Alumni Spotlight: In Practice | Ben Warwas

What happens after studio becomes construction, permitting, clients, and real-world constraints? Our new ongoing feature, In Practice, catches up with SCI-Arc alumni to see how their ideas evolve beyond the classroom.

In this first installment, we speak with Ben Warwas (M.Arch 1, 2012), who currently has five projects under construction and four more in design and permitting, including seven small homes rebuilding after the Eaton Fire. From hand-built models to navigating planning packets and appliances, it’s a candid look at what carries over from school and what doesn’t, from CAD drawings to the complexities of rebuilding in Los Angeles.

Interview with Ben Warwas

What are you building or developing right now?

We have five projects under construction and four projects in schematic design and permitting. One of those projects consists of seven small houses that were lost in the Eaton Fire in Altadena.

How has the way you approach architecture or design changed since you were a student?

We rarely do renderings and barely any diagrams. We mostly produce CAD drawings and build physical models by hand. We also explain the project directly to the client instead of relying on numerous forms of representation.

What ways of thinking or working from school still show up in your practice?

We make sure there is a strong concept behind the design.

Name a project that changed how you work. What did it clarify for you?

My first project made me realize you need to go big and stick to your concept, and fight for your ideas until the very end.

What aspects of practice have most shaped your work so far?

All aspects of practice shape the work. It’s an ongoing balance between the less interesting tasks like planning department packets, permits, appliance selections, and the fun parts of design like model making and developing floor plans and elevations. Also doing other kinds of projects like exhibition and furniture. Everything informs everything else.

What feels most urgent or unresolved in architecture right now?

The need to make smaller homes and convince people they need less. In Los Angeles especially, we should be maximizing the use of outdoor areas.

What would you encourage students to focus on while they are still in school?

Be very organized and make sure you genuinely like the work you are doing. Don’t design something just because an instructor told you to unless you also believe in it. And get as much experience as you can at firms that actually build.

A habit from school that still serves you:

Modeling fast and clean in Rhino.

A tool or method you rely on:

AutoCAD and foam core model building.

A belief you have changed your mind about:

Renderings are necessary.

Learn more about Ben’s projects at byben.com.