a+u 2021:11 Feature: Johnston Marklee
Content
This November issue of a+u features the work of Johnston Marklee and Associates. Founded in 1998 and rooted in the cultural landscape of Los Angeles, their office has continuously sought dialogue with modern and contemporary art not only through clientele and project programs but also in design approach. A series of iconic houses quickly established the firm’s international acclaim, but in the past decade their projects have expanded greatly in scale and diversified in building type. The intense investigative nature that characterizes every project is often veiled behind playfulness and simplicity. What began as an “Architecture of Approximation” in the first decade of their practice eventuated in a body of work consisting of “Extremes and In-betweens,” as described in 2 essays written by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee. Twenty-six key projects, ranging from houses and exhibitions to museums and institutions, are presented here alongside 8 thematic collages to convey the full range of Johnston Marklee’s works. Interspersed is a series of 12 commentaries by collaborators and colleagues, bringing the work of Johnston Marklee “to life with their interpretations.” (a+u)
Essay:
Generic Specificity – 5 Points for an Architecture of Approximation
Extremes and In-Betweens
Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee
UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios
Rice University VADA
UIC Center for the Arts
Green Line Arts Center
Super Resin Sakahama Factory
Knoll Home Design Shop
Dropbox Headquarters
Collage:
Galleries/Exhibitions/Participatory Environments
Essays:
A Small Library, through the Workroom, behind a Glass Door,
Lit by a Skylight Anna Neimark
Building Character Wonne Ickx
Speaking to Everyone Emanuel Christ
Collage:
Exteriors
Menil Drawing Institute
Philadelphia Contemporary
Hilbert Museum of California Art
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Natural History Museum and State Archives Basel
Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles
Pavilion of Six Views
Collage:
Artist Photos
Essays:
White on White
Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen
Sculpting Weightlessness Kersten Geers
Some Thoughts on Canal House Go Hasegawa
Collage:
Details
Hut House and Cliff Hut
Hill House
Ark House
Sale House
Canal House
Casa de Mont
Vault House
Collages:
Physical Models
Views
Plans
Essays:
Flying Vaults Pier Paolo Tamburelli
Vault House Éric Lapierre
Work of Architecture in Age of Digital Dissemination
Jeannette Kuo
Collage:
Alphabets and Collages
Babcock
Holly Hunt Los Angeles
The Form of Form
Room for a Daybed
2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial: Make New History
Essays:
On the Work of Johnston Marklee
Michael Meredith and Hilary Sample
The Architecture that True Architects Do
Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa
Drawing the Line Alfredo Thiermann