Davidson Rafailidis - Space for Something

Document Type

Video

Date

Fall 10-26-2023

Keywords

Spaces, Davidson Rafailidis, Davidson, Rafailidis

Language

English

Disciplines

Architectural Engineering | Other Architecture

Description/Abstract

Space for Something

We are interested in a space that makes us curious, but that does not explain itself fully, a space that doesn’t prescribe what or who it serves and doesn’t reveal why it is the way it is. This type of space is what we call a space for something. We think that this type of space is the most useful over the long term, the most elastic and also the most intriguing.

Additional Information

Architect and educator Stephanie Davidson is co-founder of the architecture practice DAVIDSON RAFAILIDIS.

Together with Georg Rafailidis, the interest underlying much of their work is the friction between the original design intentions for spaces and buildings, and the much richer built reality and unpredictable lives that buildings inevitably have. In most of their work, they study existing built conditions–sometimes these studies evolve into built works and sometimes the studies take the form of documentation (drawings, photographs, writing). The duo was recognized with the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York in 2018. The realized work of DAVIDSON RAFAILIDIS embraces frugality; projects are accomplished on lean budgets and are seen as case studies in financially accessible architecture: space for everyone.

Davidson has taught at various architecture schools including the including the RWTH Aachen University in Germany, the University at Buffalo, Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the University of Toronto in Canada.

She earned a degree in fine arts from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, then studied architecture at Halifax’s Dalhousie University and London’s Architectural Association. Davidson has worked for German firms Sauerbruch Hutton and Gonzalez Haase, as well as Canada’s Provencher Roy


Georg Rafailidis is an associate professor at The State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) and co-founder of the architecture practice DAVIDSON RAFAILIDIS.

Together with Stephanie Davidson, the interest underlying much of their work is the friction between the original design intentions for spaces and buildings, and the much richer built reality and unpredictable lives that buildings inevitably have. In most of their work, they study existing built conditions–sometimes these studies evolve into built works and sometimes the studies take the form of documentation (drawings, photographs, writing). The duo was recognized with the Emerging Voices award from the Architectural League of New York in 2018. The realized work of DAVIDSON RAFAILIDIS embraces frugality; projects are accomplished on lean budgets and are seen as case studies in financially accessible architecture: space for everyone.

Rafailidis has taught at various architecture schools including the RWTH Aachen University in Germany, the University at Buffalo, Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the University of Toronto in Canada.

He received his architectural diploma from the University of Applied Sciences in Munich, Germany and a Master of Arts from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, England. A native of Bavaria, he is a registered architect with the Federal Chamber of German Architects and has previously worked for Herzog & de Meuron.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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