No.8 SPECIAL GUEST: Architectural Designer & Author of The Art of Classical Details Phillip Dodd Shares on Artisans, Art & Architecture

Portrait By: Peter Olsen

Who: Phillip J. Dodd

What: Architectural Designer & Author of Upcoming Knockout Publication

The Art of Classical Details

Theory, Design And Craftsmanship

When: The book is due out March, 2013

Where: A Native to Manchester, England he now lives and works in Connecticut

 

We tend to fancy every guest we feature here at Artisanal Specs. quite special indeed. Alas, keeping with our promised sub-series of 'Special Guests', we are honored to share our first very special guest interview and book review with none other than the renowned architectural designer, artist, historian, writer, educator and expert on classical design: Phillip J. Dodd, author of upcoming knockout publication The Art of Classical Details: Theory, Design And Craftsmanship. Aside from giving us a tour behind the scenes of The Art of Classical Details, Phillip also gives us a thoughtful and incisive look into his minds eye. With a passionate take on architecture and a healthy dose of that warm British humor, Phillip shows us how integral it just might be to maintain a well-rounded and all-inclusive discussion of what goes into creating contemporary classical architecture.  

 

In keeping with Artisanal Specs.' love for and focus on the artisans, trades and specialty craftspeople that work thoroughly alongside architects, designers and builders to bring design to life, there is good reason we were so excited to cover The Art of Classical Details. Unlike many of the other wonderful books out on design, from the perspective of architecture, Phillip has worked with tender and extensive care to curate a publication that tells the story of contemporary classical architecture and design from the in-depth and multifaceted viewpoints of architects, designers, artists (himself), scholars and artisans and craftspeople; an opportune and rich perspective we do not often get to hear. With his own craftsman-like precision, Phillip has carved out a space to facilitate a discourse on design from an elevated and uniquely all- inclusive point of view. He brings to the table a pallet of voices that paint a larger picture of how and why it is worth carrying out the principles and practices of classical architecture in the modern world. Before we totally dive into our talk with Phillip, here's a shortlist of some of the incredible talents and minds you can expect to hear from in this book: David Easton, Henry Hope Reed, Quinlan Terry, Ken Tate, Dinyar Wadia, Richard Carbino, Foster Reeve, Peter Pennoyer, Richard Cameron, Mark Ferguson, Oscar Shamamian, Jeremy Musson, Alain Oliver, Robert Adam, Paul Chesney, Julian Bicknell, Anne Fairfax, Richard Sammons and so many, many more.

 

As you may have gathered by now, we love to begin by asking our features why they do what they do and what their journey has been in the field. So when we sat down to talk with Phillip we knew we liked him already when he replied to our 'So Phillip, why architecture?' with:

"I saw The Towering Inferno as a kid and wanted to be Paul Newman." Pause. We both laugh. "I love drawing. Since grade school technical drawing was my best subject..." Phillip shifts to sincerity.

"Drumlin Hall, Dutchess County, NY, Peter Pennoyer
Architects" Pg 188, as seen in TAoCD, The Projects.

And therein lay the start: drawing. The Art of Classical Details came to fruition at the hands of someone who began with the arts and was drawn to the space architecture created where both art and mechanics, the creative and the logical minds, were coming together.

"Architecture is a funny subject. It's both artistic, but it's also technical. There's a rigor to it. You have to be very mathematic, to be able to have that kind of mindset- but you also have to be artistic and able to draw..."

Phillip, who hails from Manchester, England, where he attended both the Manchester School of Architecture as well as studying architecture at the renowned Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture in London (and that's just before he came to the States, where he would gain his Master's in architecture from The University of Notre Dame), has spent quite a bit of time studying architecture. If there's one thing he has grown passionate about it is the necessity to have a well rounded understanding of both the fine arts and mathematical/ analytical, to be able to comprehensively create accurate and good architecture.



Fluted Doric column with modillion block entableture by
John B. Murray Architect, Pg 10 as seen in TAoCD.

 Aside from the experience Phillip got in school, especially the Prince of Wales Institute, after being convinced by a friend to travel to the U.S. and just try working here for a while, he got his dose of training at the hands of Fairfax and Sammons co-founder, Richard Sammons. Back when the firm was going by Richard Franklin Sammons Architect, and there were only 5 people in the office, Phillip received dedicated and insightful instruction from Richard each day- an experience well worth the stay. As the firm grew and the tides shifted, Phillip found his way to Connecticut where he joined Dinyar Wadia's renowned team of designers and builders (where he continues to work) at Wadia Associates. After his many, many years of study and exercise, Phillip found Dinyar was glad to let him unleash his talents and practice architecture as he knew it.

"Richard [Sammons] taught me, and Dinyar [Wadia] allows me to practice what I've learned..." Phillip reflects.

What Phillip wound up receiving in his journey, turned out to be something of a rare, modern day apprenticeship in architectural design, an experience that may be leaning toward rarity. Which is not to say, however, that merely having the experience of working with top architects and designers themselves doesn't also offer it's own education. Phillip likes to give nod to this by noting that the realm of designers in each generation come from something of an organic family tree in design, offering an innate 'trickle down of character', each with it's own inheritance of knowledge and then offshoot of new creativity (just have a look at those who've spun from the offices of Parish Hadley or Robert A.M. Stern and how those experiences and teachings of hands on work has informed their disciples...).

Today, with so many leading schools focusing on the use of the computer to design spaces, it has become easy to stray from the importance of spacial interpretation and the focus drawing inherently facilitates, taking away from a building's ability to be a relatable space to the people who use it. (We understand this debate, as per which is more influential, people>buildings, buildings>people, can be controversial, but let us hear out this side for now).

A bespoke fireplace designed by Allan Greenberg, as seen in TAoCD

"I think today, with all the use of computers for design, you have people who would have at one time gone into engineering or computer programming, instead going into architecture. But in architecture you really have to have a combination of lots of both artistic and analytical..." Phillip notes. "When I went to architecture school in England we didn't have computers, you had to take with you a portfolio of your artwork, to show them that you could draw. That was most important for admission into architecture school."

When posed with the question as to whether or not he might consider himself an artist as well as an architectural designer, or if he thought architecture itself to be an art form, Phillip recalls poignantly that during his time at the Prince of Wales Institute one of the widely elected studies that was imperative in the coursework was a life drawing seminar, where the students would sit and draw nudes- twice a week, mandatory. An answer to these questions could simply be yes, but it's not so simple (as the arts never are), and Phillip won't let it go at that, as architecture is multifaceted, and never one-sided. He notes that part of the importance of continuing to develop and nourish those skills cultivated in drawing nudes, is the necessity to understand the human form, in all its "ergonomics" and proportions. 



"Apprentices at SYMM ’s workshop are trained in the traditional

skills of specialist joinery and cabinetry, finish carpentry,

painting, decorating and polishing." Pg 19, as seen in TAoCD

"Buildings are spaces people live and work in, if you don't understand people, how can you have a building that works?" Phillip asks. "A building isn't just a series of details, some of those details have to evolve as you grow to understand what you're creating, the various hierarchies and proportions..." 

A good point. It isn't about producing a series of pretty drawings to then move forward and capitulate into a building, so much as studying potential and then fusing that with a wide range of data, geometry, analysis and technical details. Phillip notes that while yes, architecture is an art form, perhaps architects are more like artisans than artists, in that they maintain that fusion between the two minds to create the real and true finished product that tells a story.

Phillip notes that while he prefers the voice of classicism, it isn't because modern architecture inherently 'isn't' or 'can't be' good, so much as that there may be (or often tends to be) an underlying dissociation between the study of the human experience and form and a building. He notes it is not just about shape or size, but also material, texture, color...all the things that go into shaping a space. Classicism is more about traditions than merely about history, as Phillip likes to emphasize. For him, an ideal experience in designing a house is not about recreating some historical precedent merely to have it spat out of time in a new location; it is about the process of listening and learning and applying traditions of architecture to a customized design.

"I'm not a big fan of telling people what to do, or how to live their lives. I don't like it. I think people inherently know what they want." Phillip notes. "...There's a big difference between liking something and appreciating it."

He goes on to discuss how if you listen carefully to people, they design their homes for you. It shouldn't be a mystery where the rooms are from the outside of a building, and each room should sensically speak to the home-owners life and lifestyle, desires, wants and aesthetic expression. Traditions, he believes, are not to be thrown out, but upheld and learned from along with the new; and in creating The Art of Classical Details, Phillip has gone to great lengths to show a wide range of how Classicism can be applied and utilized to continue to foster innovation. Classicism should perhaps (and certainly could) serve as something of a tool-set for achieving the best outcome.

"There's no work in the [book] that I don't like. Each project featured is a great design- whether it is my cup of tea or not, I cannot sensor based on my own aesthetic tastes... but I appreciate all of it. And that's why it's in the book."

Julian Bicknell stuns with "Henbury Hall, Cheshire, England, Julian Bicknell & Associates" as seen in TAoCD, The Projects

Phillip's own training and insights into creating classical architecture today keenly informs his decision to include essays by artisans themselves within this book. Often one may think of an apprenticeship as a one-on-one training and transferring of knowledge and skills from a 'master' craftsperson, usually with a building material, to another; but as Phillip received something of this kind of training himself in architecture (and art), he understands that the artisans and craftspeople are just as integral in design as the architect. Which may be why there was not a question or moments pause to his desire and feeling that their voices were just as necessary in the chorus to having The Art of Classical Details' ring true in a proper ode to classicism today.

"Fluted pilasters with delicately detailed Corinthian
capitals Peter Pennoyer Architects," as seen in TAoCD

Phillip notes that the reason artisans are so important (just as much today as any other time prior in history) is that they embody the complete fusion of building and art in what they do. Each craft with its own specialized background and palate of materials, provides a highly trained understanding of the smallest of details. Only a true artisan understands the direction, shape and size a single leaf should have in a rinceau as well as the depth, shadow and proportion any one section of ornament with all its parts so that it upholds the utmost artistic integrity but also maintains balance and perspective within architecture. A true artisan has a sixth sense for the process of taking a design from an artistic rendering phase to a sketch with thoroughly plotted out measurements (and their correct scales), and then the artistic mock-up, material selection and fine tuning of a single section of work (for any one single room). No small order indeed... worth looking deeper into, don't you think?

"You know I remember, there was a publisher when I was in school, Andreas Papadakis I believe, yes he published Academy Editions, a series of small architectural monographs by some of the top classical architects around," Phillip recalls, "and you know, they were fantastic. That was in the early 90's... And I haven't seen anything like them since..."

 

Indeed, these Academy Editions were a rare series of monographs that were wonderful and highly insightful, and at times a bit academic, but were mostly projects and not so much writing. Even these gems were missing the inclusion of the craftsperson.

 

"Outstanding craftsmanship means using traditional techniques, whether that be hand carving or

forging steel on a blacksmith’s anvil. These are labor intensive and highly skilled processes for

which there is no substitute. Chesney’s" Pg 246 as seen in TAoCD.

"No craftsmen were featured or anything like that. I don't think there's ever been a book actually where the craftsmen have wrote;" Phillip says, "it's always been scholars and architects who have written...but [in the book] I wanted there to be a lot of voices... I tried to fill in the gaps... It really is a great group- scholars, architects and artisans all mixed in. And artisans... artisans, who have never been asked to write anything before."

 

But Phillip has, and boy to they have some fantastic things to say. We're thrilled. It is a trail blazing effort to fuse the old with the new even in terms of a more traditional formula to creating a book on architecture. What makes the book special is not only the range of experience, perspective and talent in design that shares their expertise, but also the thoughtful lens through which each offers their own personal fondness for this effort and encouragement for the conversation to continue.

"You never see those close ups in books anymore," Phillip says about architectural detailing, "and we need to keep these crafts alive."

 

Between the countless years of design expertise and personal insight shared in this one of a kind homage to classicism, we believe that The Art of Classical Details may be proving to be an important tool for the new and future generations of designers, artisans, scholars and architecture aficionados alike. The book has just gone and created it's own history simply by providing a space for so many voices to come together and speak. (Who knows what this could mean to a student who didn't even know how a plaster mould was made or what it could be made into? Or if they wanted to find a better way than AutoCAD to approach a building?) All this said, we will certainly be keeping tabs on Phillip as he moves on and continues to discuss architecture in all it's grandeur, but in the mean time, we'd start by just strongly recommending you grab yourself a copy, have your own experience with this wonderfully thorough and incomparably beautiful publication, and find out more about what classical architecture in the modern world means to you.

"Ferne Park, Dorset, England, Quinlan & Francis Terry Architects," Pg 198, as seen in The Art of Classical Details.

"The dining room is decorated with Gracie handpainted wallpaper that compliments the highly detailed door casings and ceiling crown. Eric J. Smith Architect." Pg 12&13 as seen in The Art of Classical Details.

And again we say, congratulations Phillip J. Dodd and The Art of Classical Details: Theory, Design and Craftsmanship, on a job very well done!

 

Phillip J. Dodd is a Senior Architectural Designer and Marketing Director at Wadia Associates in New Canaan, CT. He is also the author of New Classicists: Wadia Associates, which features a foreward by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales and Introduction by Paul Gunther, President of the ICAA. You can read much more about him and his work here. A list of book signings, lectures and events will be posted within the month, and the books official release date is March 16, 2013. You can also connect with Phillip and The Art of Classical Details on Facebook.



No.7 Artisan of the New School- How Ben Rosner of E Home Wants to Simplify Your Life and Revolutionize Your Home

Who: Ben Rosner

What: E Home - Home Technology Consulting

When: Since 1996

Where: New York City
and Wherever His Clients Need Him

Ben Rosner has seen a thing or two in his day- and at the end of it, has decided there is truly no better tool to simplify life than technology. And thank goodness he has, both his firm E Home and later creation E Sommelier, have revolutionized the way we can utilize technology to simplify and organize our lives.

An artisan, or artist, whose masterly command of a specific craft can be used both as a mechanism of aesthetic improvement and self expression. Here at Artisanal Specs. we look at the myriad of hidden, long standing and age-old crafts in the building arts that go into creating so many details in architecture and design today. Many of these can be traced back decades and centuries, to countries all over the world, for their inception and blossoming as an art form. However, today, in 2012, one of the newest of these crafts and mediums in design is technology itself.

Both Ben Rosner and E Home's moto

Surely the evolution of fireplaces, chandeliers, candelabras and torch-like wall sconces saw a massive shift from necessity to aesthetics when electricity was invented and then further instated into buildings and homes. And as with any evolution, technology's running start hasn't slowed much since then; think about it- the radio, the telephone, the television, records, cassette tapes, compact disks, the internet, mp3's, cell phones, iPods, iPads, smart phones... (this is hardly a comprehensive list that could do justice to technology's massive growth in the 20th Century, but food for thought nonetheless.) So naturally, the ways we are able to design buildings also evolved, to include newer and newer technology. And for Ben Rosner, this was an exhilarating evolution, and one he grabbed hold of and passionately pursued and advocated for.  

Ben Rosner was always curious as a boy, but nothing was as magic and fascinating as what his dad did. Ben's father, Alex Rosner of Rosner Custom Sound, Inc., was also curious. In the 1950's Alex Rosner's hobby of playing around with technology developed into more and more of a passion and one which he began to market into a small part time business from his home. He may not have known it at the time, but all the ways in which he was looking at technology and how it could be fit into homes and buildings was actually what began his role as the forefather of custom home entertainment systems. 

"I remember when I was little he had started selling his products and services out of the basement," Ben recalls of his father, "and I would always sneak to the stairs to watch him work. He even invented a button in the wall to turn on music- it was amazing."

Ben recalls watching his father do many things with technology which today are a 'norm' in high-end design abilities for homes, but were then revolutionary, like building speakers into walls rather than have them sit around the room. 

Sleek and masculine, this New York City Penthouse may appear simple in terms of technology. You might never know E Home fully facilitated engineering of invisible technology throughout the whole home (lighting, speakers, temperature control, security cameras, television, audio and video systems) that was interwoven into the design process; and all controllable via iPad nonetheless.

Ben couldn't get enough of it. So it was no surprise that later on throughout his teen years he would work for his father's company (which quickly turned into a full time venture) on his spare time. Along with constantly absorbing the miraculous ways technology could be created and utilized, Ben also picked up his strong work ethic and became a natural addition to the team. As his father's work and inventions (such as the Tweeter Array High Frequency sound system) continued to grow his services were more and more coveted- everyone wanted to see the newest technology in their home, and people loved the elaborate sound systems. And as time progressed, into the 1970's something new happened- The Age of Disco. 

 Suddenly people needed sound systems for nightclubs like never before. The Disco Era was in full swing and Alex Rosner found his services and abilities in high demand, thus deciding to branch out from the residential realm and into the public sphere working with night clubs and commercial venues to enhance their sound abilities. And naturally, as was Alex's habit, the more he saw and the more experience he gained, he began inventing more new technology and audio based products for these clubs along the way, putting him in even higher demand than ever, quickly making him The Authority on entertainment systems for Disco's. 

"It was an exciting time." Ben reflects,"I'd worked for him part time on vacations when I was in high school and college and then full time after and really got to see the growth, it was amazing."

Amazing indeed, throughout the part time and full time work Ben did with his father's company he got to travel the world creating and installing all kinds of sound and technology systems. As disco had caught on all around the world so had nightclubs (or discotheques, if you will) and the need for Rosner Custom Sound's services. From Mexico to Singapore to Antigua and even a secret disco in Saudi Arabia, Ben was on the road regularly seeing sound and technology evolve all over the world. By 1984, after graduating from Columbia University with a Bachelor's in Computer Science (just at the jumping off point of the 'personal computing revolution', no less), Ben was working for his father full time and traveling regularly. Residential projects would still pop up here and there but the majority of their work was in commercial/ social venues. 

E Home worked to improve sound and technology in this gymnasium turned lounge

Alas, as technology continued to evolve, as it always does, and Rosner Custom Sound was rolling smoothly into the 1980's, the Disco Era had begun to phase out and interestingly enough, their company was seeing a need for their sound services in various houses of worship, which became yet another new market for them. Everyone everywhere was seizing upon the opportunity to come together and share the gift of sound and visuals by use of the newest technology that continued to develop.

But along Ben's journey, busy with work for Rosner Custom Sound, he did start to notice there were some other technological developments that caught his eye. In the 1980's while the developments of home and micro- computers were chugging along, there were also developments in other forms of home automation - such as with home security, lighting abilities and sound- as well as of other public and private sector venues in need of new technology. One of these developments was spawned by the need of a centralized technology source for corporate boardroom's. One of the true predecessors of the iPod came from these boardroom technologies, where there were keypads and touch-screens being developed to sit in the wall. Ben had an itch at the back of his brain that began nagging at him and growing louder as time went on. 

A masterly NYC E Home as seen in March 2012's Interior Design Magazine. Ben worked closely with the design team to ensure every aspect of home automation and technology was completely invisible, with the exception of  the home's entertainment center, which was integrated seamlessly with the millwork.

Truth was, while Ben had the great privilege of gaining priceless hands-on experience in the field of audio and visual technologies all over the world, there was a part of him that was still passionate about where he saw all the wonders of technology begin: In The Home. 

"Maybe it's because it was where I first got to see my father make magic of technology in his first basement office," Ben ponders, "but it has always resonated with me, the idea that our personal lives could be simplified by technology. And I've always loved architecture and design..."

A Central Park West Penthouse E Home worked on shines bright in natural light.

Between home automation's steady advance in development and the technology Ben saw cultivated in corporate board rooms, the nagging itch in the back of his mind emerged from his imagination and into the forefront- Ben Rosner lovingly resigned from Rosner Custom Sound in 1996 to branch out and found E Home, a home technology consultancy where he could get back to focusing on technology exclusively for residential projects. His father understood, and so the son of home technology's forefather ventured out to begin his own revolutions to home technology. 

There are multiple invaluable skills to be picked up from 'in the trenches', hands-on, real-world experience- especially if one is passionate about what they are doing. In a way, when we care about what we are doing, we tend to open up more, become a sponge that gladly absorbs and digests new information and creatively apply it to future work. Ben Rosner easily falls into this category of the willing and devoted [once] apprentice. See, not only had Ben taken in both the formal training from his studies in computer science as well as his real-world experience with his father's pioneering company- but he had also digested and cultivated a skill he learned from his father: to invent or create what was still missing. If something is needed- Create It. 

An E Home engineer implements strategic technology into a home's planning

During his schooling at Columbia, Ben recalls that as personal computing was a coveted technology experience many were in line to take turns with, the school's mainframe had limited access. So Ben went ahead and created a computer terminal he could log in to from his dorm room. Easy. Utilize technology, create what's lacking, simplify life. We note this as perhaps it was telling of what his own future pioneering would bring. When Ben went out to create E Home his mission was not simply to provide services like those of any other 'Audio/ Visual (A/V) guy' might get pegged with. E Home's mission was to simplify life by means of technology in the home- by way of working closely alongside architects, interior designers and builders to create a custom crafted technology system for each home; specializing in early- phase drawing and planning development with engineers of their own. 

This Brooklyn dining room got an E Home invisible touch...

In 1996, when Ben started E Home he also met a man named Jonas Buzzerio, another innovative, organized and motivated pioneer who had years of operational and project management experience in the high-end design industry. Jonas understood where Ben was coming from and where he wanted to go. Ben hired him as E Home's first ever employee where Jonas would conduct the installation and customer service end of the company. The collaboration was so seamless that two years later Ben offered Jonas a partnership in the company. E Home had taken off at full speed and was happily plugging away at work integrating technology into residences. 

But as we know, as technology evolves and progresses our ideas continue to as well. The more exposure to both new design and continual home automation upgrades that Ben and Jonas got, the more they pursued even newer technology. At one point, finally sitting down to think and talk it over, they had a moment of genius: Media Access Solutions. 

It was one thing to have a button in a wall to turn well concealed speakers or TV on and off, but what about the media that would be played on these instruments, the movies, records or CD's? If it was a large home, as many of E Home's projects were, how many TV's, radios, record or CD players were there in a house? 2? 3? 6? Did people always have to walk from the one den to get videos to watch and bring them to the next room to watch? Lo! That could be much easier to do! Yet again, as Ben had learned, if there is any technology that doesn't exist and is needed- Create It. Ben, Jonas and a third partner, Ronnie, got together and actualized a CD and DVD archive and distribution system that would become the true predecessor to the iPod- a Media Server. 

Yet another glowing example of E Home's ability to hide technology in design.

Together Ben, Ronnie and Jonas designed, engineered, developed, patented and distributed Media Access Solutions Media Server. The first product of it's kind developed specifically for the simplification of home life. How it worked: a computer loaded a CD into a hard drive, a central server, that central server was utilized by connecting to other outlets wherein multiple rooms could access and retrieve any of the data that had been loaded onto the central server. Translation: load your movies and music into one place and be able to access it all from any room of your home. Brilliant. This product's popularity and demand spread like wildfire and Ben was back on the road traveling the world to sell the product along with E Home's implementation and installation, and was a total success. By 2003 Media Access Solutions had caught the attention of AMX, a "leader in advanced control system technology", especially for the home. By September of 2003, AMX had officially acquired Media Access Solutions, which seemed fitting, as they were one of the large companies Ben had seen develop advanced technology for corporate boardrooms only 10 years before. 

When selling a company and patent like Media Access Solutions, one is not allowed to invent or duplicate a product of the same nature in the same genre or market of use, naturally, so as to insure a newly acquired product won't become obsolete right after its purchase. This was fine and understandable for Ben, Ronnie and Jonas, however Ben had another light-bulb moment. The fundamental need for a data storing and distribution technology was so easily helpful to many, and they had the algorithms down so well, one niche market that popped up that could utilize this same function and service was that of the wine industry.

When working in the high end architecture and design industry, one gets to see some pretty spectacular things, including some clients personal wine cellars and collections. As E Home and it's partners Ben and Jonas were plugging away at both their own projects and their growing list of clientele, they got to see more and more of the wine collections out there. While it is a luxury to have a private wine collection, how quickly un-luxurious it becomes when you cannot find the wine you want! Lo! That could be much easier to do! Yet again, as Ben and now Jonas too had learned, if there is any technology that doesn't exist and is needed- Create It. 

An E Sommelier wine App for Hospitality

And so E Sommelier was born, the first of its kind, a wine cellar management system. (Which turned out to also
be very useful in the commercial, hospitality and storage cellars too- well done! The entirety of which can be managed from an application on an iPad.)

Yet still, all the while, what has remained at the heart of all of Ben's endeavors has been his passion for technology in residential architecture and interior design. It's never-ending ability to be innovative always stems from a homeowner's personality and designers vision for creating their home. Inherently personal and always full of character, residential projects and their owners will offer fun and exciting ways to utilize technology.

"As we got to know the homeowner better on one project bordering Central Park, a fan of the arts, wanted to sort of collaborate to create something custom for him and his home." Ben smiles,"We wound up implementing a large screen inside, framed, and camera system so he could see Central Park on it at all times. It was fun and he loves it."

For technology to take on it's own form as an art is no small task, but Ben thrives on it. He has the experience and insight into design and foresight into technology to help create beautiful interiors alongside the design industry's best. 

"Home technology in design today has to be used artfully- sometimes it should stand out and be seen, others it should disappear into the background." Ben says passionately," But there really is something magic about having music invisibly come from the walls." 

Whether it's embracing the confluence of art hanging from the walls  and the rooms lighting and shades surrounding it, one must be able to envision the room ahead of time to know how technology should be used in it. This intelligence in and of itself is one that makes Ben's consultancy, E Home, invaluable, not everyone, who has actually been an innovator of home technology products themselves, understands both design and technology so intimately.  For Ben Rosner, technology is an expression of who he is, and we believe he's made it an artisanal craft at that. 

"Technology is a pallet." Ben smiles. 

Indeed it is Ben. We'll be giving you a call just as soon as we're done writing this...

E Home is committed- they go where their clients need them, like in this gorgeous outdoor lounge in Kenya. Can you spot the home technology? Neither can we...

An E Home with their famous invisible technology, design by Dufner Heighes Architecture.

No.3 Written In Stone- Richard Carbino Talks Classical Stone Carving Today with Traditional Cut Stone

Who: Richard Carbino

What: Traditional Cut Stone, Ltd.

When: Since the Earth was created, and Man first carved stone

Where: Toronto, Canada 
+ services projects all over North America

Richard Carbino is vivacious, fun-loving, always enjoys a good laugh- at first glance you might not guess he was deeply passionate about stone and one of the leading forces behind what is today, home to the largest existing studio of classically trained stone carvers in North America. 

Inspired and moved by art and architecture all over Europe and the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Richard pursued his own training as a Journeyman Mason under Danish Master Mason Knud Norgaard in Kingston, Canada.

"It's funny though, aside from my love of the craft, I had a foreman on a job once tell me I talked too much and maybe I should work in sales," Richard laughs, "well..."

On November 11, 1999, their hearts aflutter with hope and optimism, three men gathered and set out on a mission to preserve the history and beauty of an irreplaceable art. Richard Carbino was one of these three, along with David Tyrrell and Lawrence Voaides, who officially founded Traditional Cut Stone, Ltd. Their utter love for stone, art and architecture would not be in vein, they would preserve it's place in architecture and design for as long as they possibly could. 

"It was a day to remember, indeed." Says Richard.

TCS rendering for a stone fountain.

Traditional Cut Stone, Ltd. specializes in upholding the classical elements of 

stone carving in architecture, preserving a certain integrity, honesty and high caliber element in building that isn't as easily found as one might think- they preserve and protect the art in architecture. Not just the final outcome, but the process of its creation.

As we've learned here once before, with Foster Reeve, another advocate of the classical design and creation process, there are numerous components that go into expressing a superlative design correctly. Richard and his team take this no less seriously. For them, however, the preservation of this historically heroic process is necessary as they are in the business of creating history-

TCS custom Corinthian Capitals made of Indiana Stone adorn these columns.

"Think about it, stone is the oldest, most widely used building material on the planet. To conquer natural stone- to shape, carve and build with it- it makes you feel like anything is possible. And its inherently organic quality and sense of permanence are both awe- inspiring and humbling at the same time."

Michelangelo Bust in Carrara Marble

It's one thing to make sculptural  art work out of stone to stand alone, but Richard notes that the combined effectiveness of stones durability and aesthetic enhancement of adorning a building that makes its use in architecture and design so breathtaking. So when I ask him quite simply why, aside from the challenge it provides, stone matters; why is it important to have classically trained artisans and stone carvers participate in architecture and design in 2012, Richard doesn't have to think for a moment-

"For the same reason that opera, classical music and ballet matter. Without the arts there is no culture. Without culture there is no love. Without love, there is no life."

TCS 20,000 sq ft atelier in Toronto, Canada.

Customized, hand crafted creations that come out of Traditional Cut Stone's 20,000 square foot atelier in Toronto, Canada are indeed pieces of art. The process each project undergoes is thorough, and fuses the articulation of old methods with a few the newer technologies to help expedite the process. 

TCS phase one of a tympanum.

When a client and/or designer comes to Traditional Cut Stone with a project, they bring a vision. This vision is one that is shared with Traditional Cut Stone's team and artists to begin. After an in-depth round of research and sketches (to assist in creating the most historically and artistically correct image possible), the artist will develop sketches into more lush renderings which are then submitted for approval. These drafts may begin on a small scale, but they do also get printed out to their full scale for initial design development to begin. 

The above rendering of a building's tympanum with an eagle sculpture is taken to the next phase, with the image printed to it's actual scale, and the beginnings of it's sculptural actualization.

The tympanum's ornamentation and sculpture continues to take shape at it's intended scale.

A close up on some of the near complete detailing of the tympanum's eagle and bay leaves sculpture- you can watch a seriously awesome slideshow of the process here as well.

Also similar to Mr. Reeve's process, when a rendering is approved, a sculptor begins to work out a mock-up of the piece at hand with clay, and later is also molded in plaster. While some of these elements of preparation are being addressed and perfected, Traditional Cut Stone will also work with the design team and artisans to select the right natural stone for the piece. Sometimes, this can be challenging as there is such a wide variety of stones out there to choose from, and depending on the project- be it a balustrade, a specially commissioned bust, a full range of facade ornamentation or a fireplace- selecting this material is crucial. After all, once it's done in stone, it really is there forever.

An occulus window surround carved in Minnesota Limestone

"I'd have to say that Stone's are really just like people- some of good character and some of bad character... The trick is knowing which ones to invite to your dinner party." Richard jests. 

"It all comes down to fitness for use; it depends on the stone type. Some sandstone's and limestone's are good for exterior use, and some aren't. [Although] my favorites would include: Carrara marble  for figurative statuary; and limestone or sandstone for architectural ornamentation."

TCS artisans hand carve + chisel stone ornamentation.

 When a stone is selected and all of the details of the 3 dimensional clay mock-up have been approved, a plaster cast of the clay sculpture is taken. This plaster cast provides as a fully accurate model for the artisan to work from as they begin stone cutting and carving.

Traditional Cut Stone, is in fact, extremely loyal to the tradition of stone carving as it's been passed down through history. The entire process up until this point remains relatively the same as it was in he 14th Century, with the exception of using AutoCAD to electronically compute dimensions to scale of the final product. 

An air hammer is utilized to smooth out carved details.

They may also use a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine to assist with cutting down extremely large pieces of stone to a geometrically (and proportionally) manageable size to begin the work by hand; or an air hammer to assist with smoothing out  sections of a piece of stone. Utilizing today's technology to assist with the ancient process of stone carving with a chisel, mallet and hammer, helps cut down on time once spent on labor intensive activities (like cutting down a massive chunk of stone to the size you need), and leaves that time to be spent focusing on the artistry.

Traditional Cut Stone has actually shown that technology has helped to maintain an age old process that requires no technology at all. While creating architectural details with stone can seem a lengthy process, it seems it should be, for it is the process itself that is preparation for something that will last for generations to come.(If you look up synonyms for 'permanent', you're likely to find phrases such as 'set in stone' for a reason- stone lives on past us). 

The eagle, tympanum and architectural ornamentation are settled into their new home.

It makes one wonder just how much more time we should be devoting to so many aspects of our lives. Richard, David and Lawrence didn't care about the trends of the times when they gathered together to create Traditional Cut Stone (the use of numerous alternate materials in the 1970's nearly wiped stone off the menu in building) they were devoted to preserving the craft, integrity and process that goes into creating spaces of meaning which we inhabit. These men have created a space for the love of art, materials and architecture can foster one another and grow.  It nearly seems overwhelming to think of just how much goes into creating pieces of history now. Alas, Richard reassures me it is not impossible to participate and appreciate art, architecture and stone everywhere:

"Look up! Look around you! Study the architectural stone where you live and wherever you may travel. By doing so you will be paying homage to the men and women that have literally carved mankind's  history in stone."

Now this is the sort of underlying philosophy and ethos that actually should be set in stone. Thanks, Richard.