Gehl

Architects
There is a certain pleasure that comes from spending time in gentrified locations. A feeling of renovated history, made beautiful and accessible so that we might experience the revival of our ancestral past through seemingly simple features like exposed brick and gnarled oaks. Gehl works hard to massage new life into historic areas that have lost appeal due to dillapidation and the corrosive nature of time. Gehl finds potential in these places, and brings it out for the rest of the world to see. One of the strongest statements from Make concerned their perception of teamwork, and how it changes their work. Kristoffer described the designers working in teams as igniters, explaining that the more people you involve in a project, the more you realize that none of them think like you do, causing new ideas to kindle, spark, and burst into inspiration.

Designed by Sarah Torp

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Always Make sure that you love what you do, no matter what you do.
Loving what you do is important simply because you produce better work. Something that Make and Gehl Architects had in common was their dedication to being sure that their employees were happy. Kristoffer at Make said that they had turned down projects when they were not interested in producing it or the client wasnt a good fit. Gehl also works to keep their employees happy; Jeff explained that having an office based on the Nordic Model meant they could have whatever office hours they wanted, resulting in an environment where people were efficient in the workplace so they could go home to their family. This concern for content employees gave their firms a pleasant work environment, resulting in employees that loved doing their jobs and doing them well.

Be the master of your craft. Be prepared and professional. Keep reminding yourself that the service you provide is important. Create and insist on a view where you and the client are on the same level. You know what youre doing; they need you to do it for them.

Stay Hungry. Dont stay too rigid. Challenge yourself, think differently, and push.
Designed by Sarah Torp

Yo u a r e t h e G o d o f y o u r t r a d e .

Perhaps one of the most overwhelming problems that we experience as a society is the problem of dilapidation. We build, we live, we thrive, but we also decay and grow weary, and are constantly seeking new horizons to build off of and inspire our creative being. Of course, this process can leave behind the hulking skeletons of visions unrealized or carcasses of success that have expired due to neglect. The locations of these abandoned pursuits often become unlivable, or close to it, creating ghost towns out of potential utopias. Gehl and Make have done work that is dedicated to fixing problems of this ilk, and their approaches have impacted the world around them. Gehl Architects recently took on the monumental challenge of reconstructing

If you can say ten things about something,

Times Square in New York, recreating it to give it back to the people again. They worked around more than one hundred years of progress to gentrify the location, making the once unapproachable touriststricken horn-honking stress trap into a nice place to stop and buy a cup of coffee. By getting replacing a street meant for cars with a patio meant for people, they

instantaneously created a setting where the community could experience an environment that they had avoided due to its inconvenience, and more importantly enjoy being there. In a similar fashion, Make took on a branding project for a movement called Stedet Tller, or Places Matter. The purpose of the group was to find places that

had become run down or were simply empty, and then build there to create environments that people could enjoy. They allow people to submit their own locations that need gentrifying. This puts the urban renewal movement into the hands of the community involved, empowering people to breathe life back into the ruined places that surround them. This is the dominant part of Stedet Tllers identity that Make embellished, making it the Urban Renewal program that

youre saying nine things too many.

gives you the power to not only change your life, but also the lives of those around you. Make gave Stedet Tller the power to change these communities by helping them discover what their companies purpose was, and exemplifying that one thing that they do so they could continue doing it. Both of these firms strive toward working for the common good; bettering their societies with hard work and dedication.

Its all about that feeling you get.

When walking into a room meant for relaxation, you want to feel invited to do so. Producing that feeling in a room isnt always easy, though. Paying attention to where the space will be, who the space will be used by, who will be working to make the space come to life, all of these thoughts are factors that culminate in the production of a usable environment. Both Make and Gehl seem to share this emphasis on determining the feeling that a location can exude, showing a special concern for the ephemeral vibe that a space portrays to those that visit it.

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