The Berlage Keynotes: Part Office, Los Angeles

Part Office is a Los Angeles-based design studio founded by Kristin Korven and Jeff Kaplon in 2015. We work on projects of all scales, from singular objects to large developments (with many homes in between). The studio is interested in the ambiguity and variety inherent in Los Angeles, they make work that is a logical step in the lineage of the place it is built. They do so with an empathy and appreciation of existing conditions, but also by highlighting inevitable contradictions with a thoughtful tension.

The Berlage Keynotes is an ongoing lecture series featuring internationally prominent architects, designers, and thinkers who are at the forefront of design discourse and innovation. A selection of speakers working from different disciplinary perspectives and in different geographic, cultural, and political contexts present how their work engages with contemporary issues and debates. This fall semester, speakers include Bovenbouw, Arquitectura-G, Sophie Delhay Architecte, John Wood and Paul Harrison, Part Office, Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture, DnA_Design and Architecture, and Dorte Mandrup A/S.

Image: Venice Lofts, Los Angeles, 2021. (Photography by Gustav Liliequist)