Spotlights
Spotlight on Creativity July 2009
July’s second spotlight of the month is on Juliet Whelan. Juliet's design work explores the juncture of clean utility and spatial artistry. She recognizes that she must not only calibrate a building’s visual and functional impact but also it’s impact on the larger environment; and so, she seeks “green” design solutions. The process through which she finds coherent form involves directed collaboration, solitary research, and capricious insight.
Firm/company:
Jibe Design
Occupation:
Architect
Current Location:
Queen Village
Hometown:
Born near Williamsport PA, raised mostly in Austin, TX
Favorite Philadelphia neighborhood:
I live and work in Queen Village and am rather partial to it, but I love the special charms of so many of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods like Passyunk Square, Fitler Square, Rittenhouse, Society Hill, and Northern Liberties
Best advice you’ve ever been given:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” (from A Return to Love -by Marianne Williamson)
Your favorite thing about living in the Philadelphia Region:
Bicycling everywhere and not owning a car
Your favorite thing about working in the Philadelphia Region:
The appreciation for and abundance of niche specialties like, in my instance, sustainable contemporary design.
How would you market the Philadelphia Region to professionals outside the region?
I would emphasize the vibrancy of the neighborhoods and the unique control wielded by citizen-run community organizations. The scale of the city is right– it’s charming and easy to get around. It’s affordable, historically quaint, and has a bustling street life. Philadelphia is a city of strong civil society where the mom-and-pop creative entrepreneur has a chance to flourish.
What advice would you give to young professionals trying to break into your industry?
Make sure you keep doing things that inspire you.
How has the design and architecture industry in Philadelphia evolved in the past ten years?
Well, I’ve only been here for 4 years. My knowledge of the area has been expanding so rapidly I don’t think I have a clear conception of the changing landscape of design here. However, I do feel like right now there is an impressive receptiveness for innovative green architecture.
Jibe Design is an architecture firm committed to design excellence and environmentally responsible solutions. Our work seeks to communicate quality and an easeful clarity through the honest and inventive use of materials and a sensitivity to location.
We study how a project will be used in order to creatively organize the uses into a smoothly functional whole. Recognizing the environmental impact of construction, Jibe Design seeks healthful design solutions.
We create architecture driven by both a lyrical sense of space and the needs and aspirations of the user. With strong roots in construction management, Jibe Design provides comprehensive construction consulting. Our extensive construction experience allows our services to extend beyond a typical architecture firm’s role in construction administration.
Our services include:
Masterplanning
Commercial and Residential new construction
Adaptive reuse and renovation
Landscape and garden design
We keep abreast of innovations in materials, construction techniques, and sustainability to provide our clients with a finely honed and efficient design.
To learn more about Juliet’s work in the region visit
www.jibedesign.net