VJAA: Vincent James Associates Architects

Among the critical adulation that follows VJAA wherever they build, you’ll find words like graceful, beautiful, sublime, quiet, classic, disciplined, and light—all suggesting the kind of alchemy that makes the work of this Minnesota-based firm so highly regarded. The magic they perform—marrying the simple forms of modernism with the rich materials of their sites in a thoughtful framework that encourages social interaction and environmental responsibility—is carefully illustrated and explained in this monograph, which evokes the very qualities that make their work so seductive and compelling.

A former furniture maker, principal Vincent James brings the woodworker’s appreciation of materials, details, joinery, and structure to the firm’s work, which here includes both their award-winning houses (including the Dayton and Type/Variant houses) and institutional projects, such as the Minneapolis Rowing Club, Tulane University Center, and St. John’s Abbey and Monastery Guesthouse. Along with an introductory essay by Hashim Sarkis, partners Vincent James and Jennifer Yoos provide a captivating and insightful portrait of their talented young firm.