In the fall issue of aspire design and home we delve into the world of DESIGN DUOS, examining their synergy, successful collaborations and the unique dynamics that make their (personal and professional) partnerships thrive.
Neri&Hu | Architecture
Founding Partners: Lyndon Neri & Rossana Hu
Est. 2004
How and when did you meet?
We started to get to know each other when we met at UC Berkeley. We overlapped at the school for one year – Rossana’s first year was Lyndon’s last.
Aranya Art Center. Photo by Pedro Pegenaute
This or that…
Are you a morning person or nocturnal?
Lyndon: Nocturnal.
Rossana: Nocturnal.
Do you prefer phone calls or Zoom/video?
Lyndon: No preference.
Rossana: Phone calls.
Fuzhou Tea House. Photo by Hao Chen
Is your office neat and organized or messy/creatively cluttered?
Lyndon: Messy.
Rossana: Sometimes messy, sometimes organized.
Are you a social butterfly or do you prefer the comforts of home?
Lyndon: In between, depends on the mood.
Rossana: Home comforts.
Suzhou Chapel. Photo by Pedro Pegenaute
My favorite period in design is…
Lyndon: The beginning, during schematic when we are shaping the forms.
Rossana: The beginning, when we are thinking about the concept and doing research to formulate the big idea.
I am creatively inspired by…
Lyndon: The everyday, the mundane and the ordinary.
Rossana: We also like to examine the local culture of where our work is so that depends on where the project is located.
Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts Extension. Photo by Zhu Runzi
The best part of working together is…
Lyndon: We work together as a team. We have different strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses.
Rossana: It’s fun and interesting to share life and work together so that even when we travel, we are looking at things that relate to our work… it’s a constant dialogue about design and work/life is quite inseparable.
Click here to see more from our Design Duos series.
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