Design Vanguard

Design Vanguard 2013 Features

Hailing from Europe, North America, and Asia, this year’s roster of emerging firms represent diverse backgrounds and attitudes toward design and the profession. But a few threads run through much of their work, even as the expressions vary greatly: complex layering, nature, engagement. Just a few years ago, “complexity” often meant convoluted forms generated by fancy new software. Today, it’s less obvious and emerges from a search for multiple meanings. It also flows from an interest in the rules of nature, which support a rich growth of ideas. Underlying most of the projects here is a sense of engagement—with the places and people served by these architects.

	Héctor Fernández Elorza Architects Rooted in Spain but influenced by Sweden, a Madrid-based architect combines the rugged and the refined. Pictured: Architectural Documentation Center and Lecture Hall; Photo © Roland Halbe
	William O’Brien, Jr. A teacher and practitioner challenges accepted notions of balance, reality, and narration as he establishes his small firm. Pictured: Hendee-Borg House; Rendering © Peter Guthrie for William O'Brien, Jr.
	Rural Urban Framework A nonprofit firm tackles the needs of China’s forgotten countryside, designing projects that help communities come together. Pictured: Taiping Bridge, Shangzhou; Photo courtesy RUF
	Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office An imaginative architect is inspired by nature to link people and places. Pictured: Masuya; Photo © Nacása & Partners
	Marc Fornes/TheVeryMany A small studio deploys computational design and digital fabrication to make inventive structures that define space. Pictured: Double Agent White; Photo © Guillaume Blanc
	JOHO Architecture Returning to his native country after years in Europe, an architect finds ways of spanning borders and making traditional elements feel modern. Pictured: Herma Parking Building; Photo © Sun Namgoong
	Grupo Aranea A firm rooted in hand-drawing adapts natural forms to create a flowing architecture. Pictured: Casa Lude; Photo © Francisco Leiva
	Oyler Wu Collaborative After learning the ropes with a series of installations, a husband-and-wife team is building up to larger and more permanent projects. Pictured: Centerstage; Photo © Scott Mayoral
	S-AR Living off the fat of the land: four designers tap into the abundance of local materials and labor. Pictured: Casa de Madera; Photo © Ana Cecilia Garza
	Para-Project A firm obscures views and distorts perspectives to challenge the familiar and produce the unexpected. Pictured: Haffenden House; Photo © Nathan Rader