Stephen is a Boston-based architect, teacher, and design show host. I recently had the chance to interview Stephen about his work — both in architecture and on television — and his life.
Trained at Harvard, Stephen cut his teeth at Richard Meier and Partners in New York, and Machado Silvetti in Boston. He was Design Director at Urbanica before ultimately starting Stephen Chung, Architect.
Stephen’s taught at several notable colleges and universities, including Syracuse, Cornell, the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University. He was a Visiting Critic at Northeastern University last fall.
Stephen has also appeared as on-air talent in a number of design-oriented television shows on HGTV and Fine Living Network. In 2007, “he was the host for a pilot entitled, ‘Greatest Spaces’ for Brainbox Productions in Washington D.C. The show was to profile the best of new public space architecture.” He’s currently in development for a new show, planned for PBS.
DESIGNBOSTON: Your portfolio shows you have a clear bent for modernism, with several of your homes built or planned in more traditional neighborhoods. How are you able to manage the review boards successfully, when others seem to get hung up in the process?
STEPHEN CHUNG: Well, When It comes to single family houses, Usually review boards do not have jurisdiction. In the case of my own house, I needed a variance to build my addition. As a result, there was a public process and i did need to present the project publicly. If the neighbors objected to my addition, I could be refused the right to add to the original house. The first thing I did was make the case that there was no singular or consistent style in the neighborhood. I snapped a lot of pics and easily showed this. Then I proposed a scenario where I showed that I could make an addition that would have minimal visual impact. And this is where the idea for the mirrors came in. I told them, when you look at my house, you will see your traditional capes and colonials reflected on the surface. They like that!
You’ve received a good amount of press coverage throughout your career, and much of it over the last few years has been in reaction to your own home in Wayland. How can an architect’s own home help — or hurt — his professional practice?
I think the press has been mostly because what I do is a little different than what people in our region are used to. I wouldn’t say that anything I have done is so radical – a flat roof house in wood! The shock! As far as I am concerned it’s pretty tame – but in a region that is so conservative, I guess it stands out.
For my house, I experimented a lot. I wanted to have fun and not make decisions because I thought they would be good for resale. In face, I’m sure that a lot of what I have done will hurt me if I ever decide to sell. For example, I made a playfort… a little space for my two young boys. It’s two levels, and made for their size. They like it. They play in there and when their friends come over, they all go in there and play and have a great time. What is the value of that?
As an architect, I spend a lot of time working with difficult parameters given by the client. For my own house, as the client, that wasn’t going to happen! I don’t think what I have done is so crazy, but if it is, so be it. I like being there. Hopefully if friends visit, they might have their eyes opened a little.
Anyway, I didn’t do it as a “business card”. I did what I thought would make me and my family happy — within my tight budget!
The D4 project you worked on with Philippe Starck introduced a very traditional exterior with a modern interior. Do you feel this is how more modern design will be brought into Boston, or could more comprehensively modern structures be introduced as well?
On the first question, absolutely. I did a number of renovations of existing historic structures and converting them in to new residential space. There was definitely a market for it. It seemed to satisfy the desire to have an outwardly conservative appearance while at the same time satisfying the desire for modern design.
What do you think are the biggest benefits of being a modern architect in eastern MA?
Being an architect in this region certainly presents challenges. I suppose that being a clear alternative to more traditional architects could be a positive attribute. I am hoping that as the younger generation emerges — people that are working in emerging technologies, for example — perhaps as they mature and are looking for something different, maybe I could be a good choice for them.
What three young, local architects excite you the most, and why?
I don’t think I can name three, but I’m so impressed with Office DA. I have known Nader Tehrani for a long time. He is such a hard working guy. Now that he is at MIT, I think he will have an even greater impact. His restaurant Ginger Park in the South End is great fun.
Architect, father, TV show host. How are you able to juggle all these roles successfully?
I’m not! It has been challenging. My second little guy is nearly 2. He is wild. Of all the things you mention, he is the most challenging. I love the little guy, but wow, he has a lot of energy! To make it work, I have surrounded myself with a lot of great people. I use to do everything myself. I am not on air yet, but when that happens, I know that I’ll be working with great colleagues, and together we’ll make it work.
You’re primarily a residential architect, but your two show ideas have focused on public architecture. Why the shift in focus?
I wanted to make a show where everyone could visit each of the featured locations in person. There are a lot of shows about the house — and an entire network (HGTV) dedicated to it. But the reality is that some of the most amazing architecture is in the public realm. I wanted to showcase that.
If your planned show goes into production, will you maintain the same level of activity with your architecture practice?
It’s hard to say. But first and foremost I am a practicing architect. I look at these television opportunities as chances to learn more. Ideally, this would inform my own design work in a positive way.
When can we hope to see your new show on PBS?
Well, with public television it’s about funding. And it’s a tough climate for that. We started the commercial route and got very close. But we also had to change the content for the commercial audience. With PBS, we want to make it fun, but hopefully it can be meaningful, too. After all, I’m a teacher…. and I still want to teach. I thought TV would be a way to reach out to a larger audience and hopefully share my passion with non-architects. Who knows? Maybe, these kinds of efforts will help reshape the terrain for architects and make it easier for all of us to practice.
We’ll see. I am with an amazing team, a great production company in California, an Emmy Award-winning shooter, and the backing of American Public Television. It’s a great team, and everyone is enthused. I’m hopeful! We are getting close!
You can see what we are up to at www.coolspaces.tv. We will update is as soon as we have anything to report. My goal is to get a pilot special shot this fall (2010).
Stephen, thanks for sharing with us! We hope to see Cool Spaces on PBS soon!
