PERSPECTIVES
It all goes back to Leazar Hall for Eric Robinson and Kevin Deabler. It was there that the friends-turned-business-partners met on their first day of class at NC State. And more than 20 years later, the pair continues to work side by side, leaving their imprint on Boston neighborhoods at RODE Architects, the firm they founded in 2005.
“We’re raising our families in these neighborhoods that we’re actually doing this work in,” Deabler said in a recent talk the two gave on campus with College of Design students. “We’re forming the city that our kids are going to grow up in, and there’s something pretty authentic about that.”
PHOTO: From left to right, Kevin Deabler, Roger Clark and Eric Robinson
Robinson and Deabler both graduated from NC State with design degrees in the mid-1990s and eventually used parts of both of their names to arrive at RODE as the moniker. They have taken on a variety of projects in the 12 years since they founded their firm, from Harvard Art Museums to restaurants and multi-family residences. But working in Boston has its challenges. The crooked, winding roads and lack of a consistent grid system result in oddly shaped plots of land, which can make it an architecturally challenging city.
Those challenges can be overcome, Robinson and Deabler said, by taking a holistic approach to their projects. “We do work very hard to do a rigorous assessment of the sites and sort of looking at everything — solar orientation, proximity to whatever it might be,” Robinson said.
Boston’s rich history also means some pushback from community members who fear the modern, paneled designs are too futuristic for the nearly 400-year-old city. But for Robinson and Deabler, embedding themselves in their neighborhood makes a difference. “I think a lot of [it] is explaining how we see this as architects blending into the neighborhood, even though it might be adjacent to some hundred-year-old brick building,” Robinson said. “We want buildings to reflect what it is today, not what it looked like a hundred years ago.”
Robinson and Deabler still keep in touch with their Wolfpack roots, attending football games at Boston College and getting together with fellow alumni. And when a former Wolfpack quarterback was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016, they were excited to show their support around town.
“I think we’re the only two people in Boston with Jacoby Brissett jerseys,” Deabler said. “We had them custom-made.”
Original Article by Megan Ellisor can be read in the NC State Alumni News here.
Our inaugural post for our new blog series that highlights our fabulous team kicks off with a little one-on-one time with RODE’s very first full-time employee: Ben Wan.
1. How long have you been at RODE?
7 years in June – the transformation of the studio over the years has been incredible and exciting to watch.
2. What attracted you to RODE?
My first exposure to RODE Architects was through our principal and owner here: Eric Robinson, who I was lucky enough to have as a professor in my final year at Northeastern University. Initially, I joined RODE to assist with graphic work and worked my way up to a full-time position on the team.
3. What projects are you currently working on?
I’ve had exposure to a variety of projects that RODE leads, including mixed-use, commercial, and residential developments. Some projects of particular interest that I am currently working on include the Appalachian Mountain Club headquarters, a design which is strongly informed by the organization’s fervent conservation and sustainability missions; 105 Washington Street, a Brighton project in partnership with a residential developer and two established Jewish institutions that is nearing construction; and 420 West Broadway, a redevelopment of an old South Boston theater.
4. What is your favorite building in Boston, why?
I love small, sacred spaces - universities in particular tend to create these - that provide a place of spirituality and reflection in otherwise fast-paced environments. Of course there is Saarinen at MIT, but also Safdie at Harvard and Office da at Northeastern. There are similar spaces in the Prudential Center and at Logan Airport. They are tiny gems that use abstraction to stay non-denominational and are, in my mind, always worth revisiting.
5. In your opinion, what is the most interesting facet of the design industry today?
I've listened to a few podcasts that explore how automation has hollowed out manufacturing employment, and whether the creative industries are next and should be concerned. There are many digital tools that allow architects to play with incredibly complex forms with ease, while also making more repetitive tasks less time-consuming. Is there a point at which the tide flips and the technology edges us out of a job? It may not seem likely in the short term, but we should keep one eye on the machines!
6. Where do you find your inspiration?
There is great benefit to taking time early on in the process to really understand the program and define its potential challenges. The temptation is always to jump right in and begin sketching, but by focusing in on the essential nature of a project you define the core basis of your design, and that can inform decisions throughout the entire project. The spirit of this kind of strategic thinking is really championed by RODE’s process.
7. Any fun facts about yourself?
I was a few pen strokes away from pursuing music performance as a major in college! I still play, and though it's mostly a hobby, I still see the value and overlap in creative pursuits. Design inspiration can come from anywhere so it's important to diversify your interests, and expose yourself to new art forms, ideas, and means of communication.
The year’s top technological trend is carving out a place for itself in the architecture industry. Virtual Reality (VR for short) can provide architects with quick outputs of virtual spaces that may not be built for months or even years. VR is a three dimensional simulation of a real or modeled environment/space that can be inhabited, and often interacted with, through the use of special VR equipment. In order to navigate smoothly through a virtual space a highly powerful computer is needed.
VR has also become an effective marketing tool for many real estate agencies. Capturing VR footage of an existing space requires no expertise in the field, just a 3D camera in a fixed location. The process after a room is scanned varies and depends on the brand of the equipment. For example, Matterport’s monthly plans allow a user to upload room scans to the cloud “where a powerful algorithm” processes the data. In other words, all of the captured photos are stitched together to form a 360-degree image.
Rapid outputs of interior spaces stand to significantly benefit the architecture community, which is constantly looking to streamline practices and maximize efficiency. Design software platforms such as Autodesk’s Revit have begun to integrate VR as an output option. Revit allows users to place a fixed point and provides a 360-degree, three-dimensional view of the space from that position. The procedure is realized in a matter of minutes by selecting any point in a built model and adjusting graphic options. VR promises enormous value throughout the design process in its ability to communicate design strategies within a firm or to consultants, contractors and clients. For years, clients have struggled to fully comprehend or visualize a space based on floor plans. VR could act as an effective tool for architect-client communication from both a time and cost standpoint.
Improvements to visual representations most specifically image distortion are needed to the current VR outputs for a more comfortable and smooth virtual experiences.Although it is still in the development stage, the possibilities are boundless. Imagine a VR experience where you are standing inside a modeled room and have the ability to simulate the sunlight entering for any given time and date or the ability to walk-through different modeled spaces. Solar studies and walk-through animations already exist, so it will not be long until it’s incorporated into the VR option. It’s safe to assume that these advances could lead to the creation of architecture from first person perspective and the use of gestures as modeling tools. The ability to interact with design models in virtual spaces would be groundbreaking. These ideas are already in the works, so try not to blink because you just might miss this revolutionary step in design.
Check out our project Forbes Townhouse VR Experience:
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=okfAW2JEcjw
The boarded-up store at Savin Hill Avenue and Sydney Street in Dorchester “has been an eyesore on Savin Hill’s main drag for years,” per Jennifer Smith of the Dot Reporter.
There’s a plan afoot now to replace that eyesore with a gleaming commercial building of three floors and with room for up to three tenants, including very likely a neighborhood market.
Developer James Baker recently presented the plan for 110 Savin Hill Avenue at a meeting of a neighborhood civic group, calling it “an aspirational development.”
RODE Architects is behind the modern design, which seeks to integrate the new building with its surrounding streetscape.
Stay tuned!
Read the original article, by Jennifer Smith for the Dorchester Reporter, here.
In 2014 Mayor Marty Walsh released a Climate Action Plan to ensure the city is prepared for the impacts of climate change. This plan outlines an approach to cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 25% citywide by 2020 and by 80% for city operations. At RODE, we stand behind the Mayor’s Action Plan and are focused on how our work can improve the communities around us, spatially and environmentally. We find value in applying our design knowledge to create energy efficient buildings with low carbon footprints and contributing to the collective effort throughout Boston to address climate change and the threat it poses.
One of RODE’s core approaches to sustainable development centers on adaptive reuse, the renovation and repurposing of pre-existing structures. Rather than promoting the wasteful processes of demolition and new construction, RODE seeks to find inspiration in existing buildings’ unique characteristics. One such example is JM Lofts, an apartment community and recent RODE project, which is located in the heart of downtown Haverhill. Originally built in 1882, the project included the complete rehabilitation of the 20,000+ square foot building into ground floor retail and live/work space, and 18 one and two-bedroom lofts with an industrial aesthetic. This approach is more environmentally sound and utilizes existing materials that would otherwise have required production and shipment to the site. This method decreases the time needed to build the project, as well as the reliance on fossil fuels, and creates an aesthetic capital that can further enhance the design.
Climate change is a global concern that requires a collective response; however, it has varying levels of impact on each community. In pursuit of sustainable development in the Boston communities, RODE works to minimize environmental impact by making adaptive reuse an essential component of our development practice. We’d love to hear what others in the city are doing to positively affect climate change, drop us a note here.
