Tag: architect

September 21, 2010

Green Career Profile: Beth Forer

Beth Forer, Eisner Design, New York, NY

What did your life look like before you worked in the green building field?

I’ve had several careers.  I started off in academics, majoring in Russian Studies at the University of Michigan, with the intention of going into journalism or the foreign service.  I always liked designing and making things, and when I took an elective in Industrial Design, I loved it and decided to go to graduate school in ID.  However, my real love was ceramics, and I worked as a potter for years and got very involved in the fine craft movement.  This was a wonderful part of my life.  After my son was born, I got a job with a more regular schedule, doing product development for a commercial ceramics manufacturer.  Not surprisingly, it barely drew on my knowledge and experience with clay and was more about making objects cheaper and faster with the most mass appeal.  However, I did get to travel to China several times, to remote places where the ceramics factories are located, and that was an unforgettable experience.

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March 11, 2010

Green Career Profile: Greg Kiss

Greg Kiss, Kiss+Cathcart Architects, Brooklyn, NY Describe your “Eukera!” moment that shaped your decision to pursue environmentally conscious design. I actually never had one single moment, rather a series of them that had guided the evolution of our firm’s philosophy over the years. Some people pursue environmental design out of moral conviction, others think of it as good business, but we just think of it as good design. Our primary interest has always been good architecture. Good design can be distinguished by its beauty, functionality, and economy; we believe that engagement with the environmental element is just as an important a component as the other three. If we were to omit it, that opportunity for enrichment would be lost. (more…)