Griffin Collier

Interview with Griffin

• What is the most embarrassing job you have ever had?

• This isn’t embarrassing but the most unusual was cleaning a Quaker Meeting House - I went to a Quaker school when I was growing up in New York. It was very calm and meditative – it was cleaning, but I enjoyed being in the space on my own.

• When not here what do you enjoy doing?

• Travelling – whenever I get the chance. I love discovering new places and cultures, and experiencing the diversity and beauty of everything that is out there.

• what sort of music do you enjoy listening to?

• I like classical.

Biography

I grew up in a family of performers but the stage was not a place I wanted to be, so I got involved in designing and building sets. This first experience of making spaces nurtured my interest in spatial design and led me to study first sculpture and then architecture at Yale University. I loved architecture, but I became frustrated by the theoretical nature of my coursework. I used my summers to get out into the world and engage with building cultures first hand, and during my final year I worked outside of my classes to manage a small building project: crowdfunding and constructing a student treehouse in a local forest. My interest in making led me to join Heatherwick Studio in London after I graduated. During my two years as a Heatherwickian, I worked on a variety of projects ranging in scale from small products to city-sized masterplans, but there weren’t many opportunities to get involved in the hands on design that I was looking for. I came across Carpenter Oak while researching timber structures and immediately felt that this company shared my interests in both hands on craftsmanship and the potential of self-building - getting people involved in creating and shaping the spaces around them. My job here will involve sharing my design experience and creative thinking with the company while immersing myself in the hands on art of green oak framing and the expert knowledge of Carpenter Oak’s master craftsmen.