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How did your career as an architectural and industrial designer begin?
I was always just trying to make things. When I was in middle school it was mostly skate ramps and tree houses, but I got a summer job at a snowboard factory when I was in high school and they had a CNC machine there. No one knew how to use it except for this local architect who would come in once a month to program it to cut whatever was coming up on the production line. I just remember thinking, “This is definitely the coolest job here, I should maybe be an architect.” Which is ridiculous, because that’s not at all what architects do. It was just this one random guy probably making some cash on the side with his random skill, but I had no clue. Anyway I ended up going to architecture school thinking I’d learn to program robots, and ended up spending a lot of time painting with watercolors and drawing with markers. But I fell in love with it anyway!
After I finished graduate school - where I did actually get to play with a lot of robotics - I bounced around a few architecture firms, but honestly I just didn’t have the patience for it. Architecture is so, so slow. I have friends I graduated with over a decade ago who are still working on the same project from their first year at a firm. That just wasn’t for me and I just wanted to get things built and didn’t really care if it was a lamp or a museum. I got the opportunity to start Lowercase, an eyewear brand and factory based in Brooklyn, and I jumped on it. That was my first real transition to industrial design and products, but honestly my day to day was super similar to architecture. I had the same design process, it just took 3 months to get something made instead of 3 years. I have more patience now, but when I was in my early 20’s I just couldn’t wait that long!
Tell us about your off-grid cabin project, Offsite! How important is sustainability when it comes to your cabins?
Offsite’s my first venture back into architecture since I stepped away! We design off-grid cabins and spaces for creative endeavors. There’s one you can stay in upstate, and we also sell plans so you can build them yourself, or you can buy a pre-fabricated model from one of our builders. We’re also working on developing a campground for retreats out in California.
Sustainability is a huge pillar for us. The construction industry is by far the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and accounts for about 40%. We’re obviously a tiny, tiny company, but we also try to be a testing ground for new ideas. I think the most important thing we’re exploring is the systems we’re integrating to go fully-off grid, which is really difficult. Next is just the mindset and education around minimizing our footprint and getting people comfortable with smaller spaces because let’s be frank - we’ve built ourselves into a McMansion hellscape across most of the country and have a massive affordability crisis. Of course, we also use sustainable materials, but I think that’s really just a baseline minimum at this point. We have cork flooring, our cabinets are made from recycled plastic water bottles, and pretty much everything aside from the foundation and roof is a natural material.
What’s your favorite part about the New York creative community?
It’s the breadth! So many amazing people pass through here. I feel like I can walk into a certain type of bar in any major city, and you’re going to be 1 degree of separation from the person sitting next to you.
We love that you can feel remote & off-grid while staying in an offsite.camp cabin, but you can still be online to work on digital projects. Where did this idea of balancing access to the outdoors/connection to nature with digital/internet access stem from?
I think in general, I’ve just never been a fan of absolutes. There is no on/off switch for me when it comes to work, or my personal life. I just don’t live that way, and I don’t think many people, at least those who identify as creatives, do either. I think it’s actually really healthy to have an integrated work / personal life, where the two are complimentary to one another. I want to constantly be creating things, putting ideas out there, and making stuff daily - but I also want to go for a hike in the morning and swim in the afternoon, because that’s what inspires me and gets my batteries recharged. I know it’s not realistic to do it every single day, but we wanted to create a place where that can happen when you need it.
What does the process look like for having your very own Offsite cabin?
You can find our designs at www.offsite.camp! We can set you up with a builder from our network, or you can build on your own and we’ll be happy to support you through that process.
If you just want to come give it a test ride or need a break from the city, you can book a few nights at our cabin upstate as well!
Follow Along:
www.offsite.camp
@offsite.camp