Hsingming Fung introduces Mónica Ponce de León, and her work with Nader Tehrani at Office dA. For Fung, their work is characterized by the rigorous assembly of materials, and evolving figurative geometries. She concludes the introduction with an overview of professional design awards received by the firm.
Ponce de León recalls her time teaching at SCI-Arc in 2002. She revisits one of her firms earlier projects, a 1996 commission by MOMA, New York for an installation utilizing laser-cut steel panels. She documents the project from the conceptual stage, through fabrication and construction. She presents a house in New England. Ponce de León describes the leveraging of digital technology and its role in physical production as well as the manipulation of unconventional materials. She documents her exploration of visual connections, site issues, and other research involved in the development of a skin system for a soccer stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Ponce de León describes a series of research projects at Georgia Tech. She recalls taking advantage of digital technologies made available by the school, and explains her investigation of the relationship between digital making and physical fabrications. She reflects on how these investigations have informed her practice at Office dA. She concludes with a series of projects inspired by her research at Georgia Tech, including a prototype for a gas station in Los Angeles for British Petroleum.