6 Innovative Architectural Firms
Architecture informs our behavior, organizes our movements, builds and reshapes the environment, and creates the conditions for how we are able to interact as communities and societies. It is a project of artistic creativity as much as one of social science, which is a balance the architectural firms included here intimately understand. Considering everything from sustainability to aesthetic experience and economic impact, they offer inventive concepts that are reimagining the spaces we inhabit. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
6 Firms Designing Inventive Architecture
| Name | What it Offers |
|---|---|
| LTL Architects | Does large-scale work, interior renovations, and speculative research on institutional, academic, commercial, and residential projects |
| ISA | Addresses problems associated with changes in climate, lifestyles, technologies, and urban environments, prioritizing flexible and strategic design |
| Edward Ogosta Architecture | Balances big concepts and pragmatic concerns, with focuses on commercial spaces, educational facilities, office interiors, and housing |
| Trahan Architects | Specializes in cultural centers, offices, mixed-use developments, and residential spaces, emphasizing design that works in harmony with the surrounding environment |
| SERA | Dedicated to sustainable place-making at both large and small scales, taking into consideration factors such as LEED performance and use of natural daylight |
| Coffey Architects | Creates spaces that can adapt to the people, culture, and natural light that fill them, promoting social interaction and living without barriers |
Inside Coffey Architects' Science Museum Library
Famous Architects
- Walter Gropius
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
- Le Corbusier
- Louis Sullivan
- Zaha Hadid
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Ieoh Ming Pei
- Buckminster Fuller
- Rem Koolhaas
- Frank Gehry
How Architecture Alters Your Perception of Reality
In Depth
Architecture is all around us. From the buildings we call our homes to the communities that we move within, most of the modern world has been designed by architects and firms that have carefully considered multiple elements of place making. As culture evolves, architects address new issues with their designs, including social and environmental sustainability. In no particular order, here are 6 architecture companies that are looking towards the future.
First up at #1 we have LTL Architects, a design intensive architecture firm that has completed institutional, academic, commercial, and residential projects throughout the United States. Founded in 1997, this New York City based firm contributes to everything from large scale projects to interior renovations and speculative research. Especially noteworthy is their work for universities: by creating modern meeting places with thoughtful designs, their higher education buildings promote socializing amongst students.
Designs by LTL Architects serve today's inhabitants while carefully considering the future. Many of their projects utilize environmentally friendly features such as sustainable materials, LED lights, and solar chimneys. They have also collaborated with a variety of foundations on research and design concepts for communities that can successfully exist amidst rising sea levels.
They have also collaborated with a variety of foundations on research and design concepts for communities that can successfully exist amidst rising sea levels.
Next up at #2 is ISA, an architecture office that takes pride in addressing problems associated with changes in climate, lifestyles, technologies, and urban environments. While collaborating with stakeholders across the United States of America, they make a point to prioritize flexible and strategic designs. This results in buildings that are meant to be enjoyed by future generations for many years to come.
From public and commercial spaces to residential housing, ISA's projects focus on environmental and social sustainability. Many of their designs take advantage of vacant or underutilized spots in heavily developed areas in order to create efficient urban refill. In these cases, modern buildings are intended to fit seamlessly amongst existing structures. ISA's most environmentally friendly projects integrate the latest in sustainable technology while promoting pedestrian friendly communities.
Coming in at #3 is Edward Ogosta Architecture, an award-winning firm that programs, plans, and designs a wide range of building types. From commercial spaces and education facilities to office interiors and housing, they begin each project by balancing big concepts with pragmatic concerns. Their mission is to create architecture that operates in the background to produce atmospheres that evoke intense feelings.
Their mission is to create architecture that operates in the background to produce atmospheres that evoke intense feelings.
The firm is headed by Edward Ogosta, a Los Angeles based architect with a masters from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Some of their most impressive residential projects eschew conventional ideas of domestic living by prioritizing designs that will create experiences for inhabitants. Edward Ogosta Architecture has also participated in projects that leave out architectural plans, sections, elevations, and models altogether. Instead, they focus on alternative medias such as film, artifacts, and language in order to showcase how a dwelling will be experienced.
Our pick for #4 is Trahan Architects, a New Orleans based firm grounded in the belief that architecture is meant to elevate the human experience. While collaborating with clients, they carefully consider the context of their projects, paying special attention to the environments and communities in which they exist. Specializing in cultural centers, offices, mixed-use developments, and residential spaces, their work can be seen throughout the Southern United States.
Many of the projects undertaken by Trahan Architects feature a sense of rootedness. Whether they are paying respect to French Creole culture through minimalist designs or creating contemporary public spaces that integrate traditional local infrastructure, every project emphasizes a sense of congruity with its surroundings. Trahan Architects has won a wide variety of awards, including the National AIA and the Honor Award for Interior Architecture.
Trahan Architects has won a wide variety of awards, including the National AIA and the Honor Award for Interior Architecture.
At #5 we have SERA, a firm that is committed to sustainable place making at both large and small scales. Based out of Oakland, California and Portland, Oregon, this multi-disciplinary firm is 100% employee owned. SERA's history goes back over 50 years. They were established in the 1960's by Harvard graduate Bing Sheldon, who was inspired by urban planner Jane Jacob's book The Death & Life of Great American Cities. Sheldon also took inspiration from the infrastructure of European cities such as Copenhagen.
Today, SERA is involved in architecture, interior design, and urban planning. They also offer clients access to their Sustainable Resources Group, which provides expertise in green building practices, documentation, and policy. With every project, SERA takes a variety of factors into consideration, including LEED performance, use of natural daylight, material selections, and infrastructure of the surrounding communities. SERA's work ranges from workplaces and housing to streetscape designs and master plans for communities.
Last but not least we have Coffey Architects at #6. A growing team of talented architects, this group is dedicated to creating spaces that can adapt to the people, culture and natural light that fill them. While the group is always sure to respect pragmatic and budgetary concerns, their main goals are to promote social interaction and set the stage for living without barriers. They also consider environmental, social, and economic issues, and many of their projects are inspired by the fragility of the planet.
While the group is always sure to respect pragmatic and budgetary concerns, their main goals are to promote social interaction and set the stage for living without barriers.
Founded in 2005, Coffey Architects has executed an array of award-winning projects including masterplans, residential housing, and commercial and cultural buildings. Having created spaces throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, their portfolio ranges from new construction to extensions and updates. They have also taken part in a variety of exhibitions and competitions, creating objects such as a dollhouse for children with disabilities.
