☀️✨☀️Sun is bright on this dream. ☀️✨☀️ @current_____interests grateful to been a part of the journey with @summaeverythang
Lauren Halsey’s “sister dreamer lauren halsey’s architectural ode to tha surge n splurge of south central los angeles” is presented by Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) and curated by LAND co-founder Christine Y. Kim (@see_why_kay ). This work is realized by Lauren Halsey in collaboration with the architecture studio Current Interests (@current_ interests),
Taslimi Construction (@taslimi.construction ), and Green House (@g.r.e.e.n.hOuse ). Lead support provided by the Mellon Foundation (@mellonfoundation ).
Photo: Allen Chen-SLH Studio.
For Mira Henry and Matthew Au of LA-based Current Interests (@current_____interests ), building is a process of collaboration that connects the world of design with the craft and economies of construction. In designing Terracotta House, a backyard ADU in LA’s Leimert Park, the firm partnered with Sandkuhl Clayworks, a fourth-generation clay company in Ohio, to develop a custom deep-green terracotta tile system for the building’s façade.
“It’s not just about us and the client,” says Henry in @archrecordmag , which recognized the firm as part of its 2025 Design Vanguard. “It’s a collaboration with the fabricators and craftspeople—there’s a broader socioeconomic and cultural politics around material itself.”
The process involved wire cutting hollow blocks right after extrusion, while the clay was still wet, resulting in a unit with dramatic vertical ribs on one side and a flat face on the other. Once fired, the tiles were palleted and shipped to the design team’s studio workspace in downtown LA, where each tile was coated with a deep green masonry pigment whose color was inspired in part by a large fig tree that was previously located on the site.
As Pansy Schulman notes in the June issue Architectural Record, the partners “have cultivated an approach to design that marries tactile experimentation and meticulous craftsmanship, with an eye on the broader social and political contexts in which building takes part.”
📖 Read more the project in @archrecordmag , @dwellmagazine and @aninterior . (🔗 in bio)
📸 Photos by Franco Zulueta (@francozulueta )
#terracottahouse #currentinterests #progressivearchitecture
#tb to @hearnesarah brilliantly curated Print Ready Drawings at the @makcenter . Our design for the exhibition received a 2025 Best of Design Award (exhibitions) from @archpaper . We were fortunate to work with many talented people doing their best work on this exhibition, and we look forward to the many collaborations in the coming year.
curator, Sarah Hearne @hearnesarah@makcenter director (former), Jia Gu @jiagu
graphic design, Christina Huang @cxlhuang
videos and replicas, Julie Riley @julieeriley and Jenny Leavitt @jennydleavitt
CI team, Jixun Wen, Erik Tsurumaki @etsurumaki , Pan Tan @tptanpan , Kaita Saito @kaitaasaito , Nihan Caydamli @cucumberwhale
photos by Josh Schaedel @joshschaedel
Thank you @archpaper and the design jury for your support!
@ladesignweekend Join us for a community wide event at our Boyle Heights studio. We are having an open studio. In walking distance are events at Studio MLA @studio_mla and Angel City Lumber @angelcitylumber All welcome! RSVP LINK IN BIO 😎
Under the Influence 011 // Sunday, September 7th 2025 – 6:00 PM // LINK IN BIO!
Speakers: Departamento del Distrito (Mexico City) and Current Interests (Los Angeles)
Please join us for Under the Influence 011, an event which will take place at the Sheats-Goldstein Residence.
Under the Influence is a series of conversations that expands upon the concepts of Los Angeles Modernism. The series brings together architects, artists, and designers from all over the world to engage in dialogue with local architects, landscape architects, and creatives in L.A.’s quintessential iconic modernist spaces. Two speakers are invited for each talk: one local and one from elsewhere. Each speaker will present their work, highlighting the experimental approach’s influence that Los Angeles Modernism set in motion.
Speakers: Departamento del Distrito (Mexico City) and Current Interests (Los Angeles)
Date: Sunday, September 7th, 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Venue: Sheats–Goldstein Residence
Address: To be emailed to ticket holders.
*** Presented in collaboration with Materials & Applications
Tickets: Non-Members $55, Members and Students $35
Departamento del Distrito is a Mexican-American office founded by Francisco Quiñones and Nathan Friedman in 2017, whose practice operates at the intersection of architecture, curatorial work, and academia. From an expanded vision of the discipline, their work explores the multiple relationships between subjects, objects, technologies, and politics, articulating spatial inquiries that connect diverse scales, temporalities, and geographies. Read more about Departamento del Distrito on the LA Forum Event Page
Current Interests is an architecture and design studio dedicated to the social, spatial, and material liveliness of architecture. Founded by Matthew Au and Mira Henry, Current Interests draws on the deep knowledge each brings to the partnership. Together, Au and Henry have designed and constructed a wide range of complex building programs, including public cultural projects, residences, commercial spaces, and museum exhibitions. Read more about Current Interests on the LA Forum Event Page
