A fault line runs through the architectural profession separating
academics from practitioners, thinkers from doers, those who imagine
from those who build. Straddling this line, and connecting the realms
on either side, are emerging architects who both teach and practice.
It's a difficult balancing act to pull off, but it often spurs an
exciting form of creativity shaped by tension and risk-taking. Many of
the architects in this year's Design Vanguard epitomize this kind of
back-and-forth career, combining academic research with the nuts and
bolts of delivering real buildings to real clients. From Berkeley to
Barcelona, and Glasgow to Winnipeg, partners in many of this year's
firms have established a fluid relationship between intellectual
exploration and making projects happen. In doing so, they enrich both
spheres of work. Firms shown here are bridging other types of divides,
too, crossing national boundaries, for example, and connecting eras by
tapping the spirit of traditional buildings in works of modern
design. —Clifford A. Pearson
http://archrecord.construction.com/features/designvanguard/2011.asp
http://archrecord.construction.com/features/designvanguard/2011.asp