Instagram | Voith and Mactavish Architects

Fashion forward. A gift from a friend for the whol

Fashion forward. A gift from a friend for the whole family. The new normal. .
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#facemask #facemaskselfie #hanginginthere #covid #wfh #walkingthedog

This is particularly interesting to me as I worked

This is particularly interesting to me as I worked at The Architects Collaborative when I was 19/20 in 1973-4. I really had no idea how lucky I was nor much about the history of TAC. Founded in 1945 by eight architects - including Jean Fletcher and Sally Harkness - it was a ground breaking practice both in its inclusion of two women partners but also in terms of working methodology and true collaboration between the partners. I met Sally Harkness and it didn’t occur to me then how ground breaking she was. The other founders included Walter Gropius, Ben Thompson, Norman Fletcher, Chip Harkness and Robert and Louis McMillan. In the early days between Jean and Sally they had 13 children. They split their work schedules so that each could work half days and take care of each other’s kids. This did not deter them from taking charge of important commissions. Swipe for Jean Fletcher and her work and then just one of Sally’s. .
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#thearchitectscollaborative #jeanfletcher #sallyharkness #womenindesign #womenarchitects #womenshistorymonth #designforeducation

Theodate Pope (Riddle) b1867 d1946. Architect. She

Theodate Pope (Riddle) b1867 d1946. Architect. She went to Miss Porter’s School and was privately tutored at Princeton. She became licensed in NY 1916, was elevated to FAIA in 1926 and was the first woman to be licensed in Ct in 1933. Dismissing modernism Pope designed buildings that created a strong sense of place, while being stylistically very different from each other. She worked on houses and schools. Her largest complex of buildings was the school that she also founded, Avon Old Farms, for boys, which was deeply rooted in the Arts and Crafts movement. Swipe for views of that school, Westover School, and Hill-Stead which is now a museum. I am a huge fan and her work has inspired me as VMA has delved into the same types of projects. .
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#womenindesign #womenarchitects #womenshistorymonth #theodatepoperiddle @avon.old.farms @westoverschool #avonoldfarms #westoverschool #artsandcraftsmovement #designforeducation #boardingschool @naisnetwork #thisplacematters

Gertrude Jekyll b 1843 d 1932. She was a prolific

Gertrude Jekyll b 1843 d 1932. She was a prolific landscape architect having designed over 400 gardens on three different continents, wrote 1000 articles and 15 books. She was an integral part of the Arts and Crafts movement. Early she trained as an artist and was influence by the impressionists. She designed many of the landscapes for Edwin Lutyens’ projects. I have been lucky enough to see a number of her gardens. .
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#womenindesign #womeninlandscapearchitecture #gertrudejekyll #englishgardens #womenshistorymonth

Beatrix Cadwalader Farrand. B 1872 D 1959. Landsca

Beatrix Cadwalader Farrand. B 1872 D 1959. Landscape Architect. I have been most intrigued by her work as she laid out landscapes for many of our most important campuses: Yale, Princeton, Occidental, Vassar, Duke to name a few. She also designed large residential estate gardens. I have a fondness for Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. She was very practical and convinced the institutions she worked with to each grow a few varieties of trees so that they could trade with each other. Swipe for a few examples of her work. .
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#womenindesign #womenshistorymonth #landscapearchitect #beatrixfarrand @beatrix_farrand_society #campuslandscape #designforeducation #womeninlandscapearchitecture @yale @vassarcollege @dukeuniversity @occidentalcollege @princeton @dumbartonoaks

Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham. B 1632 D 1705. John Mill

Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham. B 1632 D 1705. John Millar, an architectural historian, has identified her as the first female architect crediting her with the design of over 400 buildings. Among them her own estate structures but also 18 churches in London that have been credited to Wren. His research shows that she most likely taught Wren his trade. Swipe for views of Weston Park. How amazing is this? .
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#womenindesign #womeninarchitecture #womenshistorymonth #firstfemalearchitect #westonpark @womens_history_month #elizabethwilbraham

Eileen Gray, architect, furniture designer, crafts

Eileen Gray, architect, furniture designer, crafts person, interior designer. She was a highly influential member of the modernist movement. B 1878 D 1976! Swipe for views of her e 1027 house. .
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#eileengray #womenindesign #womeninarchitecture @womens_history_month #modernism #interiordesign #multitasking

Julia Morgan on site rolling out a sheet of trace

Julia Morgan on site rolling out a sheet of trace most likely to discuss an idea with Hearst (whom I have mostly cut out of the picture). Evidently she was a workaholic and didn’t eat or sleep much. She spent most of her time traveling to different job sites. She was very private and neither gave interviews nor kept a diary or any other writings about herself, so not much is known about her really. Born 1872 died 1957. Among other things, she pioneered work in reinforced concrete. .
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#juliamorgan #womenindesign #womeninarchitecture #aiagoldmedal #womenshistorymonth

Since we are celebrating women this month, I thoug

Since we are celebrating women this month, I thought I would add Julia Morgan into this mix. The first woman to go to the Ecole des Beaux Arts, the first woman to become a registered architect in California, the first woman to receive the AIA’s Gold Medal (posthumously). I will say I would consider it a life’s dream to swim in this pool she designed. The Roman Pool at San Simeon- Hearst Castle is considered one of the most sumptuous pools in the world. .
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@thehearstcastle @juliamorganarchitect #juliamorgan #sansimeon #hearstcastlepool #hearstcastle #romanpoolhearstcastle #dreamcometrue #womenindesign #womeninarchitecture #indoorswimmingpool #swimmingpool #tiles

Still thinking about Anne Tyng. Swipe for images h

Still thinking about Anne Tyng. Swipe for images her work and her clear examples of her influence on the work of Kahn. .
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#collaborativegenius #designpartnership #annetyng #annetyngandloukahn #platonicsolids

Thank you to Princeton University School of Archit

Thank you to Princeton University School of Architecture for inviting me to participate in the audience of a great discussion about the importance of Anne Tyng’s architectural legacy. Having grown up with her daughter, Alex, and therefore Anne, I found this to be particularly poignant. (Swipe for Alexandra Tyng’s portrait of her mother). Anne’s genius endures. Happy National Women’s Day ! .
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#childhoodmemories @alexandratyng #annetyng #orderedrandomness #womenindesign @princeton @orincetonuniversityschoolofarchitecture #princetonschoolofarchitecture #nationalwomensday #womeninarxhitecture #wid @women.in.architecture @womenindesignsu

Gil Schafer gave a wonderful talk last night entit

Gil Schafer gave a wonderful talk last night entitled "Unlocking the Mysteries of Place: How Context, Tradition, and Memory Give Shape and Meaning to a New House" at the University Club of New York. It was charming and deeply personal and the work is so breathtakingly beautiful - that it was a pleasure to listen to. There was a star studded audience as well and I met very enjoyable company at the dinner following. Should I also say I never expected to have steamed lobster, popovers and string beans for dinner and strawberries with cream for desert (my kind of heaven). .
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@gpschafer @classicist_org @peter.lyden #universityclubnyc #home #memory #site #classicalarchitecture #traditionalarchitecture #interiors #personalstory #architectureofplace #interiordesign

I have been working with the trustees of St George

I have been working with the trustees of St George’s School this morning and have had a moment to reflect on the surface of this much loved table in in the Head’s office and what it says about their community values. Respect for their history, value in simplicity, a sense of long term community building as many have sat and deliberated at this table. Perhaps it’s speaking to all of us. I truly believe that the physical environment defines a place and communicates across generations. Thank you for inviting me into this world. .
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#stgeorgesschool @dragonsofsg #history #tradition #worn #designforeducation

All present and accounted for, we are ready to kno

All present and accounted for, we are ready to knock em dead at the University of Pennsylvania Trustees committee on facilities. On the right is Contantia Constantinou, Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries. To the left are Barbara Cavanaugh, Director STEM Libraries & Biomedical Library at The University of Pennsylvania and David Nerenberg, CFO & Senior Director for Organizational Effectiveness At University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
Constantia and I presented the plans for the new Biotech Commons - a center for high level research, study, and library support services. It will include a very high tech maker space, collaboration rooms, flexible classrooms and a serene environment for quiet study. .
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@upennlib @universityofpennsylvia @barbaracavana11 #gameday #presentations #greatestclients #biomedicallibrary

At the end of a long kick off meeting with Philade

At the end of a long kick off meeting with Philadelphia Youth Basketball trustees and staff at our offices today, there were a lot of happy faces. Time to start our design thinking in earnest. A fabulous start with design work by VMAers Nina and Andrew to inspire this group with very real possibilities. Eric Worley, with big smiles- he leads the basketball programs. Brook Queenan, former WNBA star, is part of the trustees leadership group. We are double pumped. .
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@phillyyouthbasketball #PYB #phillyyouthbasketball #basketballreadingleadership #designforeducation #athleticfacilities

Great studio last night with two Haverford Alums a

Great studio last night with two Haverford Alums as guest critics, Will Hayes, ‘95, and Nina Voith, ‘14, talking with the current BMC and H’ford students! Thank you for the time and a terrific crop of projects. Swipe for some of the students in action. .
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#brynmawrcollege #designstudio #designlearning #designthinking #groupdiscussion #presentation #arch206 #citiesdepartment @brynmawrcollege

This is the flat floor version of the new case stu

This is the flat floor version of the new case study rooms. This space is approximately half of one of the original grand reading rooms designed by Cope & Stewardson. They were subdivided in the 1990s with an unsympathetic partition wall. We rebuilt the wall to match the initial architectural program. Swipe to see the details of the old and new walls together, the frame designed to hold the teaching wall away from the historic fabric, the plasterer in action, Sennah reviewing the quality of the steel for the frame, our color study, a “before” shot, and a view of the historic room. .
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@pennlaw @jeffreytotaro @sandlerseating #pennlaw #designforeducation #classroom #interiordesign #classicalarchitecture #copeandstewardson #techrich #flexibleclassroom

Happy Valentines!

Happy Valentines!

This Penn Law lecture case study room opened just

This Penn Law lecture case study room opened just recently. This is a technically complex space with the largest LED display in the university. The screen is so bright that the curtains can be fully open. Each pair of seats has a mic and speakers which are autogated. The ceiling is covered with acoustic plaster and the delivery of the heating and cooling is now quiet, optimal for the spoken word. The curtains, even though sheer, are also acoustic. And of course the furniture, paint and lighting are all new. We designed three of these rooms, each one different. This shows the one for 60. I will post the flat floor and the 80 person room later this week. .
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@pennlaw @jeffreytotaro @vitra @baswaacousticna #pennlaw #casestudyclassroom #classicalarchitecture #interiordesign #vmainteriors @designforeducation #designforeducation #customdesking

We got back Sunday night and it’s cold and rainy

We got back Sunday night and it’s cold and rainy in Philadelphia. I could go on posting about Seville for the rest of the week, but I think this last bouquet of street views will warm my heart. We walked so much there - the narrow streets of Santa Cruz, the orange trees bursting with fruit, the extraordinary glimpses of what’s to come, the rich color and detail- that’s how the city unfolds. .
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#seville #sevillespain #streetview #alley #narrowstreets #color #blueskies #spain

This imposing structure was built between 1722 and

This imposing structure was built between 1722 and 1838. For a while it was called the Cathedral of the Americas because it was largely funded by the profits of the trade between Spain and the New World. The baroque interiors are astonishing, though the netting across the ceiling demonstrates the degree to which it needs restoration. .
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#cathedral #cadiz #cadizspain #baroque #spain #18thcentury #catedraldelasantacruz

This fort was was started in the 1590’s to prote

This fort was was started in the 1590’s to protect the waterway into Seville after the Dutch and English had attacked them. It’s now a great walkabout and place to see the Atlantic Ocean. .
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#fort #castillodesantacatalina #cadiz #spain #oceanview #moat #16thcentury #defense

A short stop to see the amazing baroque chapel and

A short stop to see the amazing baroque chapel and a number of great paintings by Seville born Velasquez. .
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#velasquez #hispitaldelosvenerables #seville #spain #courtyardgarden #monks #spanishpaintings

This was an extraordinary tour of the Palacio of t

This was an extraordinary tour of the Palacio of the Condesa Lebrija who purchased the building in the late 1800’s and proceeded to collect things as diverse as Roman tile floors, Chinese porcelains and Moroccan furniture, ceilings and tiles and install them in this fantastic setting. She live here for 37 years moving in just after her husband died. Quite the hobby, if you ask me. The tour included the second floor, but no photos were allowed. Enjoy! .
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#moorisharchitecture #seville #spain #condesalebrija #spanishtiles #romanmosaic #housetour