The latest in The Architects Series. The ninth episode in the series, created by THE PLAN for Iris Ceramica and FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti, is dedicated to the New York design studio SHoP Architects. Held on Thursday June 13 at SpazioFMG per l’Architettura, the event begins at 6.30 pm with the screening of the documentary. Host for the evening is the design studio’s co-founder, Corie Sharples, who will present a brief lecture at 7.00 pm entitled “workSHoP”.
SHoP Architects is the renowned studio featured in the next episode of The Architects Series, a series of reports, created by THE PLAN for Iris Ceramica and FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti, on the most impressive contemporary architectural practices. A preview of the ninth episode will be held at 6.30 pm on Thursday June 13, at the SpazioFMG per l’Architettura showroom, on via Bergognone 27, zona Tortona, Milan.
From 7.00 pm, SHoP Architects co-founder, Corie Sharples, will present the Practice’s philosophy and expand upon on-going projects which correspond with their approach to design and the real-world. The lecture will focus on the main themes emerging from the development of each project concept, such as integrating traditional systems and materials with innovative technology, or the importance of the role of architects in the wider public sphere.
Founded in 1996, the architectural design studio SHoP Architects is based in Lower Manhattan, New York City (NY) and comprises 4 partners – Christopher Sharples, Corie Sharples, Gregg Pasquarelli and William Sharples – plus around 180 members of staff. Recognized for their ability to bring together and optimize diverse expertise in the field of design that improves the quality of public life, they challenge classic construction processes, demonstrating that beauty and technological proficiency are not mutually exclusive.
The SHoP design approach challenges the commonly-accepted model of architectural practice, by going beyond the traditional expertise of the architect. A philosophy that translates into 360-degree design, considering the site, cultural and economic environment, the client’s physical needs and budget constraints, as well as construction techniques, branding, marketing and post-occupancy issues.
This approach has resulted in the construction of domestic dwellings, commercial offices, schools and public institutions on five continents, routinely combining design with financial and technological resources.
SHoP Architects maintains that intelligent, evocative architecture can be introduced in the real world while adhering to its constraints. This is the reason why clients such as Google, Uber and the US Department of State turned to the New York Practice for their offices.
Notable projects include the Barclays Center Arena, Brooklyn (NY), a sports center built using cutting-edge technology. By developing an app for scanning the facade panels, their path was tracked through every stage of production up to final assembly. The architectural renovation of Pier 17 transformed the historic pier on South Street Seaport (NY) into a multi-purpose commercial facility open to the public. Midtown Center in Washington (D.C.) is a complex of offices, restaurants and retail stores spread over two buildings connected by three bridges arranged around the large public plaza below.
The studio is also noted for large-scale projects such as their master plans to regenerate the Domino Sugar industrial area in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NY), and Essex Crossing, a dynamic contribution to the Lower East Side of Manhattan (NY.
Current projects include 111 West 57th Street, a Manhattan skyscraper with a facade of glass and terracotta on the edge of Central Park, 447 Collins Street, a multi-functional arch located at the heart of the Central Business District, Melbourne (Australia), and Uber’s new headquarters in San Francisco (California).
The Practice has received several awards such as the National Academy Distinguished Achievement Award, Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Architecture Firm in the World” and Smithsonian/Cooper Hewitt’s “National Design Award for Architecture”.
The episode The Architects Series – A documentary on: SHoP Architects will be available to view after the event at SpazioFMG per l’Architettura showroom until September 13, 2019.
