Spirit of Space: Elusive design caught on video

By Ingrid Spencer

When Neil Frankel, FAIA, says, “I think you’ve got something here,” you should probably listen. That’s what happened four years ago to Adam Goss (left) and Red Mike (right) of Chicago-based Spirit of Space. The two young architects-in-training were attending the Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Fitz-Hugh Scott Endowed Chair in Design Excellence program abroad at the University of Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy, when they came up with the idea to veer away from the straight-and-narrow path to architectural careers and do something unconventional: Start a multimedia design consulting firm that made films about architecture. “We went to Neil with this idea for a business and he agreed that it could add value to the profession,” says Mike. “We decided to take a stand, to liberate ourselves from the usual paths young architects take.” At the time, filmmaking had become as important a part of the pair’s architectural education as modeling or designing had. Goss, who also currently teaches a film and architecture course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was finishing up his undergraduate degree and had chosen an independent study topic for the Milan program that centered around the relationship between architecture and film. He knew how to use a camera and editing software and helped Mike, who was working on his M.Arch. degree, document his design process. “We both saw how the camera can capture and convey the emotions involved in spaces,” says Goss.

Image courtesy Spirit of Space

A scene from “Mein Haus Am Horn,” storyboard versus finished film.  This film captures the spirit of space of a house built for the 1923 Bauhaus exhibition. 

Click here for videos and images by Spirit of Space.

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Watch any of the films posted on Spirit of Space’s Web site (spiritofspace.com), especially the featured SOS Children’s Village by Studio Gang Architects, and you’ll see what Goss means. With original musical sound tracks, all written by Ryan Clark, the 2-to-10-minute pieces are evocative and often touching and memorable. Most of the team’s clients are architects, but they’re not limiting their services. “We’ve worked for contractors, architects, schools,” says Mike. “Depending on the project, we’ll take anywhere from one to four months to complete a film,” says Goss. “We really want to capture the soul of a space. It’s hard, because we’re seeking to find and visually demonstrate something that doesn’t exist.”

While most of their work has been for local architecture firms, Goss and Mike are ready to branch out, offering their services to clients, well, anywhere. “Architecture doesn’t exist unless someone experiences it,” says Mike. Goss adds, “While a film isn’t better than going to the site, it can visually convey a lot about the project. We’re trained to understand architecture.” He notes, “We can capture the design process and program better and quicker than someone coming in cold.” Will the two ever go back to designing buildings? “No way,” says Goss. “We’re excited about what we’re doing and with the way video is becoming more and more accessible to everyone. We know we’ve really got something here.” 

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