In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we asked architects and designers Neri & Hu, Jakob + MacFarlane and Yabu Pushelberg how they work together – and stay together.
Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu of Neri & Hu“It would be difficult to see each other because the hours are long and the job requirements demanding, so architects can really only survive if they work together. One of us is full of ideas while the other is very critical: this balance ensures our concepts are refined. People wonder how we’ve made it happen but working together has actually strengthened our relationship. We know that the other doesn’t have an agenda and trust that their opinion is for the best of the practice.”
Glenn Pushelberg & George Yabu of Yabu Pushelberg
“When you’re with your partner nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for over 30 years, you develop a genuine understanding of one another and of how the other thinks. You are in sync with that person, making the process of designing together much more immediate and complete – and obviously much more satisfying.”
Brendan MacFarlane and Dominique Jakob of Jakob + MacFarlane
“It can be challenging for an office when there are two different sensibilities offering different options; logistically, sometimes a client doesn’t know who to go to. However, two ways of seeing the same thing enriches the dialogue and outcome. Ideas are constantly happening and you develop a non-verbal way of working and thinking, a kind of synchronicity. A couple is similar to the client-architect relationship: it’s stimulating and vital.”
