Faith Rose of O’Neill Rose Architects | Cowboy Heaven in Big Sky | Redefining Residential
Courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects
Redefining Residential
Today we will be speaking with Faith Rose, a founding partner of O’Neill Rose Architects, a design firm based in Brooklyn. Her firm builds projects that have distinct physical, cultural, and historical conditions that create rich and meaningful spaces. She shares how her projects use a versatile approach to creating space that reflects and frames her client’s aspirations. One such project is Cowboy Heaven, a vacation home project in Big Sky. This Montana-style log cabin is a place for residents to experience resort living that allows them to immerse themselves in outdoor activities. We will also be speaking with Faith about creating alternative ways of living that move beyond the traditional single-family home.
There has been a demographic shift underway in the U.S. for decades now that has driven an interest in alternatives to the single-family home. Faith’s work on the Cowboy Heaven and other cutting-edge projects are at this forefront, challenging the notion of the traditional family home. In this way, she connects her clients with the experience of the place. Today we will be discussing Faith’s journey into architectural design including her experience entering into the public sector of New York City. Join us on this week’s episode as we dive into these topics and talk to Faith about her work all over the country.
“We actually are really lucky in that we can sort of, we have projects where we can look more deeply into what it means to create a house. And it’s not just catering to our clients. I think residential architecture is something that you could explore forever. And it’s, it’s really nice to know your medium and to feel like you’ve been doing it long enough that you really understand what it can do. And it’s really exciting to see what people, you know, maybe a generation or two younger than me are doing in terms of their lives and in terms of their mobility. And also sort of in how they see society.”
Courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects
About Faith Rose
Faith is a founding partner of O’Neill Rose Architects, a design firm based in Brooklyn. She works with her partner Dennis O’Neill to create residential projects in both urban and rural contexts which have been featured in New York Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and Wallpaper Mag. Previously she served as the Executive Director of the New York City Public Design Commission, under Mayor DeBlasio, and headed the Design Excellence Program at the NYC Department of Design and Construction, under Mayor Bloomberg. Faith also received her Masters of Architecture from Yale University and her Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College. From 2004 to 2014 Faith directed New York City's Design Excellence Program at the Department of Design and Construction under the Bloomberg Administration, overseeing over 200 projects.
Courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects
Episode Timestamps
3:58 – After studying architecture in New Haven, you came to New York to work in the public sector. What did you expect when you entered public sector work, and what perhaps surprised you?
7:25 – Your partner at your current firm is one of your classmates at Yale, that's Devin O'Neill. How did you meet Devin and how did you go about deciding to start a firm together?
9:32 – The Cowboy Heaven project is located in Big Bky, Montana. Talk to us about this beautiful, wild place and what inspiration you drew from the land?
12:46 – In the prompt that you received from your client for this project, what do they ask you to do? And what was your process in getting to some of these really beautiful design details like you just mentioned?
14:57 – Could you tell us about the process of working with a structural engineer and a steel contractor on the structure, the skeleton of the building, and how it inspired your designs?
21:31 – As you enter the building, perhaps from the main entrance, what would we be seeing and what would we be observing along the way?
28:56 – Could you talk about the way that you've seen clients asking about how someone can live and how a home can be designed?
33:22 – I want to talk about the Choy House in Queens, New York, and that brought three households together through clients. So the three households together under one roof in a very unusual way of living. So tell us about that one.
37:10 – Could you talk about the process that you took with the design for the Undermountain House?
40:50 – For your project in Keene, New Hampshire, you were designing A-frame style cabins that could be incrementally built and easily broken down using simple natural materials. Could you tell us about that project?
44:45 – I know your project in Bodega Bay in Sonoma county is focused on getting people out of the physical options. Could you describe that project for us as well?
49:20 – Given all of these cool projects that we've just talked about, what do you hope to accomplish as a firm in the next couple of years?
Connect with Faith Rose:
Courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects
About your host:
Atif Qadir is the Founder & CEO of Commonplace, a technology company making it easy for commercial real estate professionals to find and use the $100B of real estate incentives given out every year in the US.
His work has been covered by Technology Review, The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, and Propmodo. He’s also a frequent speaker on the future of buildings and cities on popular industry podcasts and at conferences, including this past year at the Commercial Observer National DEI Conference, Yale AREA Conference, Columbia Real Estate Symposium, Open Data Week NYC and Austin Design Week.
About Commonplace
Commonplace is a founding sponsor of American Building. It is a 100% minority-owned, real estate technology company founded in 2020 to make financing social impact development projects across the US easier. It is funded by venture capital investors Hometeam Ventures, Park West Asset Management, New York Ventures and Shadow Ventures.
About Michael Graves
The world-famous design firm Michael Graves is also a founding sponsor of American Building. Its namesake, the iconoclastic designer Michael Graves, FAIA was a fierce advocate for people-centric design. His work defines a generation of American architecture and includes the Portland Building, the Humana Building and the Denver Public Library. The 1st season of American Building was filmed live at The Warehouse, his historic home in Princeton, New Jersey:
Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Did you love this episode? Let us know by rating and review our show on Apple Podcasts. It’s easy - simply click this link, click on Listen on Apple Podcasts, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Write a Review”. Let us know what you liked best about the episode, and what others can expect when they listen to our show.
While you’re at it, consider subscribing to American Building. When you subscribe, you can guarantee you never miss a conversation with one our renowned designers, architects, and developers. Subscribe now!
