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BUSINESS NEWS MODULUS WINS THE CURVY DESIGN CONTEST USING PURE TIMBER FLEXIBLE HARDWOOD In August, Elements Manufacturing announced Modulus Architects of San Jose, California, the winner of the Curvy Design Contest with their submission of the Möbius Infinity Lamp. Earlier this year, architectural firms across the country were challenged to submit designs of Pure Timber flexible hardwood. The winner receives a fully-constructed version of their winning design, built by sponsor Elements Manufacturing, an architectural millwork firm in Santa Cruz, California. The flexible hardwood material was provided by contest co-sponsor Pure Timber, a hardwood supplier in Gig Harbor, Washington, that has developed the proprietary Extreme Wood Bending process. Modulus Architects describe the Möbius Infinity Lamp as “a beautiful new twist on the mathematical and unorientable Möbius Strip. With neither a beginning nor an end, the lamp’s form is derived from a single cross section rotated about a central axis while simultaneously revolving around a full circle.” In announcing the winner, Elements Vice President, Alan Stormes said, “We want to congratulate Modulus for an amazing design. The Möbius Infinity Lamp elegantly combines the functionality and aesthetic properties of this exciting new wood bending technology. This will be fun for our woodworking team to build and install.” Elements delivered Modulus Architects’

winning Möbius Infinity Lamp to to the firm this month. HARBOUR CITY X SNARKITECTURE PRESENT “BOUNCE” INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION Last summer, Harbour City, the largest shopping mall in Hong Kong, teamed up with SNARKITECTURE , the renowned New York- based collaborative and innovative design studio, to create their first interactive art installation in Hong Kong – “BOUNCE.” It is a tailor made art campaign from the idea of enlarging the ordinary bouncy ball to combine with their signature “pure and white design” staging on Harbour City’s unique outdoor location from August 10 through September 2. Meanwhile, an installation featuring a massive invasion of balls was also held at the Gallery by the Harbour. Harbour City specially invited the New York design studio, SNARKITECTURE, to create its first exhibition in Hong Kong. By transforming the familiar into the extraordinary, SNARKITECTURE makes architecture perform the unexpected. They have done an innovative signature installation “The Beach” in National Building Museum in Washington D.C., Paris, Bangkok, and Sydney before. Their work received a lot of international media attention and has become the “hot-pick” for many Instagrammers. “BOUNCE” is an immersive and interactive installation designed by SNARKITECTURE, which is building a large “stadium” situated along the Hong Kong waterfront. To investigate the boundaries between art and architecture, this time they used the concept of the “bouncy

ball” to create a surreal interactive playground. The visitors were invited to roll, lift, and toss hundreds of enlarged 300 percent, one-meter diameter white “bouncy balls” in the outdoor stadium. The stadium is also an iconic cage structure defined by a series of white steel frames. The nature of the public art installation encouraged visitors to create their own unique playing experiences. Kids and adults alike have enjoyed their moments in this remarkable stadium. SNARKITECTURE is a New York-based collaborative practice established to investigate the boundaries between art and architecture. The name is drawn from Lewis Carroll’s “The Hunting of The Snark,” a poem describing the “impossible voyage of an improbable crew to find an inconceivable creature.” In its search for the unknown, SNARKITECTURE creates architectural-scale projects, installations, and objects. SNARKITECTURE’s work focuses on the reinterpretation of everyday materials, structures, and programs to new and imaginative effect. With a conceptual approach centered on the importance of experience, the studio creates unexpected and memorable moments that invite people to explore and engage with their surroundings. By transforming the familiar into the extraordinary, SNARKITECTURE makes architecture perform the unexpected.

CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7

to be said about organic growth. What are your thoughts on why and how to grow a firm? PM: We’re still looking for that “perfect marriage” with an- other firm, so to date, all of our growth has been organic. In today’s hot market, we work very diligently to avoid over- paying for a merger. TZL: Do you use historical performance data or metrics to establish project billable hours and how does the type of contract play into determining the project budget? PM: I’d like to say that we do, but most of our projects vary so greatly based on the client, schedule, and site that a pro- posal can vary from 50 to 200 percent of previous project expenditures. That said, we do have a “low performing” analysis that we put in place to identify problematic clients and avoid repeat losses. TZL: What’s your prediction for 2018? PM: 2018 will be a strong year for growth and profits throughout all our locations and market sectors. We’ll need to bank some of that for a potential slowdown in 2020 or beyond. We expect to add, at minimum, another 10 employ- ees.

evaluate the success/failure of your firm’s marketing ef- forts when results could take months, or even years, to materialize? Do you track any metrics to guide your mar- keting plan?

PM: We track success “hit rates.”

TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the big- gest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? PM: This is a pretty loaded question since I took the firm over on January 1, 2008. I would say that “cash is king” is the biggest lesson. “We’re still looking for that ‘perfect marriage’ with another firm, so to date, all of our growth has been organic. In today’s hot market, we work very diligently to avoid overpaying for a merger.”

TZL: While M&A is always an option, there’s something

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 8, 2018, ISSUE 1267

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