Jeremy Spurgin (Outside Architecture)
BY JENNIFER WRIGHT
The latest edition in this ongoing series devoted to architects and their inspirations features architect Jeremy Spurgin, founder and principal at Outside Architecture.
As the firm’s name suggests, Outside Architecture seeks to go beyond traditional boundaries, thanks to Spurgin's background in not just architecture but construction, development and academics. There is a holistic sense of building and craft common to all of Outside Architecture’s work: a clarity of form and a celebration of structure. Relying on an aesthetic that prioritizes stripped-down essentials and rigorous proportion, Spurgin’s work eschews trends for timeless rationality.
Although only five years old, Spurgin's firm already boasts a broad portfolio of both residential and commercial projects, including several custom single-family and multi-family residential projects as well as student housing. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Spurgin continues to practice both locally and outside Portland in the Midwest. Outside Architecture is also continuing its work with retailer Baseballism, for which they've already designed 12 flagship stores and 30 pop-up shops across the US.
Baseballism San Francisco (Sarah Atkinson), Beaver Creek Cabin (Shawn Records)
Portland Architecture:When did you become interested in architecture as a possible career?
Jeremy Spurgin: Growing up, most of my family was involved in the building trades. I was on job sites at a very early age and eventually worked construction for most of my adolescent and early adult jobs. And, yeah, Legos and Lincoln Logs were my jam as a little kid. I always enjoyed drawing and problem solving. I wanted to be an architect as far back as I can remember, well before I knew what it really involved. I was hooked by the time I got to architecture school where most of the course work was learning about and designing cool spaces, objects and buildings. I fell more in love with the profession each time I learned more about it; starting in high school, then college and grad school, to entering the profession and running my own studio.
Where did you study architecture and how would you rate the experience?
I received my bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Minnesota,. The studios were very conceptual, which helped balance my prior practical exposure to building. I really loved the school’s campus, the architecture building and the design curriculum. At “the U,” I witnessed two bizzare Starchitect behaviors in my final year: Stephen Holl turning his back to the audience during a defense of his would-be-addition to the school of architecture, and Frank Gehry not saying a single word when given an honorary degree at our graduation. It was hilarious and eye-opening about the egos in this industry.
I earned my master's degree in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The curriculum was a great mix of design and practice, with many talented local architects teaching studios. It was a perfect precursor to entering the profession. Also, at that time a lot of the professors were beginning to get students thinking about energy and sustainability, which I appreciated and ran with.
What is your favorite building project that you’ve worked on?
Riverfront Lofts is a 26-unit, multi-family project in downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin. I completed this project in 2006 while working at Vetter Denk Architects in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm acted as architect and developer on this and many other projects. I was fortunate to have done the initial building design, construction drawings and then worked with the individual buyers to customize each residence- a handful who wore helmets to work on Sundays. I even personally did some decorative concrete work within the project. Don’t ask.
The design was solid: tight and clean but not flashy. The section recalled Le Corbusier’s Unite d’Habitation, with skip-stop elevators and interlocking units. No new residential projects had been built in Green Bay in decades, so the project was a kind of test-fit for urban living in the city. As such, we designed a wide variety of unit sizes at different price points, from $160,000 to $1.5 million. Yet no matter what the size, each unit shared the same modern principles and all had large water-facing outdoor terraces. We followed up the project by redeveloping the riverfront boardwalk. Both of which helped spur a major reinvestment in downtown Green Bay that continues today.
Riverfront Lofts, Green Bay (Vetter Denk Architects)
Who has been an important mentor among your colleagues?
There have really been a lot, but two certainly stand out. John Vetter and Kelly Denk are architects I worked for when living in Milwaukee. John is a very talented designer and communicator. His brain, hands and mouth work really well in unison. I’ve learned so much about both how to design and how to talk about it from John. Kelly has a great technical mind. We talk a lot about detailing architecture and how to think about the financial side of our practice. Both John and Kelly value relationships in a way I hadn’t seen until I worked with them. Each is an ambitious architect, but strong ethics and character dominate their decision-making. Their example guides how I run my practice and lean on both of them frequently to this day.
Lucas Gray is a friend and architecture colleague here in Portland. I use his council more than I care to admit. He’s an alternative thinker which I really appreciate. He has an unconventional way of interpreting the world and he’s typically spot on.
What part of the job do you like best and as an architect what do you think you most excel at?
Detailing. I place design as the main priority of our studio, but even at the early stages I am thinking of how it will get put together. Too often creative, but ungrounded design drives bad detailing and construction. My favorite projects have a series of clean, repeatable details- placing a higher value on composition and tectonics. The approach minimizes the effort of moving from concept to construction and won’t get you laughed out of a job-site trailer.
Section of Beaver Creek Cabin (Outside Architecture)
What are some Portland buildings (either new or historic) that you most admire?
The Portland Japanese Garden’s Cultural Crossing expansion by Kengo Kuma (with Hacker Architects, Walker Macy and Uchiyama) is hard to beat. It’s inventive and unexpected, yet humble, approachable and familiar at the same time.
The Ziba headquarters by Holst Architecture is a great composition and works well at a variety of scales. I like how brave the fenestration is for a three-story building.
Portland Japanese Garden (Stephen Tamiesie), Ziba Headquarters (Holst Architecture)
What is your favorite building outside of Portland and besides any that you’ve worked on?
I love residential architecture and gravitate toward that typology. I know it’s cliche, but Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is one of my favorites and such a great project. If you haven’t been, it truly is worth all the hype. The exterior is bold and aggressive, but still feels united to the landscape. The interiors are severe and rigid, but still feel calm and cozy. The indoor/outdoor connection is so strong and there is a great variety of scales in the home.
Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania (Brian Libby)
Is there a local architect or firm that you think is unheralded or deserves more attention?
There are so many that deserve more attention. I’ve always appreciated smaller firms and there are a few that consistently get my attention. Webster Wilson is a great designer whose buildings really celebrate how they are built. In Situ is doing great work and leading the industry in high performance energy standards. Follow their lead. More well-known, is Fieldwork, who seems to knock it out of the park on every project. They are certainly not unheralded, but I think they deserve more attention.
What would you like to see change about Portland’s built environment in the long term?
Portland was a pioneer in urban design with the urban growth boundary and light rail. I wish we were still pushing the envelope with our planning.
I’d love to see stronger public connections to the Willamette. There aren’t enough opportunities to engage the river aside from driving over it. We should be able to walk or roll along the river from Sellwood to Cathedral Park. Maybe we should bury the freeway and better develop the Central Eastside to get more people, businesses and activity to the river.
I’d also love to see more protected bike lanes and even some non-automobile streets. Streets like North Williams and Southeast Division could be free of civilian vehicles. People and business would go crazy for a truly pedestrian friendly strip. Walking in Florence, Italy is so stress-free without all the cars. State Street in Madison, Wisconsin is another good example.
Those two first and then a Major League Baseball ballpark. Don't @ me.
Is there a famous architect you would like to see do work here in Portland?
Good architecture (not just sexy) requires a strong grasp of the regional environment, which is inherently a hurdle for non-local architects. We don’t need some Starchitect doing a “look at me” project that makes no sense in the Pacific Northwest. Lake Flato or Vince James (VJAA) are two stellar firms that would grasp the regional responsibility and deliver a rigorous, beautiful project.
Lake Flato's Marine Education Center (Casey Dunn), VJAA's Type Variant House (VJAA)
Name something besides architecture (sneakers, furniture, umbrellas) you love the design of.
Pizza - so many decisions and things to get right (pineapple) and wrong (olives). Like buildings, a good pie should be aesthetically pleasing, have structural integrity and environmentally responsible. I love a good thin crust, but my partner is from Michigan, so I’ve come to appreciate Detroit-style. I try not to discriminate when it comes to pizza.
What are three of your all-time favorite movies?
I like comedies and most anything with Bill Murray. There are so many hilarious options, but probably my favorite is Stripes, even if it is only half a movie. By the time he cracks the ‘Wiscaaahnsin’ joke and they head into Germany, you can turn it off. I really don’t like stressful movies, but The Deer Hunter is an exception and a favorite. Everything feels so real and even though I’ve seen it dozens of times, every time I watch it shakes me like the first time I saw it. Vision Quest is a guilty pleasure that I love from growing up. It’s so wonderfully, cheesy-bad-'80s with a great soundtrack.
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