Materials, Methods and Design

In our practice we have noticed that design ideas not only travel from head to hand ... but also the other way around. It is often the hands and eyes which make discoveries that inspire design. That is why, as often as possible, we physically make things. We make experiments which are allowed the risk of unpredictable outcome, We make things at various scales from small utilitarian objects, to furniture and buildings which we design.

We do this because architectural ideas communicate themselves physically and we believe that an understanding of materials and methods allows for a more complete design process. We are also involved in the making of things because construction processes can offer unique opportunities for design intervention.

During design and construction we have lived on or nearby the site, experiencing day into night, first light, seasonal change and the intricacies and extremes of weather. In addition to climate and the physical particulars of a site, We have developed an interest in the importance of local economy and building culture (technologies, skills, materials, etc.) and their effect on a building's form.

In each project the process of construction has revealed the complexity of design. Elements of architecture - platform, wall, window, threshold, roof, etc. - uncovered at various stages of building, have each become a physical measure of site and desire. During construction, information previously unseen was unraveled and inspiration renewed. Improvisations were then made based on new findings. Improvisation during construction has added myth to the stories of the making of various projects.

An understanding of materials that is cultivated directly, through making, is thorough with infinite subtlety because the lessons are measured in relation to ones body. Body memory is extremely strong and complex. This gets at the potency which materials can have in architecture, for a person who inhabits a space as well as the person who makes it.

Stephanie Forsythe
M ARCH, BEDS
Born 1970

WORK EXPERIENCE

Practicing in Vancouver, Canada as co-principal of Forsythe + MacAllen Design Associates since1996

Awarded Grand Prize in Aomori Northern Style Housing Competition, Aomori, Japan,2002 - an international design

competition judged by Tadao Ando and Jean Nouvel

Finalist in Design 21,an international competition, for young designers, held by UNESCO and Felissimo Design House, 2002

Awarded third place in Japan Architect - Central Glass Design Competition - Glass House 2001

Received AR + d award from Architectural Review magazine and d-line, for Colorado House, 1999

Taught first year design studio with Essy Baniassad, 1999-2000

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Worked with James Carpenter Design Associates, New York, New York, 1997-1998

Worked with Ilya Kabakov, Artist, New York, New York. Competition Model for Holocaust Memorial in Vienna, 1996

Worked with Steven Holl Architects, New York, New York, 1995

Documentation and Design Study for coastal communities facing relocation, Tumaco, Columbia, 1995

EDUCATION

Master of Architecture, 2000

Completed under scholarship and awarded the Adjeleian Award in the Aesthetics of Structure.

Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Advanced Printmaking Ceramics Independent Study,1999-2000

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Printmaking, 1998

Cooper Union, New York, New York

Bachelor of Environmental Design, 1996

Completed Under Scholarship

Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Glass Blowing and Design, Furniture Design, Metalwork: Jewelry, Hollow ware and Furniture, 1993-1994

University of Industrial Arts, Helsinki, Finland

Architecture, 1993-1994

Otaniemi Technical University, Otaniemi, Finland.

Glass Blowing, Casting and Design, Fine Woodworking and Furniture Design, Metalwork, 1992-1993

Sheridan College, School of Craft and Design, Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Architecture, 1989-1991

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Todd MacAllen
M ARCH, BEDS, BFA
Born 1966

WORK EXPERIENCE

Practicing in Vancouver, Canada as co-principal of Forsythe + MacAllen Design Associates since1996

Awarded Grand Prize in Aomori Northern Style Housing Competition, Aomori, Japan,2002 - an international design

competition judged by Tadao Ando and Jean Nouvel

Finalist in Design 21,an international competition, for young designers, held by UNESCO and Felissimo Design House, 2002

Awarded third place in Japan Architect - Central Glass Design Competition - Glass House 2001

Received AR + d award from Architectural Review magazine and d-line, for Colorado House, 1999

Taught Design/Build Studio in The Gambia, West Africa 1999

Taught first year design studio, 1995- 1996 at the Technical University of Nova Scotia

Taught sustainable construction studio, 1995 “

Taught second year design studio,1996 “

Documentation and Design proposals for two coastal communities facing relocation

in Colombia, 1995

Worked with Shin Takamatsu Architects and Associates.

Berlin, Germany, 1992

Studied carpentry and various trades between 1984 – 90

EDUCATION

Master of Architecture 2000, with distinction, Completed under scholarship at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

Awarded the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) Medal

Awarded 2001 Canadian Architect Student Award of Excellence.

Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies 1993 Completed under scholarship at the Technical University of Nova Scotia,

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Stone Work, Metal Casting, 1994

Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1991

University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Sciences, 1987-1990

University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada