Design Vanguard 2013 Features

January 1, 2013

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