Office dA’s “Transliterations” at Tilton Gallery
30 Mar - 5 May 2007
New York – “Transliterations” an exhibition of work by
Boston- based architecture and design firm Office dA will be on view at
the Tilton Gallery, 8 East 76th Street, from March 30-May 5, 2007. The
exhibition will explore Office dA’s evolution over the last 15 years
from handmade drawings and models to the digital techniques of current
use. There will be an opening reception on March 30 from 6-8 pm.
By presenting their work, Office dA will reveal the profound shift that
has transformed architecture over the last decade and a half. Historically,
the practice of architecture has been reliant on the production of drawings
and models. But now these carefully constructed handmade geometries are
making way for the precise digital assemblies of recent times. An assemblage
of Office dA’s work will bring this change into close inspection,
showing how this old craft has been irrevocably redefined.
The practice of architecture is, in essence, a negotiation between construction
techniques, known as tectonics, and the image of the building, the aesthetics.
Digital technology has impacted both of these, therefore changing the
architectural process completely. Office dA’s work seizes the creative
possibilities in this change.
Their research focuses on the confluence of detailing, materials, and
technology, creating a unique design process that encourages invention.
The exhibit will show, step by step, how the firm has successfully and
creatively incorporated technological advances into their work over the
last 15 years.
Led by principal partners Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani, Office
dA’s work ranges from furniture, to urban design and infrastructure,
with a constant focus on architecture. The firm embraces the challenges
of each project, taking a sharp look at the peculiarities of the site,
the requirements of the program, and the specifics of a target audience
– all of which become the catalysts for their ingenuity. Their blend
of rigor and sensitivity has allowed them to develop projects throughout
the globe, always combining elements of local craft and tradition with
global and contemporary architectural techniques.
Recent projects include the main library for the Rhode Island School of
Design in Providence, the Helior House Gas Station in Los Angeles, as
well as the first phase of the Tongxian Art Center in Beijing. Currently
under construction, the firm also designed the Macallen building, the
first LEED-certified, environmentally sensitive, multi- housing building
in Boston with over 140 condominium units. Office dA also won the first
place award in the Villa Moda Competition for a mixed use building in
Kuwait. Other accolades include an Award in Architecture from the American
Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as nine Progressive Architecture
Awards, in both architecture and urban design.
Previously, the firm’s work has appeared as part of exhibitions at
the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the ICA in Philadelphia
and Yale, the Max Protetch Gallery in New York, and the Venice Biennale.
Furthermore, Office dA’s work in the exhibit “Fabrications:
The Tectonic Garden,” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City,
was lauded in the New York Times, among other publications.
Office dA / Tilton Gallery info from Susan Grant Lewin Associates 270307
New York Architects
Boston Buildings
New York Architecture
American Architects
World Architecture : e-architect
- a guide to key buildings across the globe
Buildings / photos for the Office dA Architects page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk
Tilton Gallery New York :
page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
Office dA - website: www.officeda.com