Our Friends and Neighbors: BOND Architects

OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
BOND ARCHITECTURE

Noam Dvir and Daniel Rauchwerger are the brains behind BOND — the name is an acronym for “Bureau Of Noam and Daniel.” Founded in 2020 and based in NYC, the design firm focuses on high-end residential, workplace and cultural projects for the likes of the London Design Museum and Harvard University. Their work has also appeared in the New York Times, Architectural Digest, Dwell and more.

Many of Noam and Daniel’s projects are on Fire Island, where they’re making a mark in the island’s rich architectural history, which includes luminaries like Horace Gifford. The partners (in both life and work) even decided to build their own home in the Pines, and find inspiration in the queer community there.

Their residence exemplifies the duo’s approach to architecture, informed by their time training at OMA, the office founded by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas: a space where “light, form, furniture and art contribute to unexpected experiences.” As they wrapped up work in their New York offices one Friday before heading to their beach house for the weekend, we talked about work-life balance, architectural inspiration and what makes a home feel like home.

So, you both met working at Haaretz [an Israeli newspaper] correct…?

Noam: A long time ago. 13 years ago? We were both journalists. I was covering architecture and Daniel was the art correspondent. We kind of knew each other, met in real life and fell in love. Sorry to be a little cheesy. I was already accepted for the Master's program for architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Daniel said he’d come with me.

Daniel: To be clear, I applied to a bunch of schools, I wasn’t just counting on [Harvard]. And I also applied for a philosophy degree there…I thought I’d have a better chance to get in, because no one wants to study that. We ended up overlapping for a year, moved to New York City in 2015, and both got hired by OMA.

And how did you decide to start BOND together?

N: It was always clear to us that we wanted to practice together…OMA gave us time to get our hands dirty and really practice design. After OMA, I did a year at WeWork, and that’s exactly when it imploded. I was at a crossroads, didn’t know if I should find a more corporate job or start a company…and Daniel reminded me I’d always said I wanted to have a running design office by the time I am 40, so it was time to get going.

D: Right. The people you looked up to had their own offices and voices; they weren’t someone you’d never heard of at a huge firm.

Are work and life, personal and professional, one and the same for you — or do you try to draw boundaries?

N: I would love more boundaries, but to be honest it overlaps.

D: We’re going on a 10-day vacation to Berlin with some of our friends soon. It’s a city we love the design and queer scene in, and we also feel like we’re pretty closely tied to nightlife and fringe culture to an extent. Those life elements influence our work, and I think that’s where things overlap. But we try, on an everyday basis, to get home at 7 PM and not only talk about work. Have a drink, have fun, just be partner partners. Life partners.

How do you think about fashion in the context of your work?

N: Clothes are really important. Architects have a type of uniform, which is black. And people expect you to be that person in the room with the bag and the sunglasses…sometimes it’s a little bit…well, we call it “architecture drag.” But you need to know who you’re meeting and how to express yourself in a way that [a client] feels you’re closer to their world. It’s not that some clients we see in shorts and some in suits, but it is important to express yourself.

What article of clothing do you own that feels the most like you?

N: I am currently wearing these Prada shoes that have, like, a 2.5” platform, and I’m pretty tall, but I love them. They are powerful and big but so comfy.

How do you think of your work within the architectural vernacular that’s been established on Fire Island?

N: We’re so humbled and privileged to work in Fire Island because it has an extremely beautiful and meaningful architectural legacy. But it’s not so much about the preservation of the material, it’s the preservation of values. Of course, we can work within a historic house and make sure the finishes are appropriate…but I always ask: what were the values the house instilled? Where do people gather and gossip, where do we create places to sneak out and do something in, where can you watch somebody from…? That’s what we try to repeat, rather than the actual formation. That’s the thing that’s fun to try and innovate.

Do you feel there are any lessons you can point to from the pantheon of famous firms you’ve worked at — Safdie, DS+R, OMA/Koolhaas?

N: We’re so humbled and privileged to work in Fire Island because it has an extremely beautiful and meaningful architectural legacy. But it’s not so much about the preservation of the material, it’s the preservation of values. Of course, we can work within a historic house and make sure the finishes are appropriate…but I always ask: what were the values the house instilled? Where do people gather and gossip, where do we create places to sneak out and do something in, where can you watch somebody from…? That’s what we try to repeat, rather than the actual formation. That’s the thing that’s fun to try and innovate.

How can residential architecture encourage the growth of a community?

N: Architects and designers are, maybe for the first time, designing houses for people without kids, non-nuclear families, a couple, a single person, a throuple…there are different versions of family now, and while this may have been the case here and there in the past, now there’s actually a typology for it.

D: Many times, we see ultra-luxury spaces within the city where people want to take out rooms because they don’t need all the bedrooms — they don’t want three guest rooms, and many times the houses were originally built for families.

N: I think it’s also a question of not only retrofitting, but also new construction, how can you change things — the typical American staircase, for example, where the parents are monitoring things through their bedroom upstairs…this is not really relevant in houses where maybe it’s a couple, or somewhere like Fire Island, where we would make sure all the bedrooms are similar in size, no primary bedroom. The circulation is inside out, there’s no connecting stairway inside, and everything is exterior…this kind of thinking is what’s so exciting for us.

What project do you consider your greatest success, to date?

D: Our own house in Fire Island. We wanted to finish it within one winter, so we could have it ready for the next summer, which was very ambitious…sometimes, you make some decisions in 3D software and you hope it comes out how you’re imagining it. I remember spending the first few nights here, and looking at Noam and feeling relieved it came out well. It’s really fun to be here, this space feels really healthy…you keep looking at different details.

So, say I’m renting — what are some affordable ways to make it feel personal (and still get my security deposit back when I leave)?

N: Art is so important. Buy something that you like, invest in it. There are so many great resources you can use. Art can be the key to making a room a room. It gives spaces a focal point. Even if you’re very young you can still have a nice collection that moves with you and relates to different memories in your life. And don’t underestimate little things, like window treatments. People don’t appreciate how important blackouts are for sleeping well. I would also say just good, clean sheets. And lightbulbs. Up until a few years ago it was really hard to find great floor lamps, but if you browse around on Instagram you’ll get attacked by ads for them now. Get a few to set the mood — no more bright white overheads.

And what makes a home feel like home to you?

N: I like when there are different areas for different things. Where we are now, in architecture, everything is open plan…but I think then you miss the identity of separate areas, especially in New York.

D: Rooms have worked for thousands of years and sometime in the last fifty we decided we’re throwing them away. We shouldn’t discount them so easily. I would also say, usually, I don’t like to have too much in homes…people really want to over-decorate and overcrowd spaces. We want to give people space to think; a sense of quiet in a home is a must.

N: The white space around things is really important…our world is so saturated with content and information and I think it’s nice if your personal environment is a reprise.

D: It should be intentional. It’s like what you wear in the morning: if you put everything on all at once it’s not going to work. You have to make choices, and that’s what we do for people. Many times our job is to be an editor and take things out.

What would be your dream project?

N: Anything that has an interesting crossroads of culture…a museum would be great. To be honest, we also like really small stuff that’s so tiny and takes all of our time but are really big successes. A cool piece of furniture. But I think a museum would be it.