Axis Mundi

Profile of Axis Mundi

Business Name

Axis Mundi

Location

United States

Services

Architecture

Website

http://www.axismundi.com

John Beckmann

Principal(s)

John Beckmann (1960), Richard Rosenbloom (1952) and Nick Messerlian (1984)

Philosophy

The work of Axis Mundi reflects a passionate commitment to sensitive and timeless design solutions. John Beckmann is direct when it comes to discussing the design process and his goal of arriving at thoughtful solutions to complex problems. "I'm not interested in chasing novel forms for their own sake, I'm more concerned with how the work will be perceived in the future, my sense of history is that most work inevitably betrays the time that it was built, regardless of its authors intentions, and in fact - the work that seems the most novel and of the moment, is just that. To the contrary, I think that our work is very concise, pragmatic and somewhat utopian, as I truly believe that intelligent design should be affordable, and not something possessed by the elite. I guess that makes us very democratic."

Background

• Founded: 2001
• Offices: 1
• Design team: 5

Key projects

• Chatham House, Single family house, Chatham, New York, 2004
• Greenwich Townhouse, Townhouse, Greenwich Village, New York, 2005
• Barn House, Single family house, York, South Carolina, 2008
• Vertical House, country town house, Smuggler's Nest, Vermont, 2006
• Bridge + tunnel House, Putnam County, New York, 2005
• ULTRA DLF, Luxury Condominiums, New York, New York, 2007
• Retreat for a Writer, Hudson Valley, New York, 2004
• Pool Pavilion, Quepos, Costa Rica, 2006
• Video Pavilion, Watermill, New York, 2006

Key publications

• Metropolitan Home - Fred A. Bernstein, The Village Uncommon, pp. 144-151, 5/08
• Avenue Decor - Axis Mundi - Luxe Modern, pp. 18-23, Spring | Summer 08
• View from the Top: Grand Apartment Living, Janelle McCulloch, Duplex for a Gentleman, Images Publishing, Australia, pp. 38-43, 2008
• Bait Venoy, Mia Or, Village Duplex, pp. March - April 08
• New York Times - The Glasswork of a Master Catches the Light Again, October 19, Page F3 10/06
• New York Times - BOITE; A Catalonian Fantasy, September 7, Section 9, Page 11 9/03
• Interior Design - Keeping Up with Corian, p. 75-76-7/03
• Domus - New Designs, p. 116, July/August 2002 7/02
• Surface - Ten Avant-Garde Designers, p. 107-118 4/02
• Wallpaper - Magnum Opus, Sept./Oct, p. 290 9/98

Key awards

• Graham Foundation for Advanced Visual Studies in the Fine Arts, 1998