“I find older architecture more compelling than contemporary architecture,” says D’Arcy Jones, founder of Vancouver-based firm D’Arcy Jones Architects. “If a detail or an idea from a long time ago seems fresh or relevant in 2019, then it truly is.” Read on to learn more about Jones’ most exciting project and his dream date with the late architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable.
What is the most exciting project you’ve worked on in the past year?
That’s like saying you love one of your kids more than the others! We started to design multi-family houses last year, which widens the audience for our specific kind of design.
When have you recently had to think outside the box?
Yesterday. We work hard to evolve our office’s designs without repeating anything. When daily decisions come up, we choose paths we have not taken before, which is a bit unique in architecture, and also difficult.
Who are your biggest architectural influences?
Currently, I am inspired by Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara, British architect James Stirling and post-war Bay Area architect William Wurster. However, my list always changes and I often come back to earlier influences.
What’s an interesting article you’ve read recently?
A recent recipe review that I found oddly interesting was about Dorcas Reilly, who created the classic Green Bean Casserole with Campbell’s Mushroom Soup in the 1960s.
What one celebrity, living or dead, would you love to have dinner with?
The late architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable. She was smart, witty, plain-spoken and enthusiastic about the past and the future.