KieranTimberlake Associates
Encyclopedia
KieranTimberlake is an American architecture firm, founded by Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake and located in Philadelphia
. The firm espouses a philosophy of sustainable design
, collaborative design, and in-depth research. They have also shown an interest in prefabrication
, new technologies and integrating architecture with the actual activities to take place the buildings they design, especially using "teaching" design elements in schools. Their interest in productions and craft led them to team up with DuPont
to develop Smartwrap
, a laminated polymer
film that can support thin interstitial films, including photovoltaics
, OLEDs, polarizing or UV screens, etc.
School of Architecture, joining Venturi
, Scott Brown
, and Associates, before receiving Rome Prize
s separately and finally founding their practice in 1984. The firm maintained itself as a noted sustainable design firm for many years, building a reputation for attention to detail and consistency. The partners were awarded the inaugural Latrobe
Fellowship
from the American Institute of Architects
in 2001.
KieranTimberlake received more attention after the publication of Refabricating Architecture, a book that explains and argues for the prefabrication of buildings using Building Information Modeling
and close coordination of architects and contractors. Timberlake and Kieran argue that offsite production of buildings would be less expensive, more sustainable, and offer tolerances and techniques not possible in on-site construction. They also insist that mass-customization, as they call it, is the proper extension of the ideas expressed by Le Corbusier
and other early modernists, who sought to develop inexpensive and easily built housing. Consequently, the book emulates the format and style of Toward an Architecture
.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The firm espouses a philosophy of sustainable design
Sustainable design
Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
, collaborative design, and in-depth research. They have also shown an interest in prefabrication
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
, new technologies and integrating architecture with the actual activities to take place the buildings they design, especially using "teaching" design elements in schools. Their interest in productions and craft led them to team up with DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
to develop Smartwrap
Smartwrap
Smartwrap is an ultra-thin polymer-based material made by James Timberlake and Stephen Kieran of Philadelphia architecture firm KieranTimberlake....
, a laminated polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
film that can support thin interstitial films, including photovoltaics
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
, OLEDs, polarizing or UV screens, etc.
History
James Timberlake and Stephen Kieran met at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
School of Architecture, joining Venturi
Robert Venturi
Robert Charles Venturi, Jr. is an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, and one of the major figures in the architecture of the twentieth century...
, Scott Brown
Denise Scott Brown
Denise Scott Brown, is an architect, planner, writer, educator, and principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia...
, and Associates, before receiving Rome Prize
Rome Prize
The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
s separately and finally founding their practice in 1984. The firm maintained itself as a noted sustainable design firm for many years, building a reputation for attention to detail and consistency. The partners were awarded the inaugural Latrobe
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
Fellowship
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
from the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
in 2001.
KieranTimberlake received more attention after the publication of Refabricating Architecture, a book that explains and argues for the prefabrication of buildings using Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling
Building information modeling is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle.BIM involves representing a design as objects – vague and undefined, generic or product-specific, solid shapes or void-space oriented , that carry their geometry, relations and attributes...
and close coordination of architects and contractors. Timberlake and Kieran argue that offsite production of buildings would be less expensive, more sustainable, and offer tolerances and techniques not possible in on-site construction. They also insist that mass-customization, as they call it, is the proper extension of the ideas expressed by Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and other early modernists, who sought to develop inexpensive and easily built housing. Consequently, the book emulates the format and style of Toward an Architecture
Toward an Architecture
Vers une architecture, translated into English as Toward an Architecture and commonly known as Towards a New Architecture is a collection of essays written by Le Corbusier , advocating for and exploring the concept of modern architecture...
.
Work
- Atwater Commons, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT
- Berkeley College, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Brockman Hall for Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX
- Cellophane House, for MoMAMomaMoma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
's Exhibit Home Delivery, Fabricating the Modern Dwelling New York, NY - Center City Building, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
- In February, 2010, the American government revealed plans for a new, secure embassy building in LondonEmbassy of the United States in LondonThe Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St. James's has been located since 1960 in the American Embassy London Chancery Building, in Grosvenor Square, Westminster, London...
designed by KieranTimberlake. - LivingHomes, Single and Multi-Family Off-site Fabricated Housing (LEED Platinum Certified)
- Loblolly House, Taylors Island, MD
- Stewart Middle School, Sidwell FriendsSidwell Friends SchoolSidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
, Washington, DC (LEED Platinum Certified) - Melvin J. and Claire Levine Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Northwest Campus Infill Housing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- Pierson and Davenport College, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- Sculpture Building and School of Art Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, CT (LEED Platinum Certified)
- Silliman College, Yale University, New Haven, CT
- SmartWrap™ Pavilion, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY
- Special NO 9 House, Make It Right Foundation, New Orleans, LA (LEED Platinum Certified)
- West Campus Residential Initiative, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Awards
- Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Architecture 2010
- AIA Architecture Firm AwardArchitecture Firm AwardThe Architecture Firm Award is the highest honor that The American Institute of Architects can bestow on an architecture firm for consistently producing distinguished architecture.Prior recipients of the AIA Architecture Firm Award include:...
, 2008. - Special NO 9 House, Make It Right Foundation, Top Ten Green Award, Committee on the Environment (COTE), American Institute of Architects, 2010
- West Campus Residential Initiative, Cornell University, Citation, Committee on Architecture for Education, American Institute of Architects, 2009
- Sculpture Building and School of Art Gallery, Yale University, Award for Excellence, Committee on Architecture for Education, American Institute of Architects, 2009
- Yale University Sculpture Building and Gallery, Top Ten Green Award, Committee on the Environment (COTE), American Institute of Architects, 2008
- Loblolly House, Institute Honor Award for Architecture, American Institute of Architects, 2008
- Sidwell Friends School, Award for Excellence, Committee on Architecture for Education, American Institute of Architects, 2007
- Sidwell Friends Middle School, Top Ten Green Award, Committee on the Environment (COTE), American Institute of Architects, 2007
- Yale University, Pierson and Davenport College, Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture, American Institute of Architects, 2007