Formwerks Studios Interview (July 2008)

Located in the Scottsdale, Arizona, Formwerks Studios is conveniently situated at the entrance to Paradise Valley. Paradise Valley is the home for many high-end residences, some of which belong to clients of Formwerks. I met Lou Warner for the first time when I went to interview him in his offices. Friendly, articulate, and energetic, Lou was a lot of fun to interview. I can't help but think that his clients like to work with him as well. If you have any questions concerning the interview or Formwerks, please contact either  このメールアドレスはスパムボットから保護されています。確認するにはJavaScriptを有効にして下さい or このメールアドレスはスパムボットから保護されています。確認するにはJavaScriptを有効にして下さい .

Today I visited an architectural studio in Phoenix called Formwerks Studios where I interviewed Lou Werner who founded the company in 2002.

The following is the interview.

Jim: Looking at your homepage, I see that Formwerks Studios follows four basic principles which I will condense for brevity:

• Fully understand the lifestyle of the client.
• Study the environment of your chosen site.
• Lead the design team in a collaborative manner and handle all the complications for the owner.
• Use natural materials and design architecture specific to the site turning the owner's dream into a reality of balance, harmony, and a truly unique composition.

Once I have gotten into the mind of the owner and feel that I have an understanding of owners needs, I go to the next level which is that of going to the site and spend at least a day looking at it and studying it from different perspectives=morning, noon, and night. What are the geological features of the property and how can they be incorporated into the structure? What scenes can be viewed and how can those views be maintained and enhanced? What is the history of the site and area? Are there any archaeological artifacts or sites of importance on the land that need to be protected? Where does the sun rise during different periods of the year? One of the major concerns in Arizona are the summers. The winter climate is easy to deal with since the temperatures in the Valley of the Sun are seldom extremely cold and snow is a once-in-a-blue-moon event with cause for celebration. But the summer is a different matter. The use of shade becomes an essential factor in design as it effects the use of energy and its conservation. Shade can come from the use of mountains, desert trees, the placement of walls and overhangs.

Brody Residence

Another factor that plays an essential part in our conceptualization is the usage of the home or structure. For example, the Brody residence serves the family in two ways. The client's art collection features primary colors and cubist compositions from such artists as Vaserelli and Yasami. We purposely remodeled this home with an exterior architecture of muted tones and strict, hard line geometry. Accents of stainless steel and perforated COR-TEN steel.

A 30-foot stainless steel mast supports a viewing deck under which a walk-in closet is placed. The mast also supports a rusted-red fabric awning which appears as a sail reflecting one of the owner's passions that is boating. And the view deck provides a good view of Paradise Valley .

Besides art, an important family activity is ping-pong, so we designed a ping-pong game space into the home where it plays a central theme.

DesertHaven

The third principle that we hold strong is working together with owner to make what he or she wants. We don't let our ego take precedence over the wishes of our clients. For example, one of our most exciting projects has been Deserthaven. The client for whom and with whom we designed Deserthaven is an expatriate living in Hong Kong. Over a period of some years he had approached some 14 different internationally well-known architects asking for a design that was unique and implemented the ideas he had in mind. Being unhappy with what he was finding, he approached us. The bells rang and we began designing Deserthaven with him. More than two years were spent in the design phrase. The challenges that the client presented were complex and difficult and the client was insistent on particular features. And he was opened to our ideas as well. It was an extremely exhilarating and enjoyable period of time for all who were involved. Unfortunately, after 2 years of design work, circumstances brought the project to a close and we are now in the process of designing a different home to go on the property.

Jim: That is so sad. I fell in love with Deserthaven as I looked at it on your homepage. The way it fit into the desert landscape was so natural, it looked as though it were a natural oasis in the desert.

Lou: Yes, it was sad. But the good thing is now it is available to someone else with the vision and the money. Maybe you can find such a person for me in Japan or China.

Jim: Maybe if I put in some part-time work at Walmart, I can commission you in a couple of years!

Jim and Lou: laughter!

Lou: The fourth principle is just as important as the previous three. This is the principle of using the natural environment of the site to enhance the architecture. You mentioned earlier the difference between tropical setting of our Hawaiian design and our Arizona desert designs and asked how we were able to design for such different environments. Well, I have been fortunate enough to be able to travel with my parents in my childhood to Hawaii many times, so I am not unfamiliar with the Hawaiian setting. But even so, our current projects in Hawaii present us with their own unique challenges but this is nothing different from that of desert. What are all the environmental aspects that influence the site? What kind of activities does the family participate in at home? What are the habits of the family? The basic questions remain the same. The nuances change. For example, one of our more exciting seasonal periods in Arizona is the monsoon season that comes in July and August. Rainfall of over 2 inches in a period of less than an hour is not unusual. And of course the rainfall is accompanied much of the time by dust clouds towering hundreds of feet that sweep across the valley bringing high winds and heavy lightning and thunder. Watching these storms sweep across the valley is an awesome sight and for someone who has lived in the Valley becomes entwined in their lifestyle

Jim: Yes, I fully agree. Because of the heat we have here in the summer, many people ask me why I return to the Valley in the summertime rather than in the spring or fall. Having grown up here, the excitement of watching these storms build up over the mountains and then charge into the valley more than makes up for heat of the desert.

Hawaiian Home

Lou: Yes, it is exactly that. When we design a home, we bring into the design those aspects that enhance the natural aspects of the environment in which our clients live. For example, shade in the summertime is essential to existence in the desert and skillful use of shade can lower the carbon footprint of a home on the environment. Hawaii is no different. Skillful use of open spaces in a home can eliminate the need for air conditioning in many spaces.

Take for example, the design we are using in this home. Notice that much of the area is open to the elements. The living and dining areas are not air conditioned nor do they need to be. The pervading seasonal winds more than adequately provide natural air conditioning to the home. If you look at the floor plans, you will see that we do provide air conditioning to some rooms such as the kitchen and the bedrooms. But even they can be easily opened to the environment.As you know, the Hawaiian islands are built from volcanic activity and so you find volcanic rock everywhere. The rock provides Hawaii with a distinctive characteristic which we intertwine into our designs. For example, look at this image. You can see that we have designed the home around the lava outcroppings and made them an integral part of the experience of the home, rather than blade them for a flat building pad.

New River Residence

Jim: When I was looking through your company's homepage, one of the structures that caught my eye was the home that you built with part of it over a hundred-year flood plain. Could you tell us something about this home?

Lou: Yes, the New River residence owner came to me thinking that he had unfortunately purchased a piece of land that was not suitable for development and was thinking of selling it.

The problem was that a dry wash ran through the middle of the property with a fairly wide band of 100-year flood plain. But before selling he wanted me to take a look at the property and see if we could place a well on the land to increase its value. But as you mentioned earlier, one of the great and exciting things of the Arizona summer is the monsoon season when it is not unusual for an inch or more of sudden rainfall that fills up the washes with what we call a flash flood.

Since the piece of land had some excellent scenic views, selling this piece of land would be an unfortunate thing to do. So I suggested that we build the home out in the flood plain. By placing the house on a strong foundation that would resist any floods that reached that level a unique setting for the residence could be created. The owner became enthused with the idea and this is what we ended up with--something that was greatly attuned to the environment of the site and the uniqueness of the desert climate. What is really great about this home is that when the sudden rain passes on, you can sit and watch the flood waters pass directly under the home. Oh yes, and we did drill a well and find some water!

Airport Hanger and Offices

Jim: Our discussion so far has been about residential projects. Do you do any other kinds of projects?

Lou: Oh, yes. One niche market that we are having a lot of fun with is designing private jet and office complexes at airports. Our clients are generally quite wealthy and some are executives in their companies or are the company owners. As you know, Scottsdale boasts an airport that caters to business jets. The image on the right shows a design that we have developed for businessmen that includes hangers for corporate jets as well as offices. Again, the design carefully takes into account the location of sunrises and sunsets throughout the year, the views from the office, the business needs of the owner, and of course, the hanger which is designed to provide both a safe haven for the aircraft but also provides an environment that is conducive to their maintenance.

La Ventana

Another exciting project of ours was the development of a condominium called La Ventana in Puerto Penasco Mexico. The piece of land was very long and narrow presenting a wonder design challenge.

When we were brought into the project, the plans contained a 3-story 500 foot long building with the long side vertical to the ocean front. On one long side of the site would be the condominiums and on the other side parking for the residents. Understanding that this was not the highest and best use of the land, we placed the condominiums on either side of the property with a park between the two buildings. Within the park, we strategically placed skylights to provide natural light during the daytime to the garage that was provided in the basement underneath the condominiums and the park.

The condominium provides 120 spacious, one to four bedroom units of 900 (83.6 square meters) to 3100 (288 square meters) square feet of living space. All the units are single level while several of the sixth floor units have private, roof-top decks with commanding view in all directions.

The architecture was inspired by an effort to maximize the experience within the property and of the ocean views. Each unit twists, extrudes or compresses in relation to the adjacent units on all sides, maximizing the value and uniqueness of each dwelling.

Sunset Peaks

We are presently working on a commercial building in Scottsdale called Sunset Peaks. This building again is quite unique. The three-story building is basically a block of which sections have been cut out giving the feelings of Arizona canyons. It expresses the constant flux of movement that exists in the surrounding Scottsdale Airpark.

The tilted facades, angled plan and negative space of the building corners combine to draw visitors in. As pedestrians approach the entries from Scottsdale road they pass under web-like mullions extending beyond the building face. Building entrances are located at the end of these canyons. The outside walls of the building are slanted and covered with solar panels to create electricity for the building. At night, the canyons are illuminated providing a fascinating light spectacle to viewers.

Jim: Have you every had any Japanese clients?

Lou: No, but I would like very much to! The Japanese have done some exciting architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright is very well known in Japan. He has influenced my work a lot as you may be able to tell from some of my work especially in the relationship of our designs with their natural surroundings. I would enjoy building a dwelling for a Japanese client either in Japan or wherever he or she may like to build..

Jim: I am sure that the exciting designs you have introduced to us will draw a lot of attention in Japan after we publish it on Shogyo-Shisetsu. Thank you so much for the time that you have spent with me today. I understand that you will be leaving for Hawaii tomorrow to work on your Hawaiian project. Have a great time and I hope to see you once more here in Arizona before I return to Japan.

Lou: Thank you too, Jim. I look forward to meeting with again.