CURRENT ISSUE
| Cover Story |
| Columns |
| Living in the Past |
| Design/Architecture | |
| By Chris Petersen | |
| Saturday, 30 June 2007 | |
 Clients already request that Hablinski + Manion Architecture use green processes and materials in its work, and Manion says he expects the industry as a whole to fully embrace sustainable architecture in the future. “I think a lot of the materials we use already are green, like limestone and wood,” he says. However, these celebrities make up only a small portion of the firm’s customers. The overwhelming majority, according to co-owner Richard Manion, are simply people who appreciate the firm’s traditional approach to architecture. “In traditional architecture, there’s a great unity between the interior of the house and the exterior,” Manion says. The firm realizes clients’ desires by combining historic, traditional elements with modern practicality. The firm’s adherence to traditional forms has helped elevate it into a position of prominence in an industry already populated with distinguished competitors. “We’re the largest exclusively traditional residential practitioner in the western United States,” Manion says. He adds that the firm typically works on projects that are “large residences inspired by a number of traditional architectural sources.” Manion counts traditional Italian, Mediterranean, English, French and the eclecticism of architecture during the 1930s and 1940s as the inspirations for the company’s designs. Coming Together The firm was founded by Bill Hablinski in San Antonio, Texas, in 1976. A graduate of the University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and experience in city planning, Hablinski designed for clients in Texas for 12 years before making his first contacts in Los Angeles in 1989. In time, the firm opened an office in Los Angeles and the volume of work became so great that it established California as its primary base of operations. The firm still maintains a small office in Austin, Texas, Manion says. Manion came to Los Angeles in 1987 after receiving his architectural degree from Columbia University and working in the offices of Robert Venturi and Robert A.M. Stern in New York. He says he and Hablinski had known each other casually before deciding to join forces in 1995 to form Hablinski + Manion Architecture. Even though much of the firm concentrates on the West Coast, examples of its work can be found in Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New York and Texas. Outside of the United States, Hablinski + Manion has designed projects in France, Indonesia, Mexico and Singapore. The company has earned recognition from sources such as The Franklin Report, a reference guide to high-end residential architects, and The Style Group, which named the firm one of the top-10 luxury residential architects in the country. Total Approach Remaining true to traditional residential architecture, Hablinski + Manion considers the entire house, inside and out, as the same canvas. Rather than simply design the elevations and leave the interior of the house a blank slate, the firm incorporates elements of the desired style throughout the project. This includes flooring, moldings, fireplaces, cabinets and ceilings. A home designed by the firm in the Italian Renaissance style, for instance, would have the ornate detailing and bold colors found on the outside of the home continue throughout the house, from the ceilings to the staircases. “On some of our projects, we’ve designed everything all the way down to the hardware,” Manion says. The firm’s approach leads to “seamless” projects that reflect both the clients’ wishes and the firm’s skills. History Students Manion says the education both he and Hablinski received in traditional architecture gave them a unique perspective in the modern architectural world. It is one that honors the past, evokes classic elements and is still relevant to modern sensibilities. “I studied extensively in architectural history at Columbia University,” Manion says. “I was fortunate enough to be there at a time when there were so many great professors.” Just as the firm’s principals received an education in traditional architecture that they put to use in their projects, the firm ensures that its staff members know and understand the principles of the architectural styles they use. Manion says senior associates share their expertise with other staff members, and the firm has an “enormous” architectural library that it draws from for inspiration. The firm says its staff also partakes in extensive study and travel throughout the United States and Europe for reference. Vast Resources Manion says the firm relies on education provided by the Southern California chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture. The organization says it is “dedicated to advancing the practice and appreciation of the classical tradition in architecture and the allied arts.” It provides academic programs such as study tours, lectures and continuing education. Clients Hold the Key Although keeping staff educated on the tenets of traditional architecture is a simple matter for Hablinski + Manion, clients are a different story. Manion says that no matter how well the firm knows its architecture, clients are still the primary mover on a project, and relationships with clients are paramount. “Private residences are inherently a very personal experience and you’re trying to bring the clients’ goals to fruition, so the biggest and first challenge is working with that client,” Manion says. “They’re the single leading factor in how smoothly a project is realized.” Even though a client may have a specific architectural style in mind, that’s no guarantee that he or she will be able to communicate it to Hablinski + Manion, leaving it up to the firm to guide the client through the process. “I’ve found that clients’ ability to communicate and understand classical architecture is all over the board,” Manion says. Thankfully, examples of classical styles are abundantly found throughout the world, which makes the task of determining which elements the client wants much easier. “What we do is show them great examples throughout history,” Manion says. Classic Meets Modern Even though styles such as Mediterranean and English have survived the test of time to become nuanced yet instantly recognizable, they do have one major flaw for modern architects – they made no provisions for flat-panel televisions. These, and other modern accoutrements, are things that Hablinski + Manion have to translate to fit with its traditional styles. “The TV is often the single-biggest factor in laying out the plan and furnishings of many rooms in a private residence because they tend to want them everywhere but not always be seen,” Manion says. Manion says big-screen TVs and home-theater setups sometimes require a streamlined approach to some elements of style to make them more modern without losing their essence. Ironically, the firm often looks to the past to find examples of eclectic styles that could be adapted for use in incorporating modern elements into a classical style. “We look at a lot of the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s architecture when that was done,” he says. Eclectic Styles Even though the elements that make up classical architectural styles are fairly consistent, what constantly changes are clients’ goals and program elements. Manion says a common trend today is for clients to incorporate what used to be considered public functions into their private spaces. For example, in addition to home theaters, more clients are requesting home offices and home gyms. Wine cellars and garages designed to display car collections are additional trends Hablinski + Manion is being asked to work into its designs, Manion says. He says trends are also moving toward more eclectic designs that incorporate elements from different styles. Some of the firm’s clients already request that the firm use green processes and materials in its work, and Manion says he expects the industry as a whole to fully embrace sustainable architecture in the future. “I think a lot of the materials we use already are green, like limestone and wood,” he says. New Horizons Manion says the firm has a solid formula for success, which is why the only change he sees in the future is expanding Hablinski + Manion’s markets. “We feel that we’ll continue to do the same level of work in terms of the diversity of architectural styles that we work on, but we will probably branch out into doing more projects outside of California, which we are already starting to do,” he says. He says markets such as Las Vegas, Arizona and central California are ripe because they are essentially virgin territories without established architectural firms that specialize in the traditional approach of Hablinski + Manion. The firm is also considering taking on small boutique projects, but Manion says “we don’t want to water it down too much.” |
|
| < Previous Story | Next Story > |
|---|
