Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. Portrait by Ben Johnson.

Sir Terence Conran

Nodding to the bay windows so common in San Francisco, the AetherSF shop's second in the stack of three shipping containers cantilevers out over the entry not only to provide a bit of shelter from a rainy night, but also to permit an expansive view of the neighborhood from the second floor lounge.

Last night, January 23rd, Dwell and Aether Apparel teamed up for the Dwell Conversation Prefab's Progress. We were joined by a two architects, a metal fabricator, and a prefab entrepreneur to talk about how prefabricated architecture can solve the problems presented by difficult sites.

Douglas Burnham, principal of Envelope A+D, and designer of the AetherSF shop describes how the trio of shipping containers are connected by just four bolts, making them entirely mobile. Because the buildings at the Proxy are intended to be temporary—San Francisco has designated the lot for mixed-income housing when it has the capacity to build—Burnham and his colleagues faced a difficult site not in terms of topography, but in terms of time.

Seth Krubiner (plaid shirt) and Benjamin Parco (black blazer) describe how they used prefab tools to build a pair of Bay Area Houses. Krubiner is a founder of Simpatico Homes and lives in the firm's prototype house in Emeryville, California. A hybrid site-built and modular system, Simpatico Homes build as much as they can in the factory but as Krubiner argued, certain elements (like the garage) are better done on-site. Parco designed a panelized prefab system for a house high in the Berkeley Hills, too high for a big truck and a crane to move a modular solution to the site.

At just nine feet wide, AetherSF succeeds by being a vertical store. A customized dry-cleaner's conveyor belt hoists tons of jackets tens of feet into the sky, essentially suspending the shop's inventory.

Rather an informal talk, Deputy Editor Aaron Britt (in the tie) moderated a talk about prefab design with (from left) architect Benjamin Parco, Seth Krubiner of Simpatico Homes, architect Douglas Burnham, and metalworker Chris French. Here French describes how his long experience doing custom metalwork allowed him to avoid a trial-and-error approach to the Aether interior.

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw designed two industrial buildings for Vitra long before he got the Sir prefixed to his name. He was also tapped to do a master plan for the Vitra grounds, but the company opted in favor of diverging styles for its buildings.

Croton Water Treatment Plant by Grimshaw Architects.

Croton Water Treatment Plant by Grimshaw Architects.

In the bathrooms, a different variety of plaster was employed: Moroccan Tadelakt, selected for its waterproof application. (“You see it in most hammams,” says Grimshaw, who had spent time working in Morroco.)

The Brutalist estate is south-facing and placed on a steep lot, giving the home access to natural light. “During lockdown three, we were trapped at home with our beautiful cats, lounging the whole time, learning the way the sunlight would move through the space,” says Grimshaw.

Diana: Drawings Made with Fingerprint Patterns Fingerprints are classified into three patterns: arches, loops, and whorls. In a style somewhat reminiscent of Pointillism, artist Nicholas Jolly has used these shapes to create a series of drawings. Very cool!

The cream-colored bricks continue to the interior and reinforce and indoor/outdoor living experience. The vintage Stilnovo wall light is from Nicholas & Alistair.

Southern Cross Station

Developer Chris Sally has been known to have conversations with passersby from his “cigar-smoking balcony.”

This spare and square limited edition rug by Sir Terry Frost for Christopher Farr is also new for 2013.

Among the first Passive Houses in France, this bamboo-clad farmhouse by the Parisian firm Karawitz Architecture only uses a tenth of the energy a conventionally constructed home does. Photo by Nicholas Calcott.

According to Sir Hotel's founder Liran Wizman, the aesthetic of Sir Joan is intentionally designed to "reflect the ethos of the surrounding area."

Grimshaw's glowing newsstand, 2006, in New York. Photo by Matt Greenslade.

The curvy, off-white sofa, which forms a perfect conversation pit, was purchased on Ebay (and cost as much as it did to buy).

The master suite features a sitting area and timber built-ins. “Our team of trim carpenters practically lived in the house for a year,” says architect Nicholas Fiore. “The value of built-ins is multifaceted, and it runs from the ephemeral to the most pragmatic.”

Sir Victor's rooftop bar.

Sir Victor's rooftop pool.

Opened in July 2017, Sir Joan is the first Sir Hotel property to operate in Spain. The 38-room hotel is situated in the center of Ibiza, overlooking the historic town center and neighboring ports.

A view of Sir Victor's entryway and lobby.

Conversation pit at the Miller House in Columbis, Indiana, a national historic landmark. Interior architectural design and curation by Alexander Girard in collaboration with Eero Saarinen and Dan Kiley.

#milanuncut features conversation around the actual amount designers are paid for their ideas.

Interior of Izakaya at Sir Joan

Sir Victor’s rooms and suites were conceived by Sir Hotels’ in-house design team. This bedroom pairs a Harbor chair by B&B Italia with handmade rugs by Nani Marquina and paintings by local artist Bernat Daviu.

Sunken Living Room with Conversation Pit

The concert hall by Sir Norman Foster which is now widely known as the Armadillo.

Portland-based pastry chef Andrea Nicholas purchased a 1953 midcentury ranch whose 2,500 square feet needed "a lot of TLC." Nicholas hired architect Risa Boyer to design the renovation, which involved opening up the kitchen to the dining room and creating a contemporary open-plan living space.

Sir Victor's cozy lobby is a relaxing space designed for guests and locals alike.