Metal Architecture recently spoke with Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, to delve into the innovative work of Brooks + Scarpa, a firm renowned for its cutting-edge designs that merge aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability. Scarpa shared insights into the firm’s creative philosophy, emphasizing their commitment to pushing the boundaries of architectural design while addressing social and environmental challenges.
Origin story
Our firm, Brooks + Scarpa, is based in Los Angeles, Calif., with additional offices in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We opened in 1991, and our team includes more than 30 architects and designers dedicated to sustainable, community-focused design.
Photo courtesy Brooks + Scarpa/
Mark Herboth
On-trend metal
We’re seeing a shift toward metal as a versatile medium, balancing resilience with aesthetic. We love trends emphasizing sustainability and flexibility, like modular metal facades that allow for easy updates and recycled or composite metals that make bold architectural statements while reducing environmental impact. We have used metals on so many of our projects to date. Still, the trends and uses we particularly like most are used in brise soleil (shade structure), curved and complex forms, and coastal durability and resilience.
Pride and joy
In a recent project, we used perforated, weathered metal panels to create a dynamic facade that changes with the light. The panels act as shading devices and promote passive cooling, enhancing the building’s energy efficiency. Additionally, we’ve incorporated metal in structural systems emphasizing modularity, allowing for future adaptability and reducing waste.
Whether our new Four Seasons Westlake Village in California or the new DC Alexander Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., these projects use simple yet complex geometry to achieve new architectural statements with off-the-shelf components to meet the cost demands of our clients. We geek out regarding these possibilities using standard materials with certain tolerances and constraints. That makes it fun and truly collaborative with the metal industry, both suppliers and fabricators. Using stainless steel, steel, and aluminum in interesting ways adds value to the project from a triple-bottom-line of sustainability that solves economics, environmental, and social issues simultaneously.
Lasting impressions
The de Young Museum in San Francisco, Calif., by Herzog de Mueron is a standout for us, especially its innovative use of copper. The patina of the copper facade, which changes over time, not only enhances its integration with the natural surroundings but also creates a dynamic relationship between the building and its environment. Also, the varied and textured applications achieved using the metal facade are unique and provocative. It’s a powerful example of how metal can serve aesthetic and functional purposes in architecture.
Sustainability mindset
Sustainability is core to our practice. We collaborate with metal suppliers who prioritize recycled content and assess the life-cycle impacts of all materials to ensure durability and environmental responsibility. We aim to source locally whenever possible, reducing transportation emissions and supporting regional suppliers committed to sustainability. This also holds true for the fabrication of these elements. On both coasts, California and Florida, we have a set of metal fabricators with which we work on unique and idiosyncratic metal elements.
Coming soon
Our team is working on several exciting projects, including large-scale urban housing developments and community parks and places. We’re also exploring adaptive reuse projects that focus on retrofitting older structures with sustainable materials, including recycled metals, to enhance resilience and longevity. Other projects are using innovative shade structures fabricated from metal that also integrate lighting. These elements serve as a form of public art for us.