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ASK THE ARCHITECT
Liz Leber, managing partner of New York practice Beyer Blinder Belle, drives her firm to work with clients who have a clear “mission”, but also strives to extract their core project objectives. She explains the “creativity, pragmatism, and optimism” she brings to the job
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ARCHITECT?
The father of a close friend was an architect; he designed the family’s house, which was very contemporary in style at the time. It opened my eyes to thinking about space in an entirely different way. I never lost the bug to become an architect from age eight onwards, though I’m glad I went on a few tangents during my undergraduate years.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IT MOST? I love that I am learning every day, even at this point in my career. And I love knowing that the spaces we create will have a positive impact on occupants. CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF YOUR ‘INQUISITIVE NATURE’ IN PRACTICE? In the early phase of a project, I treat programming interviews like I’m moderating a talk show – the more questions I ask, the deeper I get to the heart of the matter. And I am still involved with consultants on some of my projects. The multi-disciplinary aspect of that work feeds my curiosity and love of knowledge.
Liz Leber, managing partner of Beyer Blinder Belle
HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT EXTRACTING CLIENTS’ CORE OBJECTIVES? I ask a lot of questions, I listen very carefully, and I synthesise what I hear. The less they try to translate their objectives into spatial ideas, the better – I want to hear them in their own voice, their
vocabulary, to truly understand where they are coming from before I (or they) make any design assumptions.
IS ARCHITECTURE SOMETIMES MORE ABOUT BEING A GOOD DIPLOMAT THAN BEING AN EXTRAORDINARY DESIGNER? I wouldn’t say it’s more important, but it’s an important part of the job, particularly with my institutional clients. For as much time as we spend getting the design just right, I spend the same amount of time framing the narrative and facilitating the decision-making process with the client team. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A HEALTHY EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN WORK AND YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
I love what I do and I have chosen to make it my time priority. But I also love seeing friends and family, practising my hobbies, and being outdoors. It doesn’t take much time away for me to feel restored and energised to continue working.
CAN YOU NAME A FAVOURITE PROJECT YOU’VE WORKED ON? That’s like naming a favourite child! My favourite projects are the ones that are tapping into the best part of my brain space on any given day. A sampling at the moment includes hometown icons New York Public Library and 92nd Street Y; transformative academic projects at Harvard, Penn, and Phillips Exeter Academy; and my work for
Sophie and Morris Chang Building, Massachusetts Institute of Technology © Chuck Choi
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ADF APRIL 2022
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