

Interview: Chris Fultz

Posted on by
Reply


Chris Fultz is head of Fultz Architects, a Richmond-based design firm. Previously, he served as a design principle at SMBW Architects where he lead such projects as Luck Stone’s headquarters, the Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum, and the United Network for Organ Sharing headquarters. He was interviewed by ArchitectureRichmond’s Don O’Keefe earlier this year.

Talk about your time at SMBW. What were some of the most rewarding projects you worked on there?

SMBW is the reason I’m still in Richmond. I met one of the founding partners, Will Scribner, while I was in graduate school. At that time he had a vision to establish a truly modernist-oriented practice in Richmond, which was incredibly intriguing to me. While I was there some of the most rewarding projects that I worked on included the Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum in Salem, Virginia, the UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) headquarters [Richmond], and Luck Stone headquarters [Goochland County].

Belvedere Gardens was the first time I was able to work with a truly visionary client. He pushed and encouraged the design team to do more. One of the most remarkable things about that story is that he kept asking us to slow down. He felt the design process was proceeding too rapidly, which you never hear in the business of architecture.

The other rewarding aspect was that it was the first project where I was able to pursue something I am very passionate about which is building in the Virginia landscape. I came from Texas which is very flat. [There are] not a lot of geographic features to work with so one of the things I have always been inspired by in Virginia is the geography of the state. The Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum, for all intents and purposes, really is a landscape project. What I learned through that process was how to create a profound sense of place that allowed you to connect with the site in a really meaningful way. It yielded something that was very genuine and original yet it responded to the immediate site and the surrounding viewshed of the Appalachian Mountains. I think that elevated the human experience of the place.

What was a project that you worked on at SMBW that really affected Richmond?

The UNOS headquarters building was rewarding on many levels. It was one of the first truly modern buildings in the Biotech Park. However, the story there is the Donor Memorial. Our vision was to design a national memorial for organ and tissue donors. It was truly design by committee, the most profound sense of collaboration I’ve ever had. It was the antithesis of what you typically think of as design by committee which is political and counter productive. We ended up designing a humble and unique place in downtown Richmond which I think has lived up to some of the ideals and ambition that we set forth.

How do you think SMBW has prepared you for founding Fultz Architects?

I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I had there. It was a great environment, a very supportive environment to be in as a young designer. Within a matter of a few years I was thrust into a leadership position. The 15 years that I spent there allowed me to grow and mature not only as a designer but as a business owner. That lead me to a point in my career where I had the courage to step out and start my own thing.

What can we expect from Fultz Architects? What excites you most about this next step?

I’ve got some fantastic projects coming down the pipe. UNOS just purchased a building in Jackson Ward. They want to completely recast the interior and promote the kind of vocabulary that’s going on at their headquarters building. They were exploring the idea of a community learning center on the first floor. I think we will be able to realize some of those ideas.

Currently, we are working on Luck Stone’s new scale office [a small building that serves as a customer interface with a quarry]. We’ve been designing a prototype that can be reproduced and executed on a number of sites. We are looking at ways to adapt skin and color palettes so that it’s more site specific, dependent on the nature of the quarry. One of the things we did with this project was to take the green aggregate out of the quarry, mix it with concrete, cast the slab and polish it. It’s beautiful. That project has also lead us to other opportunities like industrial design. We are designing this metal kiosk for the customer interface. That project we are doing with Charles Yeager [a Richmond-based fabricator] who’s a good friend of mine. One of the things I’m most proud of is the relationships I have been able to cultivate with local designers. Their imprint can be seen on most of my work.

There is an empathetic aspect to the way that I work and I think there is a lot of value in that. I’m committed to modernism. I’m committed to practicing that in a traditional city. I think that the city and the community are finally getting comfortable with modern architecture in a traditional context. There is a growing demographic of people out there looking for more than a plain solution. I have confidence that I can find those people and establish those new relationships.

Fultz Architects site:

http://www.fultzarchitects.com/

D.OK.

An Interview with Steven Holl

Posted on by
2
On April 25, the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University announced plans for an Institute for Contemporary Art. The new 38,000 square foot building to house the interdisciplinary program will be built at Richmond’s  busiest intersection, Belvidere and Broad streets. The structure will contain gallery spaces, a 247-seat performance space, café, classroom, sculpture terrace and administrative offices. Steven Holl Architects, based in New York City, will design the building. BCWH Architects of Richmond is associate architect.
The Steven Holl firm designed such recent projects as the Bloch Building (an addition to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City), Simmons Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., and the “Horizontal Skyscraper” in Shenzhen, China. On May 17 Holl receives the American Institute of Architect’s Gold Medal, the profession’s highest accolade for an individual architect.
Steven Holl, 64, spoke with ArchitectureRichmond’s Edwin Slipek by telephone from his New York office on the afternoon of April 27. Here are excerpts from that interview.
What were early influences on you becoming an architect?My brother James [now an artist and professor at Marymount Manhattan College] and I were always building things in the backyard when we were boys. We had a large backyard at our house in Bremerton, Washington. We’d jump out of bed and be out there for two hours before breakfast. We built a two-story tree house and a house with one floor underground. We’d imagine, we’d create and we’d make. We were naturals.

What later influenced your development as an architect?

In my sophomore year at the University of Washington I was quite busy working on a design project one day when Professor Hermann Pundt, an enormously enthusiastic man, came over and told me he was starting a Rome studies program. He said, “Steve, go to Rome.” I lived behind the Pantheon and became enthralled by quality of light inside that space. It was always slightly changing at different times of day and in varying weather conditions. After I came back from Europe I had a different framework of what architecture is. It changed my life.

What is your favorite space, place or building?

The one I’m working on now. And Rome, of course. Also, I’ve always loved Louis Kahn’s Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Johnson Wax Building [in Racine, WI]. And all of the buildings of Le Corbusier. I’ve traveled to see most of his buildings. Once, when I had with no money, I scraped my way through France even spending a night in a monk’s cell in La Tourette Monastery [Le Corbusier’s last major European commission which houses a silent order].

Have you ever been to Richmond before becoming involved with the VCU project?

In 1996 our firm was a finalist for the First Freedom Monument [a competition sponsored by the Richmond-based Council for America’s First Freedom to commemorate the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Michael Graves subsequently won the competition but the project never materialized]. At that time I walked along the James and meditated upon the river. There is a deep sense of history in Richmond.

In designing VCU’s new ICA, how is conceiving a museum or gallery different from how you approach other building types?

In the last 15 to 20 years there have been two types of museums. First, there’s been the neutral white box which defers to the art. But it sucks the life out of the art. And then there are the overly-expressive projects that look like a turkey coming out of the oven with the tin foil coming off. At the ICA we will have galleries that are rectilinear for the basic exhibition spaces but the circulation areas will be energetic and exciting. Spatial energy is important to me.

What was your first impression of the proposed building site at the intersection of West Broad and Belvidere streets, Richmond’s busiest?

[Before visiting the site] I had looked at an overview [of the surrounding neighborhoods and area}. The Fan [District] was on my mind. The site seemed like a wasted opportunity that could become into something greater: It was a sad parking lot, it’s just like Los Angeles or Houston. I’m glad I looked at the overall plan.  It asks for something other than what it is. I felt the building’s design could have a strong relationship with the corner and there would be landscaping toward the campus.

What do you hope to achieve with your design of the ICA?

This is different from any building that we’ve ever done. It responds to the question of ‘What is art today?’ We call it Forking Time. This suggests that the contemporary art world has many parallel activities. There had been a grand narrative to western art until conceptual art took over in the 1970s. But there’s been a rupture. This building aspires to reflect that today, things can coexist. And this is hopeful. The building has arms that stretch out and will give curators four separate areas. Each space is the size of a gallery in Chelsea [New York]. There will be flexibility. There might be a great video show being presented in one while in another gallery there is a great sculpture show. The vertical space will allow for other possibilities. You’ll be able to see the intensity, clarity and direction of an artist’s body of work. But first and foremost the ICA will be a great space.

On what other projects is your firm currently working?

Two weeks ago I was in Chengdu, China working on a water garden. In the near future I’ll be going to Seoul, our first project in Korea. In late January we won an international competition for a new building at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.  At Princeton we’re building a fine arts complex that will serve as a new south entrance to the university. This involves moving the Dinky [the storied and beloved railroad link to the Amtrak station] 500 feet. We are building a new building for the Glasgow School of the Arts directly across the street from Charles Rennie MacIntosh’s original building. Earlier this afternoon I was on W. 216 St. at Columbia University [Holl is a professor of architecture there] where the Campbell Sports Center is taking shape. There are some wonderful views of the New York skyline from that building.

Whew. What do you do to relax?

I paint. I paint every morning. I paint every day wherever I am. I never go anywhere without my watercolor pad.  My most exciting times are when I am painting. Why would I want to play golf? That’s boring.

E.S.