On our last trip to New York City we caught up with our friends at Manifold Architecture Studio in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. MAS is a forward thinking studio that covers the gamut of design; from conceptual thinking through analytical diagramming, visual imagery, architectural drawings, all the way to built form. Most impressive is how well their design process translates into the final product; the rigor of their investigations and clarity of the diagrams have a clear and necessary relationship with the built work. Today’s post gives some props to the MAS team, we think you’ll enjoy their work.
[All images courtesy of Manifold Architecture Studio]
We love sinking our teeth into a good set of diagrams and MAS has done an exceptional job of generating presentation caliber diagrams for most of their projects.
The M01 house is a particularly clear example of how the architecture process works at MAS, starting with a series of diagrams that shows the reasoning behind the geometrical moves. The diagrams translate into three-dimensional relationships followed by skin studies, interior ergonomic analysis and technical section cuts through the structure. The end product is rational, modern and inspiring. MAS has gone as far to think through the distribution of the prototype and the design is available on Hometta.
The Hirschkron/Camacho Apartment is a particularly sharp remodel that brings warm modernism to a historic building. Once again, the ergonomics and use of space in the built form are a result of clear, useful diagrams and studies.
The Park Place project takes a surgical approach to the remodel of an existing brownstone, creating strategies for retaining original elements of the architecture.
A more detailed look at the MAS diagramming reveals analysis of material, methods and product transportation strategies; the design process is actually informed by realistic transportation constraints. Not only does the diagramming process help communicate the design intent, but it also helps the architect through complicated issues like deployment of pre-fabricated living units.
The last project we’d like to highlight from MAS is currently in the design phase. The project creates inspiring testing pods for a new vehicle design and because of the clear method of visualization, it’s easy to see what the finished product will look like.
We’re big fans of Manifold Architecture Studio; they maintain a thorough design process from start to finish and each step communicates the thinking in a comprehensive and inspiring way. Their finished work is purposeful and looks confidently to the future, while the process uses clarity and reason. Keep your eyes on MAS, you’re going to see some exciting work come out of this studio; in the meantime we recommend heading on over to their site and taking a look at more of their work.
Cheers from team BUILD