Scott Specht and Louise Harpman studied together at the Yale School of Architecture before going on to work in the offices of Daniel Libeskind, Peter Eisenman, Kohn Pedersen Fox and Deborah Berke, among others. Their own office was established in 1995 and now has studios in both New York and Austin, where Harpman also has a professorship. Now in their early 40s, they have evolved a residential architecture that focuses on the 'highly specific and custom crafted.' 'Our clients’ personalities and the physical context of the projects serve as touchstones throughout the design process,' they say. They cite sources as disparate as Bruce Goff, Sir John Soane and Coney Island.
Buildings
Interior, The Modern Barn, Wilton, Connecticut, click here to see more
The Modern Barn refines the idea of the open-plan space by turning each functional zone into a well-defined element. These then line the walls and ceiling of the expansive main living area, a sort of cityscape in miniature. More recently, the studio has started to explore pre-fabrication. The zeroHouse™ concept is a speculative proposal for a mass-produced house. The tailor-made interior is akin to fine cabinetry - something the studio has developed in their larger private commissions - and the house is designed to operate off the grid, without the need for mains servicing. 'We work to infuse our projects with the beauty of everyday, throwaway things that make up the urban environment,' they say. 'We also collaborate with local craftspeople and suppliers whose trades are not traditionally “architectural”, and discover unexpected and new solutions that resonate with the social and environmental context of a project.'
