What do hand sketching, creating custom furniture and adaptive reuse have in common? They’re all in a day’s work for architect Rachel Robinson, co-founder of New York City based durodeco. In this episode, she sits down with i+s Editor in Chief, AnnMarie Martin, to discuss how her firm got its start, where the design industry seems to be heading in New York (hint: adaptive reuse is on the rise), the importance of sketching by hand and why it’s so important to her work—and more.
Meet our guest
Rachel Robinson, AIA, co-founder, durodeco
Rachel Robinson is a licensed architect with over 10 years of experience working in New York and a portfolio spanning residential, cultural, and hospitality projects at firms including Toshiko Mori Architect, Selldorf Architects, and Rockwell Group. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia School of Architecture and a Master in Architecture degree from Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She also studied drawing in Vicenza, Italy, where she was inspired by the work of Carlo Scarpa and his meticulous attention to the interface between historic architecture and contemporary design. She has developed a niche expertise and enthusiasm for approaching the seemingly daunting interplay between new and old in her own work.
