Joel Berman President Joel Berman Architecture & Design, Ltd. 5412 North Clark Street, Suite 210 Chicago, Illinois 60640 Joel@BermanArchitecture.com Telephone: 773.275.5968 Fax: 773.275.5141 www.BermanArchitecture.com   One of Chicago’s most talented and versatile architects is Joel Berman of Berman Architecture.  Our celebrated and world-class urban environment is beginning to increasingly reflect the distinctive quality and quantity of Joel’s work.  He was kind enough to take a moment out of his busy schedule to converse with Chicago Architecture Today.  We sought to gain some insight into the philosophy and factors which have made his projects so successful.   What follows is a paraphrased transcript of a recent interview.   CAT: So what inspired you to go into this profession? Joel:  As a child my favorite toys were Erector Sets, building blocks, Tinker toys, and Play-Doh.  I grew up next to a forest, and I would climb under the backyard fence and build tree forts, underground bunkers, and lean-to forts.  I used to hand-stitch stuffed animals, and I loved to freehand sketch.  Pursuing an architectural career was a natural progression. CAT: What’s your professional history in the Chicago area? Joel: I graduated from U of I-Champaign-Urbana.  My first job out of school was working for Altman-Saichek-Adams on single story retail buildings and movie theaters.  Later I worked on the 1990’s renovation of Soldier Field for the World Cup, laboratories and pharmaceutical plants, the Northwestern Memorial Redevelopment Hospital,  and assorted projects at North park University in Albany Park and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terra Haute, IN.  I founded my practice in the spring of 2002, starting exclusively with house additions and single family homes; today my practice is 90% commercial and 10% residential; some representative projects include the Galleria, an Andersonville retail incubator, Pasticerria Natalina (5406 N. Clark), a Sicilian Bakery, Pharmacy (1450 W. Chicago),  a bar and grille, and a 15,000 SF retail center in Lynwood, IL. CAT: What is your design philosophy or “good design principles and practice? Include your client directly in the design process; better yet, show them quick design ideas through freehand sketching. Work with people you like. Initiate positive collaboration with clients, contractors, and consulting engineers. Strive for lean and consistent design and work process. Map out your critical path. I tend to be extremely functional and practical.  I look to enhance my client’s best resources.  For example, a retail client was time and cash-strapped but had the skills to build millwork himself.  We worked together to design the perfect sized modular displays; the inserts were customized.  My client was able to cut all of the display box component the same size and quickly assemble the fixtures, adding customized inserts after the store opened.  Today my client builds and sells similar units to other businesses, including some of my more recent clients. CAT: Finish the following: Schools need to better prepare students …? Joel: …to be efficient? and collaborative and to think more about the big picture.  Also, students must stop being told that the profession is hard, competitive and doesn’t pay well [which isn’t always true]. CAT: Are there any of your built projects which you are particularly proud of? Joel: North Park College’s Library (I was project architect when I worked at VOA) – the facade complements the original buildings on campus, with similar proportions, masonry, and slate roof.  Inside the space is raw, with exposed galvanized light fixtures, mechanicals, and clean wayfinding with neutral and intense accent colors.   Also, a single-family house in Glenview IL.  This particular house is in context with the original houses on the block- the cedar siding, the proportions of the windows and roof slope.  The garage doors are de-emphasized and recessed, so the house does not have a 'McMansion' look or feel.  The lot has a flood plain in the rear, which we used the house’s advantage.  We had to put a heavy concrete retaining wall in the backyard, so I created a large exterior well to bring substantial natural light into the basement. The house proved that homebuyers will pay a premium for great design- the house sold faster and for a higher amount than other new homes on the same block. Some others in Andersonville and Rogers Park: In Fine Spirits Wine shop, Urbanest Home Furnishings, and Gruppo di Amici restaurant with an authentic Italian wood-fired pizza oven. CAT:  Is there a particular architectural style that dominates or is signature of your buildings? Joel:  simple, practical, proportional, contextual and typically modern.  CAT:  How many people do you employ? Joel: Today I have one part time employee. CAT:  Primarily operating in the Chicagoland area, besides business & commerce variables, what do you derive from the Chicago area built environment or its history of architecture which inspires or guides your design principles? Joel:  We are lucky to have the Burnham Plan in Chicago; our open lakefront, parks, dense residential corridors, and neighborhood commercial streets running every half mile create a fantastic canvas for architects.  The vernacular framework guides my designs. CAT:  Are there any design trends out there that you see as detrimental to the Chicagoland landscape?   Joel: IN THE SUBURBS:  Some of the inner ring suburbs have compromised their physical continuity.  Poor zoning leads to ugly development and over-scaled houses that dominate neighboring houses’ heights, rooflines, and front yard setbacks.   IN CHICAGO:  The last zoning revision from 2004 has improved the newest housing stock- garages now access the alleys, and over-scaled structures are more difficult to build. OTHER ISSUES:  Very poor comprehensive regional planning, resulting in inefficient highway interchange layouts and increased commute times; gated subdivisions, which increase traffic problems and tend to divide neighborhoods; houses on huge lots, increasing energy consumption and excessive costs of infrastructure; and lack of affordable housing. If you would like to pursue your own architectural project, please phone Joel Berman at 773.275.5968, or send an e-mail with questions about an architecture project.

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