Sasa Zivkovic and Leslie Lok
courtesy HANNAH Sasa Zivkovic and Leslie Lok

Firm name: Hannah Design Office (Hannah)
Location: Ithaca, N.Y.
Year founded: 2013
Firm leadership: Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic
Education: Lok: B.A., Wellesley College; M.Arch., MIT; Zivkovic: Vordiplom, University of Stuttgart; M.Arch., MIT
Experience:Lok: Saucier + Perrotte Architectes, Santos Prescott and Associates, MADA S.P.A.M.; has taught McGill University and currenrly teaches at Cornell University; Zivkovic: NADAAA, Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Höweler + Yoon; currently teaches at Cornell University

How founders met:
In William O’Brien Jr.’s 2010 Cycles: Geological and Cultural Resonances along Iceland’s Golden Circle option studio at MIT.

Firm size:
Two to eight

Mission:
Hannah is an experimental practice that consequentially and unapologetically investigates, manipulates, narrates, recontextualizes, and breaks the rules of materially informed (and robotically constructed) architectures. Hannah’s work advances and expands traditional building construction techniques by implementing new technologies and processes of making and addressing the subjects of construction, rapid urbanization, and mass-customized housing design.

As part of their work at Cornell University, Lok and Zivkovic aim to answer the question, “What is the architecture of 3D-printed concrete?” with their Additive Architectural Elements research.
Courtesy HANNAH As part of their work at Cornell University, Lok and Zivkovic aim to answer the question, “What is the architecture of 3D-printed concrete?” with their Additive Architectural Elements research.
Courtesy HANNAH

First commission:
A modular dental clinic project in Leh, India, which we designed pro bono from 2014 to 2017.

Favorite project:
Our Corbel-Bacon Cabin, currently under construction in Ithaca, N.Y., is an experimental house for two people situated on a ridgeline with a spectacular view of the landscape. We are the clients and contractors, which enables us to radically explore new architectural ideas with the project.

The 3D-printed concrete base of the cabin explores and strategically manipulates corbeling to create form—a process inherent to the printer. The base is elevated from the landscape and contains a sink, storage seat, patterned floor, and working fireplace. We plan to construct a lightweight envelope out of irregularly shaped logs.

Second favorite project:
Our project Additive Architectural Elements—A New Robotic Brutalism is an exploration of the tectonics and narratives inherent to horizontal layer concrete 3D printing. It is both a theoretical exercise as well as a full-scale material exploration. Starting from a series of prototypical architectural elements such as doors, windows, columns, walls, floors, and ceilings, we developed strategies as to how the layering of concrete, the relentless 3D drawing of extruded lines of material, and the act of corbeling can suggest new strategies for building.

When completed, the duo’s Corbel-Bacon vacation cabin will occupy approximately 9 square meters and sit atop 3D-printed legs that will “adjust to the terrain.”
Courtesy HANNAH When completed, the duo’s Corbel-Bacon vacation cabin will occupy approximately 9 square meters and sit atop 3D-printed legs that will “adjust to the terrain.”

Origin of firm name:
Hannah’s work is first and foremost the result of a large team effort, which is why we did not give the firm our personal names. We love the palindrome, the broken symmetry, the alter ego potential, and the sound of Hannah.

Architecture heroes:
Le Corbusier for the expressive and sculptural use of concrete (Leslie cried a little when we visited Ronchamp); Louis Kahn for sublime monumentality; Zaha Hadid for bold form and an embrace of technology and representation; and Oswald Mathias Ungers for an uncompromising play with typology.

Located on the grounds of the WinSun architectural 3D printing facility in Suzhou, China, this 3D-printed concrete guardhouse prototype integrates furniture, shelving, seating, and even a bed.
Jeremy Bilotti Located on the grounds of the WinSun architectural 3D printing facility in Suzhou, China, this 3D-printed concrete guardhouse prototype integrates furniture, shelving, seating, and even a bed.

Modern-day architecture heroes:
Brace yourself for a rather wild mix: William O’Brien Jr. for the sheer elegance and intellectual beauty of the design work; Boston and Madrid–based Ensamble Studio for pushing the boundaries of material and construction; Concepción, Chile–based Pezo von Ellrichshausen for incredible rigor and obsession; Mathias Kohler for co-pioneering robotic fabrication, radically advancing construction processes, and exploring the architecture of robotic fabrication; Achim Menges for the incredible research leadership at Institue of Computational Design and Construction at the Unversity of Stuttgart; Valerio Olgiati for his formalism; Lisbon, Portugal–based Aires Mateus because they can; Christian Kerez for his improbable structures; and Nader Tehrani of NADAAA for an incredible capacity to conceptualize and design architecture across scales, techniques, and materials.

Special item in your studio space:
Cornell University Robotic Construction Laboratory’s self-built, large-scale, open-source, three-axis gantry 3D printer called Daedalus, which we use to fabricate all of our concrete 3D printing projects.

The worst criticism you’ve ever received:
Zivkovic: In the first week of studio in the M.Arch. program at MIT, Meejin Yoon, AIA, told me in a mixture of friendliness and sincerity that she would kick me out of her studio if I didn’t start folding paper into a bridge soon. I was terribly stuck and didn’t know how to start the project. The lesson was: if you are stuck, start testing, explore, do something. It’s all about passion and not anxiety.

Hannah’s RRRolling Stones 3D-printed movable concrete outdoor seating system won the 2018 Folly/Function competition hosted by the Architectural League of New York. Twenty-five of the colorfully painted benches are currently located at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens, N.Y.
Zachary Tyler Newton Hannah’s RRRolling Stones 3D-printed movable concrete outdoor seating system won the 2018 Folly/Function competition hosted by the Architectural League of New York. Twenty-five of the colorfully painted benches are currently located at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens, N.Y.
Zachary Tyler Newton

Favorite place to get inspired:
We have long given up on such romantic notions. Inspiration comes (and goes) at the weirdest times, the strangest places, and the oddest occasions.

When we are not working in architecture, we:
Hang out with our cats, sleep, or take a beach vacation

The best advice you have ever received:
Get a good photographer. Unfortunately, we don’t always follow this very valuable advice because we can’t afford a good photographer on all projects.

Constructed in 2017, the Ladakh dental clinic is composed of a modular concrete frame and lightweight honeycomb sandwich modules that are designed to be easily installed and perform like disaster relief pavilions.
Courtesy HANNAH Constructed in 2017, the Ladakh dental clinic is composed of a modular concrete frame and lightweight honeycomb sandwich modules that are designed to be easily installed and perform like disaster relief pavilions.

What should architects be discussing this decade?
Architecture

Morning person or night owl?
We used to be night owls but have somewhat shifted our schedules to a semi-morning person (Leslie) and a morning person (Sasa).

Social media platform of choice:
We are really bad with social media and have just started an Instagram account for the office.

Design tool of choice:
Our hands: either making things, typing, pointing at things, or clicking the mouse.