Educator and architect Valery Augustin, founding principal, DNA Architecture + Design, Inc., approaches design with curiosity and a deep sense of understanding the power place. For Augustin, good design begins with creative inspiration and a commitment to creating spaces that bring a sense of comfort, beauty, and well-being. His practice works on a variety of projects ranging from residential and commercial to civic and hospitality spaces, all united by one focus — creating meaningful spaces for people to live, gather, and work.
Augustin’s design journey has been shaped by a love of drawing and a keen belief in the power of place. When he is not leading his studio, he is teaching the next generation of designers as a professor at the University of Southern California (USC) - Los Angeles School of Architecture. His teaching and professional practice work hand in hand, giving him opportunities to learn and see design from different perspectives. Augustin’s students keep him curious while at his practice he gets to bring to life new ideas impacting experience and the future of design.
“I've been in practice long enough that driving through L.A. occasionally takes me past old projects [of mine], and I still get a thrill watching someone eating in a restaurant that we designed or shopping in a store we had completed,” said Augustin.
Valery Augustin
Founding Principal
DNA Architecture + Design, Inc.
“Watching kids play in a former warehouse that we adapted into temporary housing reminds me that architecture ultimately isn't about the building as an object. It's about the lives that unfold inside and around it. Smaller moments like this give perspective to why I'm an architect and an educator.”
Follow Augustin along on a day in his life — discover how he balances running a design firm, teaching the next generation of architects, and finding inspiration daily.
Augustin begins his day with stillness, taking a few minutes to consider his priorities for the day. He then spends the rest of his morning preparing his kids for school, cherishing the moments before shifting into business mode for the rest of the day ahead.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
As the principal and owner of a design studio, his day typically involves client communications, budget conversations, and the occasional existential crisis. To keep his team calm and their minds clear, he reminds them of the bigger picture.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
What’s the bigger picture you may ask? “We have to do our best to understand the who and why of the project,” he explains.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
Was there a particular project, mentor, or experience that changed the direction of your career?
There are so many to choose from — a career arc is defined by so many small moments. My first year professors at the University of Miami will always hold a special place in my heart. Those early experiences helped me realize the difference that one person can make in another person's life. Being generous of spirit costs so little but it makes a huge difference [to me] a young student who felt out of place and wasn't sure that they belonged. Travel was also transformational for me. We didn't travel much when I was younger but my first trip to Europe as part of a study abroad lit a fire in me to see and learn as much as I can about design. I spent a summer in Germany, including a stint at the Bauhaus Dessau [home to the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation] which is what inspired me to live and work in London in the late 90's.
You’ve emphasized the importance of “place” in design and architecture. What does designing for a specific place mean to you in practice?
"Place" is what gives architecture meaning. Buildings don't exist in a vacuum so it's our responsibility to make sure that the buildings that we leave behind are a positive contribution. It also means to look beyond the obvious, and to observe what already exists rather than having a preconceived notion about a neighborhood or city.
To stay creatively driven throughout the work week, Augustin gets inspiration from music, sketching, and talking with creatives from other disciplines. He always keeps his Moleskine sketchbook within reach to capture an idea while it's fresh. Having always loved to draw, he considers it his gateway to architecture.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
Augustin tries to do one thing differently throughout his day as a daily practice. For example, every time he visits a job site he’ll take a different route than before. As a designer he believes routine is great but says that “it's important to keep trying new things and approach every project from a position of curiosity rather than simply relying on past experience.”
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
Throughout his career, Augustin has learned the art of being comfortable with the unknown, it helps him to embrace learning. He says, “Experience has taught me that the best results sometimes arrive when we're willing to reconsider what we thought we knew.”
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
You’ve taught at USC since 2002. How has teaching changed the way you practice design?
Teaching has made me more patient and helped me to see how rapidly the design profession can evolve. The students I teach now are so different from the ones I taught twenty years ago. Teaching someone requires that we step outside of our own experiences and not take things for granted. Teaching and practice operate at different speeds. That being said, I no longer see teaching and practice as different hats that I wear. Teaching and practice are intertwined for me, and each informs the other.
“Creatives have to be optimistic or else why continue to do what we do?” asks Augustin. Optimism is his secret weapon because it fuels his motivation.“It's rare for anyone to always want to do something. The trick is to do it anyway. Just get started and the motivation comes.” he says.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
As a professor at USC, working with students and watching them learn reminds him how designers learn from every project they do. To him being a designer means being an eternal student.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
After a long day, Augustin decompresses by reading, learning to play guitar and cooking. These activities put him in a relaxed state of mind and give immediate results. “Design takes an enormous amount of effort and the results are rarely immediate. So, it feels great to just open up the fridge or rummage through the cupboard and create something that will be done in an hour,” he said.
Image courtesy of Valery Augustin
What are you most curious about when you look at design today?
I'm most curious about how design continues to evolve in the face of the surface level interaction that seems to dominate how we experience the world. How do we produce meaningful work that goes beyond the image. Everyone knows what something looks like or what looks cool but it feels like fewer and fewer care about how it works and what it means. What can design tell us about where we are now and where we want to be?
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