Architecture thrives on creativity and creativity thrives in architecture. It is perhaps the single greatest force which moves architecture forward. However, creative ideas emerge through a conscious effort to seek them. New ideas are developed in practice, discourse, technology and materials as a result of investing time and energy in creative pursuits. Mark Wigley, Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University touched on this phenomenon during a recent conversation that took place at Columbia University when he suggested that during a healthy market we “minimize the friction between what we are asked to deliver by our clients and what we deliver.” Friction – in this context – referring to a tolerance for creativity and our interest in challenging norms.

Half disgusted with the current economic climate and half motivated by the availability of time to pursue ideas which time did not allow for during the past few years, I set out to find others who were leveraging changes in their career in creative ways. What I found were several inspiring stories which only confirm that creativity not only thrives in down economy but also that it can create opportunity regardless of the state of the economy.

Across the country, large firms, small studios, ateliers, young professionals, associates, and recent graduates alike are faced with the challenge of reduced workloads, furloughs or unemployment altogether. This posits and interesting challenge to either seek stability, or to pursue creative opportunities regardless of the potential instability. Follows are a few stories to help inspire those debating whether or not to invest the time, energy and resources.

Ryan Spruston | Ryan Spruston Architect, Los Angeles

After nearly 10 years of “working on great projects with great people” at Gensler, ELS, and MBT, Ryan Spruston decided to resist the intuitive notion of job hunting and venture out as an independent contractor. His newfound mobility and freedom to pursue work independently allowed him to shift his focus from the corporate, developer-based approach to one that has him teamed up with a multi-disciplinary team pursuing affordable housing solutions using shipping containers.

‘project retan‘ is an affordable housing solution developed for the City of Pomona using ISO shipping containers. The multi-disciplinary team which prepared the response to the “ULI 100 Home Competition” included recent business school graduates, social housing service associates, city planners and architects. Not only has the economy afforded Spruston the opportunity to pursue creative ventures such as project retan but it has allowed for his creative energies to be directed towards helping address need for social housing.

Working outside of the corporate arena for the first time in his career has afforded him several opportunities to team up with sole-proprietors looking for talent and expediency; something Spruston and his network of independent contractors can certainly provide given their new found freedom.

Joel Karr | Group 41, Inc./Container Nation, San Francisco

As the recession impacts the ports of the world – creating a surplus of empty shipping containers – Joel Karr recognizes an incredible opportunity to house people in need. With over 15 years of research and design invested into shipping container projects, Joel is experiencing what he considers as the “moment of inflection in affordable housing.”

He is currently working on affordable housing projects which “up-cycle” the shipping container for a prominent Indian Tribe in Central California as well as a developer driver 200 unit project in Salt Lake City. Both of these are examples of projects which are now moving towards realization as a result of the bad economy and increased need for affordable housing. While Karr suggests that project such as these were ‘on the boards’ even in otherwise healthy times, he admits that the projects are now met with a certain level of urgency as a result of the downturn. He is careful to remind me that there is plenty of room for creativity in a healthy economy, “the difference now is that the ideas are finally taking hold.”

With projects that creatively repurpose shipping containers ranging from housing for the poor in 3rd world countries to environmentally friendly re-use of containers for housing that can be achieved for less than $6 per square foot Karr’s projects are gaining more and more traction now as economics become a critical factor. Group 41, Inc. is hardly feeling the effects of the economy nowadays, a great example of the benefits of ‘front loading’ creativity.

Edgar Papazian | DOON Architecture, Portland

Avoiding the myopic challenge of how to survive the recession altogether, Edgar Papazian is utilizing the free time as an opportunity for calibrate his studio in Portland to embrace the inevitable return to a healthy economy. “In the downturn, I have concentrated solely on what happens after the downturn.” For Papazian, this means shifting his focus away from billable hours and pursuing work in new markets and towards testing some of his creative ideas and concepts. This has led to the commencement of work on an “innovative yet necessarily low-cost renovation” of a private residence in Portland.

Having built up a portfolio of work while with Cesar Pelli and the Polshek Partnership in New York, Edgar ventured to the Pacific Northwest to begin a practice in a region where a thriving culture, design community and the arts have attracted talent from around the nation in recent years. However, shortly after launching his practice the economy began to decline. Rather than take the simple road back into corporate architecture, he has turned his focus towards putting his creative ideas to the ultimate test – by building. Cognizant that a shift in focus away from his desired market could lead to becoming confined to that market, he has directed most of his energies towards a manifestation of his theories, concepts and cultural background into physical form.

What began as an exploration of a casual curiosity has led to a realization that economically difficult times are as important, if not the most critical stage, in the development of a career or a practice. As Mark Wigley has pointed out, healthy economic times do not afford us the opportunities to pursue new ideas, new concepts and new markets nearly as much as economically recessed times. Proof that when there is little or no work out there…..it’s time to get to work!

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More information on Mark Wigley and the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation can be found at: http://www.arch.columbia.edu/ and http://bldgblog.blogspot.com
More information on Ryan Spruston’s work can be found at: http://ryanspruston.com/

More information on Joel Karr’s work can be found at: http://www.containernation.com/ and http://group41inc.com/index.php

More information on Edgar Papazian’s work can be found at: http://doonarchitecture.com/

Discussion

Above are three example of how creativity in architecture is blooming not despite of but because of the current economic climate. We would like to hear example of local architects, designer and creatives doing the same with their creative pursuits. This will be the topic of a follow up article.