An Interview with Justin Ankus

Justin Ankus

Architectural Design and Development at Urban Splatter

Key Topics:Design, Arquitecture, Ethical Design, Ethical Arquitecture.

Location:LA, USA

Bio:

Justin is an emerging professional in the field of architecture. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and studied architecture at Illinois Tech. He has worked in the public sector of architecture as well as private residential. Justin is an advocate for ethical projects that improve our built environment.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

My passion for architecture and design is what planted the seed for co-creating the architecture blog UrbanSplatter.com. Graduating in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Architecture during the midst of the pandemic was a challenge that brought fruitful yields. The architecture program at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago Illinois uniquely focused on technology within the realm of design. Architecture and design now more than ever is becoming integrated with virtual design and coding with parametric design and virtual reality. My education and experience working with a website design from high school have overall led to my current expertise.

What sub-topics are you most passionate about?

My true passion lies in designing experiences. The skills are the same for designing a website verse designing a built building. I have a passion for learning new ways to create exciting and interesting spaces and places for people to experience a thought-out concoction of feelings. This can be achieved through perfecting different combinations of colors, textures, and spatial organizations. It is about designing an experience and telling a story, not just creating a pretty thing.

Who influences you within these topics?

I am influenced by the past men and women who have forever changed the way we live. People like Mies Van Der Rohe who through minimalism was able to express architecture in its purest forms. Additionally, people like Oprah Winfrey also influence me in her ability to turn her diversity into a powerful force to bring light to controversial subjects and people from opposite viewpoints together. There are so many creative people today that enlighten me and challenge me to think more openly.

What do you think the future holds in this space?

The future holds so much in the digital space, it is very exciting. I think that the physical world will forever be changed with the new technologies with virtual realities, digital currencies, and things like NFTs. Architects, designers, and bloggers are becoming more and more prevalent in my opinion.

What brands are leading the way in this space?

There are so many cool smaller creatives that are designing new NFTs or virtual spaces. Overall, there are some larger companies like Meta and Tiktok that have recently brought some changes in our social experiences of digital space. Being able to share physical spaces and experiences on a Global level is mind-blowing and quite frankly just exciting.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

I would be interested in speaking on the subjects discussed above through podcasts, webinars, speaking opportunities, product innovation, video interviews, written interviews, online classes, or any other type of sharing media.

What are your passions outside of work?

Outside of work I am passionate about my family, friends, and the city of Chicago. Growing up in Chicago with my family was so important in shaping how I work. I love every chance that I get to go back to where I have spent the majority of my life. Currently, I live in Los Angeles and design architecture while managing over 5 blogs with my business partner that shares similar passions with me. Lastly, I have become more recently passionate about cryptocurrency mining.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

You can find my contact email and learn more about me here.

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