News Ticker

Architect projects interview with Lilla Smith-Director of Architecture and Design at Macklowe Properties

What determined your passion for architecture and design? Tell us about the moment you decided this was the career for you?

Playing with LEGO bricks, starting 50 plus years ago, instilled a love of building and design. I would spend many hours creating endless possibilities and combinations with those interlocking pieces. In high school art studio classes, I enjoyed working on the skills of hand drawing and model making. I knew then that this passion for craft and problem solving combined with an artistic element was the right calling for me.

Talk us through your day to day tasks as Director of Architecture and Design at Macklowe

No two days are ever the same. During the programming and schematic phases in the conversion of One Wall Street, I collaborated with Harry Macklowe and our consultants, establishing apartment unit mix and size, and amenity offerings. Following which, emphasis shifted to design development, and I worked with our architects on apartment layouts, kitchen and bath designs, selections of materials, palette finishes, hardware, light fixtures, and millwork details. As construction progresses, my responsibilities sit predominantly in being vigilant, along with the project team, to ensure that the quality of work is executed to our high standards.

Do you find it challenging being the Director of such a big scale architecture project?

While there are a lot of moving parts and complexities, we have a talented development, design and construction team led by a visionary, Harry Macklowe. From a design perspective, working on a large multiple dwelling is always a challenge because you are designing a variety of apartments for a future buyer, someone you haven’t met. To address that, I draw upon my experiences gained from working with clients on private residences and treat each unit as if it is a one-off home.

What was the inspiration behind the design for the former Irving Trust Building into 566 homes at One Wall Street?

One Wall Street is an Art Deco masterpiece. Art Deco, born in the early decades of the 20th century, is a modern style that was created for a modern, machineage world. Macklowe Properties has always embraced modernism so the design from exterior to interior was a seamless proposition. The strong geometry, inventive use of stone, glass and ornamental metals in our design interventions, throughout the public and private spaces, reinforce and complement the modern vernacular of the original building.

One Wall Street External Image Credit – DBOX for Macklowe Properties

How important is it to ensure the design elements all come together to bring the final idea to life?

Essential, if it doesn’t, we have failed.

How do you overcome barriers/obstacles?

While a great strength of our project is the variety of apartments, owing to our decision to create a diverse mix of types and sizes, coupled with the numerous setback terraces, just keeping track of its offerings is a challenge. We have one of the thickest Attorney General Offering Plans ever filed in New York and the stacks of shop drawings documenting the fit out are robust to say the least.

When you receive a new project, how does it make you feel?

It gives me confidence that someone has trust in our vision and abilities

What motivates you, and how important is it to think of new design concepts/ideas?

One project builds on another, so it is a constant evolution and refinement of ideas. Most important is that you continue to learn, grow and develop over your entire career.

One Wall Street Amenities Entrance:Image Credit – DBOX for Macklowe Properties

Do you think that architecture plays an important role in today’s society?

Creating a joyful environment where people live, work and play has always had and always will have a profound impact on our lives.

Do you feel that architecture is changing, and how do you think architecture will be different in years to come?

The basic principles and elements of architecture, be it proportion, scale, rhythm, harmony, functionality, hierarchy, texture, materiality, light and shadow, are fundamental and timeless. What continues to allow architecture to evolve in a positive way are factors which are outside the field, yet has an impact on the built environment, like new structural engineering capabilities, digital information technology, and most significantly advances in sustainability, making our buildings more efficient and healthier.

Lilla Smith, Director of Architecture and Design at Macklowe Properties

 

www.mackloweproperties.com