Peter DeMaria
| Peter DeMaria | |
|---|---|
| Born |
24 October 1960 Madison, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
University of Texas at Austin Kean University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards |
American Institute of Architects Design Excellence/Innovation (2007) |
| Practice | DeMaria Design Associates |
Peter DeMaria (born October 24, 1960 in Madison, New Jersey) is an American architect and artist known for his non-conventional use of materials and construction/fabrication methodologies.
DeMaria was born in Madison, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art from Kean University in 1982 and a Master of Architecture degree in 1986 from the University of Texas at Austin.
DeMaria's container based work is seen "mainly as an "experiment" at this time", said Bill Gati, a member of the American Institute of Architects Custom Residential Design Committee. "It's cutting-edge, and Architects who design with containers are considered mavericks and trail blazers,". DeMaria dedicated five years to taking the messengers of consumerism (shipping containers) and converting them into role models for an environmental and economical housing solution." He compares his creations to Andy Warhol's prints, McDonald's hamburgers, and the textile block houses of Frank Lloyd Wright. "We are reinterpreting and re-presenting the best of these processes in a different medium... a new process by which future construction projects will be delivered". His work follows no distinct style but he fuses prefabrication, principles that were professed by Buckminster Fuller and an experimental attitude regarding materials and systems. Like Fuller, he visualizes architecture fulfilling a critical force on the planet, "I’ve come to reject the limitations of sustainability. Sustainability isn’t enough. Our buildings must be more than simply contributors to a more environmentally conscious society—they must become functioning icons that spearhead new advances." Dwell Magazine profiled his ideas on the Future of Prefab in which he stated,
"Some people assume that yet-to-be-invented high-tech materials and systems will be the saviors of our construction industry. New technology can be great, but some of the answers to our building challenges are right in front of us. We need to look more closely at existing materials and systems from commercial construction and other industries and ask how they might be adapted, adjusted, or recycled to meet our domestic architecture needs. It’s less glamorous than creating renderings of new home designs, but we need to look at how to design efficient processes that leverage the economies of scale inherent in existing industrial components and systems."
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