Q & A: SOFTLab Studio

Design, Tuesday 06 Sep, 2011

de magazine talks to Michael Szivos of SOFTlab studio

SOFTlab is a NYC-based design studio created in 2005 by Jose Gonzalez and Michael Szivos, shortly after receiving graduate degrees in architecture from Columbia University. The studio has since been involved in the design and production of projects across almost every medium, from digitally fabricated large-scale sculpture, to interactive design, to large-scale digital video installations – with the focus being less on the medium and style and more on ideas. Currently, the studio has 5 employees. In 2010 SOFTlab was awarded the New Practices New York award by the AIA Chapter of New York along with 7 other young studios.

de: Describe the philosophy behind the practice.

SOFTlab: As a studio, SOFTlab, embraces projects that are strange, difficult, blurry, and straddle multiple mediums. The constraints of each project are treated as opportunities that are tested through a collaborative studio environment with the hopes of solving typical problems in new ways, with new tools. Through the studio’s unique blend of backgrounds as designers, artists, architects and educators we are able to approach every project from a fresh perspective to create rich spatial, graphic, interactive and visual experiences. SOFTlab privileges adaptability and infuses every project with the capacity to evolve and grow into something new and unexpected. By mixing research, creativity and technology with a strong desire to make working fun, SOFTlab attempts to create new and unique experiences.

 

de: In a recent lecture, you mentioned the hacker under the handle “Captain Crunch” as an influence on your practice. How did a couple of hackers become interested in architectural design?

SOFTlab: Actually, I would say it was the reverse: a couple of architects became interested in hacking. In architecture school, we learned a lot of different tools. Most are traditionally used for architecture, making drawings, models, renderings, etc. Some are not so traditional in the architecture world, like interactive and video tools. When someone tells us something is impossible, our body temperature rises. We look at the tools we have and how they can be changed or used together to solve that problem. We like to think we won’t take no for an answer from software, we will just change it for our purposes. I guess that’s hacking. But we also believe a process, idea or method can be hacked and re-oriented or re-purposed. By being exposed to a lot of tools and process, it exposes us to methods that we think could be used in another vein of design.

Full Interview on page 70 of Issue 22 (Spring 2011) – click here to view.

Full Interview on page 70 of Issue 22 (Spring 2011) – Click here to view.