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BAM Is About Evolution

BAM developed its design practice by taking any opportunity which came in the door. Over the past 10 years BAM’s admittedly dumb strategy of "just say yes" has led to countless mistakes yet ultimately has resulted in a portfolio of strange, exuberant works with seemingly incomprehensible breadth, from the design of costumes, parades, building facades, parks, musical events, furniture, to wickless hand candles. As such BAM’s retrospective exhibition is intended be honest and even show errors in BAM’s logic. Although poised to be one of China’s leading design practices with a special focus on landscape architecture, BAM continues along divergent paths, pushing farther into the depths of design. Inbound at terminal velocity... ALL-NEW BAM PROFILE sharing what BAM believes and what BAM loves!

Who We Are

BAM has built projects from architecture to landscape to art installations around the world. BAM’s office has a background in ART and CRAFTSMANSHIP and integrates these skillsets into the design process. With experience in many design fields, BAM’s founders focus on projects times they believe promote HEALTHY URBAN LIFE. BAM has delivered over 100 projects in the most demanding and fast-paced markets since 2007.

What’s in a Name?

BALLISTIC The term ‘ballistic’ refers to our explosive and energetic exploration of a variety of design and art fields without regard to traditional disciplinary silos of practice. When BAM discovers a new and interesting mode of working, style, or field, that new realm is not explored lightly or dabbled in but is pursued at full charge.

ARCHITECTURE ‘Architecture’ refers to an architectural methodology or process, either using or going against the tools and language of architecture in order to create work. Design, unlike the arts, is heavily defined by constraints. The question of how one can come as close as possible to an inherently unachievable ideal is the central mantra for all design. An architectural method provides rigor though which BAM explores our schizophrenic interests.

MACHINE ‘Machine’ refers to our intense, unwavering drive to work and create.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, What 3 Things Does BAM Love Most All?

1. BAM LOVES TO MAKE PHYSICAL MODELS!

In a time when architectural design is dominated by the shiny gloss of fantasy renderings, when photo-realistic capabilities eliminate any question of discovery from the drawn to the built, when the computer is indicative of an aesthetic typology as opposed to a tool in service of the human mind, in a design climate where personality and technology seem like mutually exclusive pursuits, making things with our hands stands either as a contradiction to its time or a glimpse of a time to come.

The computer allows the objects of contemporary architectural formalism to become precious. Thus, the ideas, forms, and materiality become fixed, predefined, or prescribed. The rendering, or visualization, is arguably architecture’s purest state. The desire to keep the physical outcome of the built closely aligned with a representation, thus maintaining its purity, results in a reciprocal fear of further exploration.

Physical model-making keeps things loose. Modeling with real materials in real environments at all scales is an exploratory bodily action. Almost always modeling leads to surprising directions and opens doors to diverse new information.

2. BAM IS CRAZY ABOUT BUILDING!

We LOVE working with builders. Historically in China those who work with their hands are lowest in rank. Designers aren't supposed to get dirty! BAM is different. At BAM we roll up our sleeves, get mud on our boots, and put in some elbow grease! The more involved BAM is in the building process, the more BAM learns about builder skill sets and capabilities, their insights and challenges. All of this exciting information helps BAM engineer more optimal outcomes and extend design opportunities and artistic scope deep into the process of realizing ideas, all the way to the finish line.

3. BAM GOES NUTS OVER DETAILS!

The buck stops at details. With OCD-level perfectionism for meticulous craftsmanship, BAM has experience working in a wide variety of materials at tiny and big scales, with inert and alive materials. BAM LOVES to sweat the small stuff when it comes to making our projects real!

BAM Ethos: NATURE IS AN IDEA

BAM believes that just as the constructed landscape is a cultural artifact, the definition of nature, lies in culture. Among different cultures, views of what nature is and where it exists vary greatly. The more we understand the differences between our varied definitions of nature the more it is evident that nature is in fact an idea. As our cultures meld, and globalization ties us closer together, our varied definitions of nature may come to be the only remaining differences between cultures.

Our respective definitions of nature are reflected in our cities. Whether we collectively define the city as nature or not, shapes our cities. Whether we collectively see cities, parks, and landscapes as nature itself or whether we see them as constructed environments in turn shapes how cultures design and construct them. Whether or not we understand nature and the landscape to be one and the same or view them as having the potential to be completely different fundamentally shapes our built environments. The way in which we answer these questions is culturally determined and certainly not a global constant.

These very different views on where nature lies and what the humans role within nature is, creates drastically different outlooks towards our urban environments, and drastically different understandings of where the landscape lies within that urban construct. The show, “10 Years of Dumb” illustrates through the work how BAM has grappled with these culturally defined issues, and how different ideas of nature shape our built environments.

Publications & Features

“China Needs the 1980s Designers BAM.” Fang Zhenning, Maxxi Museum, Rome 2011

“Their collective training as artists, architects and landscape architects has allowed [BAM] to tackle nature and technology aggressively.” Nadia Amoroso, Digital Landscape Architecture Now

“Daxing Park gives a feel of definite dynamic and power that emerges through the interplay of form and scale between architecture and landscape.” Alexandra Wilmet, Landscape Architect Network

“In keeping with BAM principles, there was a constant back and forth between physical models and digital imaging; knowledge, and questions gleamed from one hand of the process were tried against the other in order to further bolster the designers’ convictions.” Fang Zhenning, Maxxi Museum, Rome 2011

“Much of BAM’s forms seem to come more directly from Saturday morning cartoons rather than the history of architecture proper.” Carson Chan, Kaleidoscope

Services & Clients

Partner Background

Daniel Anthony Gass became interested in architecture as a child when his father brought him on visits to museum and stadium building sites. Daniel attended the architecture school at Cornell University for BArch and MArch, obtaining the university-wide Merril Presidential Scholar Award. At Cornell Daniel founded a controversial publication within the Architecture and Art Schools, Tabula Casa, for which he and BAM’s future co-founders were nearly expelled. With the co-founders of BAM Daniel worked in the landscape office of Martha Schwartz, where the trio began to define their professional agenda.

^ Jacob Schwartz Walker grew up in the design offices of his parents. Not satisfied by the prospect of following in their footsteps, Jake, along with the co-founders of BAM, set out to establish a design studio with far greater breadth which does not focus on the accomplishments of one individual, but instead what can be achieved through true collaboration. As such, Jake’s trajectory into professional practice is uniquely his own and the combination of his potent personality and design talent, form a pillar of BAM’s multidisciplinary design process. Personally carrying many of BAM’s finest projects from concept to construction, Jake leads the studio with hands-on engagement.

^ Allison MacNeil Dailey grew up learning craftsmanship skills in a variety of materials from glass to metal. With an affection for hand-drawing Allison entered Cornell University’s Art Department, but following advice from her mentor, graphic artist Milton Glaser, transferred to Cornell’s Architecture Department to study the relationship between form and function at bigger scales. Allison would continue to expand her scale of study, earning an MLA from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Having observed her family of professional artists focused on gallery and museum markets, a cornerstone aim at Ballistic Architecture Machine is to expand artistic scope into bigger unexpected territories.

BAM’s Newest Partner!!! GJW SUPER GENIUS POWER Guan Jingwen is the first employee to be made partner since the original three founding members of BAM established the company in 2007. Jingwen is an extremely talented and much welcome addition to the BAM partnership structure. Jingwen excelled in her landscape Master’s program at Peking University and started at BAM as an entry level designer. She quickly rose through the ranks to her position as the business director for China and the leader of the Beijing office. Jingwen’s combination of sharp negotiating skills with a sensitive political touch combined with unwavering dedication to the highest quality of design work has propelled BAM forward as the best landscape architecture firm in China. BAM’s continued success in China is as much due to Jingwen’s tenacious drive as it is due to the unique work produced by the office.