Christoph Kaiser is the founder and principal of Kaiserworks, a Phoenix-based architecture and design studio with a reputation for innovative and sustainably built product and building designs. The firm is passionate about creating elegant solutions to relevant problems, and seeks to approach each project with the same optimism and rigor of invention that existed in mid-century American design culture.
One of Kaiserworks most notable projects, the Silo House has received international attention, and was awarded Dwell Magazine‘s “Best of Design” award in 2018. Kaiser’s studio continues to develop a growing line of sustainable compact dwelling units in addition to maintaining a broad range of client projects with a focus on place-making, from restaurants to office design to multi and single family residences. In his talk, “Big Ideas in Small Spaces,” given at Design Within Reach in Scottsdale, Kaiser said that he aspires to design spaces that “are evocative—that inspire wonder and feed the soul, in as much as architecture can so do.”
www.kaiserworks.com, @ksrwrks, @christoph.g.kaiser
What does it mean to be an innovator to you?
An innovator is a creative problem solver. A good innovator knows how to articulate the problem in elemental terms, stripping away existing conventions, and inviting the possibility of a truly novel approach. Our world is filled with “design by synthesis”—we see things we like and build a collage of them. That can yield nice design and certainly nice Pinterest boards, but you don’t get Ronchamp Chapel that way. Innovative design yields newness that delights the soul, strikes a chord deeper down, and sometimes hits you in the face like a blast of fresh air. I am far from mastering this, but feel blessed beyond words for the team of brilliant minds that strive towards this ideal with me every day, with every project we take on at Kaiserworks.
Lawrence Jarvey
Provision Coffee
With a background in the fine dining and bar industries, wholesale sales and management, and production coffee roasting, Lawrence Jarvey is the co-founder of Provision Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster, cocktail bar and all-day eatery in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood. www.provisioncoffee.com, @provisioncoffee
Caleb Barclay
Dwellito
Caleb Barclay is the founder and CEO of Dwellito, a tech startup that is building an internet marketplace for made-to-order homes. Dwellito lets customers find and design a home within the browser, walk through the home virtually, get financing and click “buy.” Caleb and his team look to increase the housing supply in cities that desperately need affordable housing. www.calebbarclay.com, www.dwellito.com, @dwellito
Ben Hall
Benjamin Hall Design
Benjamin Hall Design, founded in 2011, is a Phoenix-based design practice. The firm, led by Benjamin Hall, is committed to the lost profession of master builder and provides top quality services on both sides of design and construction.
From conceptualizing projects to producing the final product, Hall works side-by-side with trades, swinging hammers and welding steel. His work has been recognized with awards including the American Institute of Architects Honor Award in 2015 and 2020, and the Arizona Masonry Guild’s Honor Award in 2021. Hall’s well-known Valley projects include White Stone Studios and White Stone Flats. www.benjaminhalldesign.com, www.whitestonephoenix.com, @benjaminhalldesign
Jay Alabaster
Journalist
A Phoenix native and a longtime journalist, Jay Alabaster currently resides in Japan focusing his work on a small Japanese fishing town’s struggle to adapt to modern day environmentalist concerns.
Chef Aaron Chamberlin
Chef & Restaurateur
Captivated from a young age by an image of his grandfather in chef whites, Chef Chamberlin left home to pursue his culinary education in San Francisco at the age of 19. He spent a decade traveling and training under such noted chefs as Michel Richard, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nancy Oakes before returning to Arizona to work with LGO Hospitality’s La Grande Orange Pizzeria and Chelsea’s Kitchen. He went on to open his own establishments, including St. Francis, Phoenix Public Market, and, most recently, Taco Chelo, a taqueria on Roosevelt Row in downtown Phoenix, where he is a collaborative partner with Chef Suny Santana and artist Gennaro Garcia. @aaron_chamberlin
