Scratching the Surface 265. Elizabeth Diller
Feb 19, 2025
Elizabeth Diller, a renowned architect and co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, dives into her studio's evolution that blends architecture and cultural production. She discusses the innovative two-part structure of their new monograph, emphasizing the fusion of various media in design. Diller reflects on her artistic journey, her time at Cooper Union, and how it transformed her thinking. She shares insights on navigating complex stakeholder environments and the lasting impact of paper architecture on modern practices.
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Practice Defined By Architectural Lens
- Diller Scofidio + Renfro never treated non-building work as separate from architecture; it was always an architectural lens on other media.
- The studio's range expanded naturally when they started taking on built projects, complicating rather than replacing earlier work.
Traffic Cones At Columbus Circle
- Their first public intervention, Traffic, used 2,500 orange cones to temporarily reshape Columbus Circle for 24 hours.
- The immediacy of such installations showed Diller they could affect public behavior without years-long architectural delays.
From Installations To Major Commissions
- A curator's curiosity and a Creative Time installation led the studio to win large institutional commissions like the Boston ICA and Lincoln Center.
- They often won by overreaching with ideas and then proving they could execute them despite limited built experience.
