#318 - JOSHUA AIDLIN, Founding Partner of Aidlin Darling Design
SUMMARY
This week Architect Joshua Aidlin, Founding Partner of Aidlin Darling Design joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design to discuss his background in the arts; his design approach and philosophy; camping on project sites; creating good office culture; his partnership with David Darling; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT JOSHUA
Joshua Aidlin and David Darling began their partnership crafting furniture together in a San Francisco wood shop in 1998. Today, this history of craft and passion for shared making anchors our collaborative process. Our approach to each project is client and site-specific, and includes open communication among clients, consultants, fabricators, and builders.
At Aidlin Darling Design, we think of design as a sensory art, one where the way a space feels is as important as how it looks. As a multidisciplinary firm, this ethos is our guiding principle across projects of any scale, use, or purpose.
We recently collaborated with director Braden King on a film that explores how our studio’s work moves beyond just the visual to engage all of the senses. The result, Aidlin Darling Design: Architecture for the Senses, captures our firm’s ethos and commitment to creating soulful environments.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Background.
(15:31) Fostering relationships and passion through a studio environment.
“You have to love the process. You really have to be passionate about the process and you have to love the people you're working with. Creating a studio environment where you're respected and your ideas are being utilized daily.” (16:35)
(25:10) After graduating from architecture school.
(36:15) Relationship with David Darling.
(44:05) Creating a thriving office culture
“There are different breaking points: between 5 to 10 and then 10 to 18 and then 18 to about 25 and then 25 to 35, the personality of the studio changes when you grow. We've always had this ethos that we should be able to sit around a singular table and break bread. We should know if someone's mother is sick, or if someone’s child is sick. We need to take care of each other.” (44:47)
“One of the keys is, you have to hire talent and you have to hire talent with no ego… because typically those types of personalities are great collaborators and I feel like our collaboration process makes our designs richer." (55:51)
(59:02) Projects.
(01:04:54) Design process.
“The concept of a building doesn't have to start at the beginning. It can be uncovered halfway through your design process. In school, you're never taught that. You start with a concept, and then the building unfolds after that. But I've had some incredible buildings where that concept really gelled halfway through when enough constraints started to surface and enough solutions started to surface, and then all of a sudden, it really kind of locked in and gelled. It's kind of abstract to talk about, but it was very empowering to realize.” (01:10:43)
(01:15:38) Working with clients.
“A great client is someone who has very clear ideas about what they're trying to achieve without telling you how to do it. They understand that you are the expert. They’re not changing their mind all the time and they're not ambiguous about what they're trying to achieve, but they give you full authorship to take them from 0 to 100 all in their interest.” (01:20:49)
(01:45:06) Designing different types of projects.
