Anton Garcia-Abril and Debora Mesa of Ensamble in Conversation with James Brillon
James Brillon, third-year M.Arch student at Columbia GSAPP, speaks with Ant\xf3n Garc\xeda-Abril and D\xe9bora Mesa of Ensamble Studio on the occasion of their lecture at the school on September 25, 2017. \nThey discuss the firm\u2019s recent participation in the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the need for embedding localized notions of prefabrication in the design process, and the beneficial ways in which simultaneously working in rural and urban contexts can inform and influence the other. \nEnsamble describe their Chicago Tribune Tower project for the biennial \u2013 the Big Bang Tower \u2013 as an opportunity to challenge the relationship between a tower\u2019s core and shell in order to create a new typology with a permeable structural perimeter expressing urbanity: \u201ca column of columns\u201d. They also describe the experience of working in the expansive western landscape of Montana for the Tippet Rise Art Center, where the perception and role of the building continually changes with the light, season, and climate. \nEnsamble has offices in Madrid, Spain, and Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to their architectural practice, Ant\xf3n Garc\xeda-Abril and D\xe9bora Mesa lead the POPlab (Prototypes of Prefabrication Research Laboratory) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). \nThe full lecture can be viewed at: www.arch.columbia.edu/events/724-ensamble (http://www.arch.columbia.edu/events/724-ensamble)\nEnsamble Studio information: https://www.ensamble.info