OFFICE ONTIC* produces highly formal and functional designs that are at once timeless and of the times. To achieve this, OFFICE ONTIC draws upon an extensive knowledge of both classical and modern principles of design and composition. Through research, teaching and practice, OFFICE ONTIC expands this knowledge while integrating it into a distinctive and highly adaptable design methodology. As both framework for pedagogy and practice, this methodology has been successfully applied to a diverse range of project types, scales and budgets—from small designed objects, to rooms, apartments, houses, apartment blocks, restaurants, stores, bars and lounges, and cultural institutions. The work of OFFICE ONTIC proceeds from the foundational claim set forth by the Italian Renaissance humanist, polymath and architect, Leon Battista Alberti, that:
“Beauty is that reasoned harmony of all the parts within a body, so that nothing may be added, taken away, or altered, but for the worse.”—On the Art of Building in Ten Books (1452)
Jeff Roberson holds a post-professional Master of Design Studies degree in the History and Philosophy of Design from Harvard University, and a NAAB accredited professional Master of Architecture degree from The Catholic University of America. Prior to co-founding OFFICE ONTIC, Jeff spent eight years as a full-time academic engaged in research and teaching, and six years in practice. In addition to pursuing a practice ‘grounded’ in the IDEA of ‘history as project’, Jeff continues to engage in historical scholarship on issues related to architectural proportion following the Second World War, as well as discoursing with students about the how and why of architectural composition.
Jin Kim holds a NAAB accredited professional Bachelor of Architecture degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree from The Catholic University of America. Prior to co-founding OFFICE ONTIC, Jin practiced for fourteen years in Washington, DC, and in the New York offices of Selldorf Architects, GLUCK+ and Andrew Berman Architect. Jin’s exposure to a diverse range of practice modalities within the New York context, coupled with his commitment to formal rigor and to the IDEA of ARCHITECTURE as a ‘building-art’, is brought to bear when translating the IDEA(s) of OFFICE ONTIC into material reality.
*ontic | ˈän(t)ik | adjective Philosophy: relating to entities and the facts about them; relating to real as opposed to phenomenal existence—New Oxford American Dictionary