2020 Gil Oberfield Memorial Lecture: INC Architecture & Design

*This event is occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program.*

The annual Gil Oberfield Memorial Lecture was founded in honor of Gil Oberfield, AIA, former member and chair of the AIANY Interiors Committee. The lecture brings to the podium speakers whose work excels in the field of interior architecture. This year’s lecturer is with INC Architecture & Design.

INC is an open-source, multi-disciplinary architecture and design studio with experience in a wide range of project types. The studio works globally but acts locally, implementing environmental best practices naturally. Each project is a unique portrait imbued with the aspirations of the clientele, that leverages the complementary strengths of the firm’s leaders to mastermind rich, immersive spaces that carry an emotional impact through careful consideration of context, details, and technology. INC’s work includes projects such as the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park, The LINE Hotel DC, and the TWA Hotel. 

Conceived as a singular intensely collaborative studio, INC is the brainchild of Adam Rolston, Gabriel Benroth, and Drew Stuart. Dedicated to an integrated vision for the architectural and design disciplines, these three creatives shepherd every INC project, big or small, from beginning to end, with a passionate, hands-on engagement, bringing their respective talents and interests to bear. The Inspiration, functionality and technique required at each phase of the design, construction, and fabrication process is provided for by their distinct but complementary gifts. This “team-of-interdisciplinary-specialists” approach informs the culture and structure of the studio, where an “expert” is always within reach. Adam Rolston keeps an eye on the big picture, from 30,000 feet and down to earth, making sure that the sum is always greater than its parts. Gabriel Benroth leverages the power of technology in the studio to build a better world outside it. For Drew Stuart, the DNA is in the details that make a good idea a great design. Together they are on a mission to fashion objects, spaces, and buildings deeply and emotionally connected to their social and cultural contexts. As they like to say, design for humans.   

Speakers:
Adam Rolston, Creative & Managing Director, Partner, INC Architecture & Design
Gabriel Benroth, Studio & Information Director, Partner, INC Architecture & Design 
Drew Stuart, Field Director, Partner, INC Architecture & Design 

About the speakers

Adam Rolston has been engaged in the practice of architecture since 1985. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Syracuse University School of Architecture, where he studied both in Syracuse and in Italy under the influence of the Northern Italian Rationalists. Rolston has served as the Senior Designer and Project Architect for many large-scale, commercial office, residential condominium, private residential, hospitality, and retail projects in Southeast Asia, Europe, and New York. He is known for his keen attention to detail, his ability to tackle the design and planning of complex projects at a variety of scales, and for his careful attention to client and user needs. Rolston is a registered architect in the State of New York and a member of AIA New York and USGBC.

Gabriel Benroth attended the University of Cincinnati School of Architecture and Interior Design, where he graduated magna cum laude with dual degrees in Architecture and Interior Design. Starting in 1997, Benroth worked on commercial office spaces at Gensler-DC; retail and campus planning for BAR in San Francisco, CA; urban residential historic preservation in upstate New York; and high-end residential interiors at Tsao & McKown Architects. Benroth’s primary focus is the intersection between architecture and interior design, which finds expression in projects ranging from custom furniture to private and boutique retail interiors and large luxury hospitality and commercial projects. His specialty in visualization and design is renowned in the industry. As Studio Director, Benroth has expanded the traditional role by building new systems and adopting new technologies to model and integrate disparate business processes with tools that capitalize on new open interfaces in software.

Drew Stuart has been engaged in the practice of architecture for nearly two decades. At University of Cincinnati School of Architecture, and in extensive travels to Europe and Asia, he developed a commitment to quality and craft. He joined Tsao & McKown Architects in 1999 where he worked for seven years before founding INC in 2006. Stuart has designed and executed private residential interiors, homes, hotels, spas, restaurants, and large and small residential condominium developments – all with a domestic sensibility. He possesses a particular interest in the complexities of ushering a design from conception to realization while maintaining an appropriate balance between design and constructability.