Interview with Juan Carlos Baumgartner

Juan Carlos Baumgartner ("JCB") interviewed on Friday, 23 March.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

JCB : I have been an architect for more than 20 years and it was 20 years ago that in Chicago we opened the offices of spAce; we have grown into an international company with offices in India, Japan, Spain, Central America…

How did you become a designer?

JCB : I have wanted to be an Architect since I was a child; my father is an Engineer and my mother a decorator; that combination probably influenced me to study architecture.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

JCB : My priorities are an emphasis in research and methodologies in order to achieve a human-centered design with evidence-based design; we have developed algorithms for interviewing people including wearables technology that helps us in neurofeedback.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

JCB : Definitely a sense of happiness, mainly in the stage of conceptualization, not just at a personal level, because our vision and passion is to design work spaces that make employees happy, which led me to develop the theory of “Design for Happiness”; not only can you make a space so that employees work better, but you can also help them, through design and architecture, be happier.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

JCB : I studied Art History at Berkeley, California and Environmental Psychology; this mixture has determined my concern for making spaces that stimulate positive emotions and resolve the physical and psychological needs of our societies.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

JCB : Our growth has focused in recent years on increasing operations in Latin America in order to serve our clients globally; in addition, we associate with a neurofeedback company with the intention of making design using scientific tools to identify the consequences of what we design for human beings.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

JCB : It’s a matter of being interdisciplinary and letting ourselves be inspired by topics that are not just architecture and design.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

JCB : I do not believe in formulas; however, I do believe that ethics and passion for design makes the difference in the long run; it is a long-run career, not a quick one.

What is your day to day look like?

JCB : Normally I arrive early before my co-workers and in those hours before the office fills up, I do the work that requires greater concentration and the rest of the day is collaborating with my team and being with clients; a few days a week I bring my children to the office with me to work and this is what makes me happier.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

JCB : I have not been very concerned about design trends for many years; I am more interested in other industries like technology, neuroscience, psychology, and we get inspiration from industries that are doing disruptive innovation that are not necessarily in design.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

JCB : Good design, it is a very complex question that has several answers, but I think that design in general is to resolve problems and a good design is one that resolves an important problem efficiently, aesthetically and sustainably.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

JCB : Our designs, they are never ready.

What is your biggest design work?

JCB : I consider spAce, my architecture firm, the most important project, to which I have dedicated more time and of which I am the proudest.

Who is your favourite designer?

JCB : I admire many in general, but in particular the Dadaists and especially Marcel Duchamp.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

JCB : The city that inspires me most is Tokio; alternative music is definitively part of my creative process; I am convinced that culture affects design and vice versa; currently I spend half my time flying to give conferences and the other half in Mexico. My design vision is possibly the most important tool in the development of humanity and the challenge I see today is that we find ourselves in a moment that is a consequence of exponential technologies, and as a result the world will need more and more disruptive designs that resolve the great problems society confronts today.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

JCB : My work culture is “work hard, play hard”, my intention from the beginning has been to have more than co-workers, friends following their passion. The firm has flexibility regarding hierarchies and schedules; most of my responsibility is to set the general guidelines of the firm and motivate the executive team so that they do the same with the rest of the organization.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

JCB : We do interdisciplinary work with psychologists, anthropologists, administrators, graphic designers… A few years ago we opened an area, social spAce, with a focus on doing pro-bono architecture for non-profit institutions specialized in education; we develop around three projects a year, conscious of our responsibility toward society and the country.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

JCB : I believe that as an architect it is always important to compare the product of your design in a highly competitive industry and the experience with A Design Awards has brought with it many good opportunities to meet designers all over the world and that experience has been very gratifying; I feel very honored to be Designer of the Day.

Juan Carlos Baumgartner Profile