Transformable Eco House + exclusive interview with Dror Benshetrit

photo by studiodror.com

“Contemporary design and building responds to seasonal variations primarily through artificial systems of climate control. The Eco House transforms structurally to suit environments in which cold winters and hot summers are the norm. The pitched, A-frame roof assists the conversation of heat, deflects light, and eases snow run-off in the winter months while the flat roof and upper band of ventilation creates a wind tunnel circulating breezes in the summer heat.”(Animation here)

photo by studiodror.com

Exclusive interview with Dror Benshetrit:
Studio Dror is an extension of Dror Benshetrit's work. Being a multidisciplinary design company, founded in 2002, Studio Dror specializes in product design, architecture and art direction. Dror's client list includes Puma, Rosenthal (Germany), Boffi (Italy), Levi's, Bombay Sapphire, Surface Magazine, and Kiehl's.

With several years of combined art and design education from the Design Academy (Eindhoven, Holland) and the Center for Art Education at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (Israel), Dror developed a unique style of design that is evident in each project Dror adopts.

1.You have been influenced by?
Dror Benshetrit: "The three artists and designers I admire most are Buckminster Fuller, Isamu Noguchi, and Achille Castiglioni. Buckminster Fuller was a unique and amazing thinker who used architecture and physics to communicate his vision of the future. Noguchi had a passion for math and physics, and as an artist he was able to incorporate his interest into creating a beautiful aesthetic. Castiglioni was a revolutionary designer, who brought a third element to design, that of emotion and humor. He had a specific passion for innovation."

2.When did you actually realize that you have an inclination towards designing?

Dror Benshetrit: "I was working as an artist for my whole life, but during my mandatory military service in Israel I felt a separation between my inner constant desire to create, and the day to day tasks that had nothing to do with my artistic passion. I began to resolve this tension by solving problems around me in a creative way. Some of the solutions resulted in product design. I realized that there is a whole other level of art, which deals with practicality, and I was very fascinated by that notion. I started to seek knowledge about this, and slowly my main form of creativity, which was painting, evolved into three dimensional sculptures and objects. In the past several years, my three dimensional thinking has led to a new passion in architecture, where I see a direct relationship between design and process."

photo by studiodror.com

3. What made you come up with the your kinetic architectural proposals?
Dror Benshetrit: "After trying out different design exercises I started noticing that movement is evident in every design challenge I have taken on. Movement progressed into transformation, physical and metaphorical. Both philosophy and style are constantly evolving. On some projects I interpret movement literally, by shifting forms, and transforming from one position to another. In other cases the movement is evident within a static product or structure. But movement always plays an important role, in either its process or conceptual meaning."

4. What do you think about kinetic architecture?
Dror Benshetrit: "As a designer who is constantly thinking about both movement and practicality, I have a great appreciation and admiration for kinetic architecture. Transformation is something I work with a lot in all of my work, whether it physically takes place in a product, or is the concept for a graphic project. To be able to work with that idea on a large scale architectural project is something I’d like to do in the future. I also believe that in future architecture, walls will move and spaces will adapt to our desires."

5. What are the main determinants in the design process for you?

Dror Benshetrit: "Most of the times, my initial inspiration comes from reflecting on new experiences. By constantly questioning my surroundings, I find ways to integrate new concepts into design."

photo by studiodror.com

6. Any maxim you’d like to leave for our readers?
Dror Benshetrit: "If you are stuck on something, try to approach it from a child-like perspective."

7. What are your current obsessions and preoccupations?
Dror Benshetrit: "When I’m not designing, I enjoy visiting the country side, surfing or doing Yoga. Those are my three means of escape. I started surfing a few years ago, and find it extremely charging for the body and the soul. Living in New York can be very stressful and going to the country side and connecting with nature allows me to dream from far way. Yoga has thought me the importance of breathing, which I believe to be essential for a healthy lifestyle."

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Sources:
http://www.studiodror.com/#id=architecture