SO-IL (Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu) is an architectural design firm based in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2008 by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu. Known for an architecture deeply engaged with social, cultural, and environmental contexts, the studio focuses on exploring innovative materials, creating fluid spatial experiences, and prioritizing ecological sustainability. SO-IL's work spans various scales and program types, reflecting their versatile approach to design. In 2024, their housing project 450 Warren in Brooklyn was selected as ArchDaily's Building of the Year by the audience in the housing category.
In their latest book, In Depth: Urban Domesticities Today, SO-IL explores the evolving concept of home in contemporary urban contexts, transforming it "from a source of vulnerability into a tool for empowerment." The book redefines domesticity as an active and shared experience and examines how architects can address pressing urban challenges such as affordability, density, and sustainability. SO-IL's work advocates for flexible, resilient housing that fosters community while integrating ecological and social dimensions. ArchDaily spoke with the architects about the innovative solutions and ideas presented in the book, delving into how their projects challenge conventional systems and envision a future where architecture is a tool for empowerment.
"Before engaging with the issues the book addresses—housing, sustainability, and urban domesticity—and discussing the notion of "solutions," we'd like to remind ourselves that the crises we face are man-made. They are byproducts of unfettered capitalist and neoliberal frameworks that prioritize individualism and short-term solutions over collective well-being and long-term resilience. Our book and projects operate within the realities of today. They do not aim to offer definitive answers but instead challenge these systems by proposing alternative ways of living and building within them. These projects act as defiant gestures. Yet the change that must occur will not be fostered through architecture alone. A path forward lies in collectively rethinking how we engage with our planet, cities, and one another. In other words, this book should not have been necessary."
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SO – IL Reveals Design for a New Residential Condominium Project in Brooklyn, New YorkAD: How does the book redefine domesticity in the context of urban environments today?
The book redefines domesticity as an active, porous, and shared experience that transcends the private realm. It draws on a long tradition of architects and thinkers who saw the home as more than shelter—a site of experimentation, collective action, and engagement with the larger world.
SO-IL: For instance, projects discussed in the book explore how spaces like courtyards and terraces act as thresholds between the individual and the communal. It captures twelve projects organized around the concepts of cores, courts, and corridors. The thinking behind the projects is further explored through several essays; for instance, Karilyn Johansen's exploration of delaminating building envelopes reveals how rethinking the boundaries of the home can foster new connections with the city, climate, and community. Domesticity, as reimagined here, is not about retreat but about fostering relationships—between people, places, and ecologies.
AD: What are the main urban challenges discussed in the book, like housing or sustainability, and how do the projects offer solutions?
The book addresses challenges such as housing affordability, urban density, and environmental resilience by questioning the constraints of existing systems. It dives deep into the drivers of design beyond "architectural inspiration."
SO-IL: Ted Baab's reflection on zoning codes illustrates how these frameworks often limit creative responses to urban issues. Projects like Las Américas in León, Mexico, exemplify how looking carefully at labor practices can address affordability while empowering local labor. In contrast, a project like Nine Chapel Street reimagines density by introducing light-filled spaces and layered façades that integrate with their urban context.
AD: The book explores "hacking" architectural codes and conventions. Can you provide examples of how this concept is applied in your designs and its significance in reshaping urban domestic spaces?
SO-IL: To us, "hacking" architectural codes means questioning embedded assumptions in zoning, energy regulations, and financial models to craft spaces that resonate with contemporary living.
Housing design often prioritizes cost efficiency, meeting only the bare minimum, which compromises quality of life and weakens community bonds. We believe in designing with generosity, creating spaces that transcend these limitations and add intrinsic value.
In our New York City projects, we challenge conventions around FAR and zoning to foster connection and livability. At 450 Warren and 144 Vanderbilt (the Pink Building), we embrace outdoor circulation, semi-private terraces, and loggias, creating buildings that blur boundaries between indoors and out. These elements offer light, air, and transparency while integrating environmental performance and sculptural expression. The "hack" consists of maximizing the buildable area beyond the allowable FAR. By designing these "free spaces" that encourage interaction and respond to human needs, we create architecture that feels generous and enduring, proving that going beyond constraints is both viable and valuable.
AD: How do you balance creating innovative designs with making them accessible to more people?
We believe quality should never imply luxury—it is a standard that should be accessible to all.
SO-IL: Every design project we undertake, regardless of scale or context, receives the same rigorous attention to detail and commitment to craft. While we operate within the realities of the market, our global experience across diverse contexts gives us a deep understanding of cost drivers. This enables us to learn from other realities how to achieve high quality within reasonable budgets.
In Las Américas, a modular block system exemplified how thoughtful design can provide affordable, high-quality housing - lessons learned there found their way into future projects. Similarly, our Brooklyn projects, like 450 Warren, reimagined urban housing typologies, offering spatial generosity and community focus without inflating costs. The takeaways from these market-rate housing projects inform affordable developments like 450 Union, an affordable rental project, demonstrating that innovation and affordability are not mutually exclusive but intertwined tools for elevating the built environment.
AD: What lessons from the book should architects consider when designing homes for the future?
Homes must embrace flexibility, connection, and care. The future of urban living lies in spaces that adapt to diverse and changing needs, foster community, and respond to environmental challenges.
SO-IL: Architects should design homes that allow for both individuality and shared experiences, using light, air, and materiality to create openness and resilience. The book emphasizes that housing is not merely about efficiency or shelter; it is about creating environments where people can thrive emotionally, socially, and physically.
AD: What role do architects play in changing how we think about "home" in cities, and how does the book explore this?
Architects can reframe the concept of home by designing spaces that engage with urban, social, and ecological dimensions.
SO-IL: Projects like the artist's studio for Janaina Tschäpe and the home on Bergen Street featured in the book exemplify this vision. Janaina's studio balances the intimacy of a personal workspace with an openness that connects to its surroundings, integrating light, air, and materiality to create a space that is both private and communal. Similarly, the Bergen Street home challenges the conventional brownstone typology and thinks through changing constellations of collective inhabitation while still providing moments of solitude and retreat.
AD: How can architects influence city policies or housing strategies through their work?
Architects influence policy by creating tangible, innovative examples that challenge existing norms.
SO-IL: Our collaborations with Tankhouse in Brooklyn—such as 450 Warren and Nine Chapel Street—have become reference points for city and state agencies rethinking building and energy codes. These projects demonstrate how delving deeply into regulatory and financial constraints can uncover opportunities for creating high-quality housing. By working locally and engaging with municipal agencies, architects can foster partnerships that lead to systemic change. As Ted Baab highlights in his essay, it's not about opposing the system but collaborating to realize better outcomes for urban living. The "City of Yes" initiative, recently launched in New York, offers a promising example of how city agencies promote density thoughtfully to address the housing crisis.
AD: What trends or challenges in urban living do you think will shape the future of domesticity?
SO-IL: Urban living will increasingly grapple with climate resilience and evolving social structures. The fires in California and rising sea levels globally underscore the urgent need for resilient construction methodologies.
However, where does resilience meet sustainability?
Many of the premodern references that have recently intrigued the discipline lack the robustness to survive disasters like fires, while resilient models often remain carbon-intensive. Extensive material research and systems thinking will be essential to house the global population in ways that are both sustainable and resilient. At the same time, socially, the outdated model of the single-family home will give way to typologies that accommodate diverse constellations of living arrangements. Architects must address these shifts by designing flexible, sustainable spaces that support a richer and more inclusive urban life.
