L'ARCA: Examining the Impactful Sites of Pickard Chilton

L'ARCA Monographs No. 9 is dedicated to the work and process of Pickard Chilton. World-renowned architectural critic, Mario Pisani, describes the 25-year old architectural design practice in an excerpt from his introductory essay: 

PICKARD CHILTON practices from the second and third floors of a 1918 building on Chapel Street in New Haven, Connecticut, a small city graced by the gothic towers of Yale University and modern architectural landmarks by Louis Kahn, Paul Rudolph, Eero Saarinen, Roche Dinkeloo, Gordon Bunshaft, and Marcel Breuer. The studio of only 50 people competes for projects with today’s architectural elite.

In a society driven by consumption, the pressure to constantly produce has negatively impacted technical know-how, the actual practice of architecture and construction, and the relationship with those working on the site. The concepts of beauty and patient, meticulous design and execution have been stripped away by a process that reinforces excessive individualism and obscures history and context.

In sharp contrast to a process that focuses solely on the end-product, Pickard Chilton approaches design without ties to theoretical architectural debate or to what is showcased at international biennials or major exhibitions. The studio is not interested in establishing a singular design identity through extravagant theories or buildings designed for press headlines. Instead, its design methodology aims to create urban spaces and buildings that reflect an ethical modernity that captures the true essence of the modern movement.