Atelier Zhanglei Photo © Iwan Baan |
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BRS Architects Photo © Roland Halbe |
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Cadaval & Solà-Morales Photo © Santiago Garcés |
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Daniel Bonilla Arquitectos Photo © Jorge Gamboa |
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Gianni Botsford Photo © Christian Richters |
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Kuehn Malvezzi Photo © Ulrich Schwarz |
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MOS Photo © Michael Vahrenwald |
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Smiljan Radic Photo © Cristóbal Palma |
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Suppose Design Office Photo © Toshiyuki Yano/Nacasa and Partners |
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Urban A&O Photo © Tom Hennes |
Design Vanguard 2008 Features
Change swept across the political and economic landscape this year but has yet to make a significant imprint on the sphere of architecture. Rather than charting new courses or promoting new concepts of design, emerging architects—who are usually the ones at the forefront of new developments in their profession—seemed more intent on refining their craft. None of the firms in this year’s Design Vanguard tried to overturn the current order or present a radically new vision of architecture. No bomb-throwers here.
What these firms did instead was explore form and context, materiality and construction. Reflecting the busy times in which they have been working, they built a lot and created some stunning projects: houses that provoke thought while satisfying the senses, places for art that engage visitors, new buildings that initiate dialogues with old ones. Although relatively young, the architects have developed bodies of work with significant numbers of completed projects—from small installations for exhibitions to major public buildings. Several of the firms have multicultural backgrounds and are working in more than one country. Others have studied abroad, then returned home with their intellectual horizons expanded. Globalization has become a fact of life even for small practices.
As the financial meltdown of 2008 plays out in 2009 and beyond, construction will certainly slow down and commissions (especially for emerging architects) will probably dry up. In a year or two, the ratio of built-to-unbuilt work from our Design Vanguard firms may shift noticeably. That will bring economic pain, but it may also unleash new ways of thinking about and executing architecture for all architects, not only for the Vanguard. For better and for worse, a new economic order will shake things up.