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previous image | next image Castillo House Richmond, Calif., 2002–present A leftover lot behind a suburban development becomes a "working landscape" for a client who runs a sitework business. The house will be clad in stressed skin panels and windows designed by the owner. Saratoga House Saratoga, Calif., 1996–1999 Because floor levels could not be changed in this ADA-accessible home, the architects varied the "landscape" of the ceiling instead. Palo Alto Poolhouse Palo Alto, Calif., 2001 The architects conceived this pool house as part of an evolving landscape, rather than as a single focal point for a backyard. Museum of Art & Design San José State University, 2003 This proposal suggests a museum that would be a "glowing lighthouse" at the center of campus. Bemis=Art Landscape Omaha, 2001–present This arts center plans a new performance area, interiors, and landscaped courtyards. Windfarmhouse Nebraska, 2002–present A straw bale structure would serve as the home for the operators of a wind farm. Gustagraria Restaurant Nebraska, 2002–present The concepts of crop rotation and the "traveling meal" come together in a restaurant on an organic farm.

Thus—with principals living half a country apart—Min|Day was born.

"I think out of all the people we've worked with in our careers, we really work together the best," Min said, "and that's something you can't replace. So despite the distance, we wanted to continue to pursue the arrangement."

The unusual two-city setup informs the pair's practice in ways that were both expected and unexpected. The mechanical accommodations necessary to keeping up a long-distance partnership came as no surprise: phone calls, e-mail, and occasional flights to one city or another for weeklong charrette sessions. Min and Day did not expect, however, that the particular pairing of cities would have a bearing on their work.

"Most of our clients are still in California, because that's where we have the most word of mouth," Day said. "What's interesting about our Nebraska projects is that we're getting sorts of projects that we wouldn't get on the coast, and we become directly involved in projects in a way that we haven't approached in California, where we have a fairly conventional practice."

"It's something we wouldn't have predicted," Min added, "but our Nebraska work has turned out to be our experimental work."

One of the major themes that appears in all of Min|Day's work, whether experimental or not, is an emphasis on landscape. Min worked for landscape architects, and, she says, the experience influenced her appreciation of landscape as a part of architecture. Day agreed, and said that landscape also influences the firm's architecture in a more fundamental way: "We think of landscape as a process," he said, "as a way of working with projects that have uncertain futures. The work of landscape architects always looks better with time, whereas the work of architects starts to deteriorate as soon as it's built."

Beyond the broad idea of landscape, however, Min|Day's work is difficult to categorize, which is at least in part by design.

"We don't talk about style," Day said. "Even when clients initiate a discussion about style, we try to defer that and work with the program and the client's particular needs. But if there is a stylistic overlay, it's just a by-product of how we work."

They have designed a diverse range of programs: an ADA-accessible suburban residence, an adaptive reuse arts center in downtown Omaha, and a straw-bale house on a wind farm, for example. When they talk about their practice, they often use the word "expansive."

"It was great that we solidified our relationship when Jeff left," Min said. "Where he's located and where I'm located, our businesses influence each other, and it helps us maintain a strong curiosity in building methods, clients, and design. It all has to do with the fact that we have this Nebraska office."

By Kevin Lerner