Following our previous look at an opening for a Sustainability Analyst at Practice, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for a Project Architect/Manager at Metalab.
The role, based in Houston, TX, calls for an individual who is “willing to manage smaller-scale public art projects with the safety-net of an experienced team of colleagues.” Among the responsibilities for the role will be engaging in creative infrastructure projects encompassing “non-traditional architectural typologies such as park pavilions, bridges, memorials, community centers, gateways, and other expressive and high-quality structures that are experienced in the public realm.”
Why the role interests us
The open role at Metalab offers us the opportunity to explore the work of a studio that engages with architecture, creative infrastructure, and public art project management. The firm’s engagement with art and architecture is underpinned by both an appreciation for regional craftsmanship and an embrace of digital fabrication and 3D modelling.
“Since our founding in 2007, we’ve recognized that we take the greatest pride in our work in the public realm, accessible to all,” the studio says. “We find joy in the discovery of new ways to solve technical, structural, and material problems. By solving these problems, we create moments of intrigue, whimsy, and spectacle. Our time and experience working in Public Art and Creative Infrastructure have affected us as architects, and we have a unique skill set.”
Among the firm’s previous projects were providing fabrication consultation and construction management for Radiant Fountains, a set of three 60-foot sculptures by Dennis Oppenheim, commissioned by the Houston Arts Alliance for the Houston Airport System. Installed at Bush Intercontinental Airport’s main approach, the towers feature LED animations resembling cascading droplets and rising light.
Also in Houston, the firm oversaw New Harmony Grotto, a meditation space originally proposed in 1963 by architect Frederick Kiesler, commissioned by Jane Blaffer Owen for New Harmony, Indiana. The University of Houston, in collaboration with the Kiesler Foundation, reinterpreted the design using digital modeling and fabrication. The proposal includes a steel trellis, original gate, and curved bridge.
Further reading for interested candidates
Job Highlights is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Meet Your Next Employer series profiles and interviews interesting studios with open positions currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.