WHAT’S YOUR NAME?
Davis Owen
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO CHOOSE THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE?
I was a shy kid, and I had an art teacher that let me run off and make charcoal sketches in the dusty library. I think the experience of drawing something repetitively, iteratively, had a strong effect on me.
WHAT TYPE OF WORK ARE YOU MOST INTERESTED IN?
Work that serves a public, work that is strange.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES SINCE OBTAINING YOUR ARCHITECTURE DEGREE?
Learning to run our practice has been the biggest challenge. I think young designers–including myself–can get siloed from the full scope of an architect’s services and responsibilities.
WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL?
I really appreciated moving between studio, theory, and fabrication. It was exhilarating to put your work into context and to debate perspectives. I found studio a very satisfying format for learning.
ANY CRITICISMS OF THE ARCHITECTURE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE?
Despite its freedoms, the studio model can be punishing to students. I entered grad school with a bachelors in architecture, yet many of my classmates were in their first studio. Furthermore, it often falls on junior faculty to train/educate young students. I think the combination of those two constraints often reinforces bad habits and a disrespect for personal boundaries.
WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS?
I’d like to keep building! We’re also trying to find new ways of connecting with our community in Red Hook.
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ARCHITECTS?
Shinohara, because he’s the master. Poelzig, he’s so punk.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BUILDING OR CITY?
No, I frankly am more interested in architecture being built away from our largest, densest cities. I saw Bohm’s Königin des Friedens church a few years ago. Its form and relation to the town was incredible; it felt radical yet completely appropriate.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GET OUT OF YOUR AIA BROOKLYN CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP?
I’m hoping to learn from some of the great architects in the community!
