Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Chace.
Jonathan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I began my architectural education attending Washington University in St. Louis School of Architecture. At a time when the school was heavily influenced by the modern art and science of building. It was at this time that I began working in the field of construction and furniture production, apprenticing under craftsmen in the Rocky Mountains and New England. I later continued my education in New York City, attending the Columbia School of Architecture and Planning, which was pioneering highly conceptual digital architecture. Prior to founding Chace Architecture, I worked with the distinguished architecture firms of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Bernard Tschumi Architects and The Office of Peter Rose. I worked closely with Bernard Tschumi on the submission to several competitions, including the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh and the New Acropolis Museum, Athens. Also with Tschumi, he worked on the designs of the un-realized Museum for African Art in New York City, and the completed Vacheron-Constantin watch factory in Geneva, Switzerland. At The Office of Peter Rose, I served as the project architect and manager for the proposed design of the Milton Academy Science Building in Milton, Massachusetts and East House, a concrete residence on Martha’s Vineyard the modular design of which allowed for future relocation away from the eroding bluffs facing the Atlantic.
In the economic downturn of 2008 I had the opportunity to branch out on my own as a design-builder and most recently concentrating solely on architecture since 2015.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t necessarily been a smooth road. As is customary across professions, one has to wear a lot of different hats as a sole practitioner. While my primary passion is in design and fabrication, I find the majority of my efforts need to be directed toward marketing, business development and cultivating client relationships.
The shift from being a design-builder, to a design focused architect, has required both a re-examination of my business model and public outlook.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My background, much like my personality is multifaceted. I came up using my skills as a craftsman, both as a means to make ends meet, and also as an expression of my art. On the other hand I was interested in being at the forefront of design and attended university at the time the profession was going “paper-less”.
The ability to fundamentally understand how my projects would be built proved to a very important asset early in my career even though perhaps my designs were fairly traditional.
I see the emergence, or rather the return, of the maker movement as an exciting new time where my skills dovetail with current state of the profession.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
My peer and professional network grew out of my experience in New York, however Boston has a tremendous built-in network given the outstanding design institutions here.
I find the urban scale and proximity to rural landscape just right for my interests and abilities.
I would like to see Boston take a more adventurous and global approach to design and planning. In order for the city to evolve it must surpass the resistance to change.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chacearchitecture.com
- Phone: 617.631.8721
- Email: info@chacearchitecture.com
Image Credit:
Newton Tudor Exterior and Interior, Cover photo. By Jane Messigner
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