Ball-Nogues Studio is a practice that occupies a territory between architecture, art, and industrial design, rooted in the exploration of craft. Essential to each project is the design of the production process itself, with the aim of creating environments that enhance sensation, generate spectacle, and invite physical engagement. As a fabricator as well as an artist, Ball devises proprietary systems of construction, creates new tools, develops custom software, and explores new materials with the aim of expanding the potential of the physically constructed world. Research is integral to his practice–the social and physical contexts of the site inform each work. Rather than a specific aesthetic, it’s his process that defines his philosophy.
He has created works that range from freestanding sculpture to integrated pieces that grow out of the context itself. He has substantial experience creating installations that have utilitarian purposes such as seating and shading and has worked with materials ranging from stainless steel to paper pulp, from concrete to glass. A common thread is using natural phenomena—especially light—to create visual experiences that change by time of day, viewing location, and mode of transit, engaging viewers in meaningful interaction.The Studio has exhibited at major institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Guggenheim Museum; PS1; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Venice Biennale; the Hong Kong | Shenzhen Biennale; and the Beijing Biennale. They have received numerous honors including three American Institute of Architects Design Awards, United States Artists Target Fellowships and a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. In 2007, the Studio was the winner of the Museum of Modern Art PS1 Young Architects Program Competition and their work is part of the permanent collections of both MoMA and LACMA. In 2011, they were one of the Architectural League of New York’s Emerging Voices and, in 2014, finalists for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. Benjamin has taught in the graduate architecture programs at SCI-Arc, UCLA, and USC. The Studio’s work has appeared in a variety of publications including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Architectural Record, Artforum, Icon, Log, Architectural Digest, Mark and Sculpture.
SELECTED AWARDS, HONORS AND GRANTS
| 2024 | American Architecture Award – Pour Me Another |
| 2023 | CODAaward, Education Category – Above the Ploughman’s Highest Line |
| 2018 | World Architecture News Awards, Finalist, Metal in Architecture – Healing Pavilion |
| 2017 | FABRICATE International Conference and Publication, Finalist – Healing Pavilion |
| 2015 | Americans for the Arts, Public Art Network Year in Review, Finalist – Air Garden |
| Architect Magazine, R&D First Award – Pulp Pavilion | |
| 50 Under 50: Innovators of the 21st Century, Images Publishing | |
| 21 for 21, World Architecture News Awards, Finalist | |
| 2014 | Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, Emerging Architecture, Finalist – Maximilian’s Schell |
| 2013 | Edmonton Urban Design Awards, Fragments Category – Talus Dome |
| The Select Ten, Metropolis Magazine | |
| 2012 | Fast Company Innovation by Design Award, Finalist, Spaces – Yucca Crater |
| Americans for the Arts, Public Art Network Year in Review, Finalist – Yucca Crater | |
| Work acquired by Los Angeles County Museum of Art permanent collection | |
| 2011 | Americans for the Arts, Public Art Network Year in Review, Finalist – Table Cloth, Cradle |
| 2010 | Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Awards, Finalist – Built to Wear, Table Cloth |
| Los Angeles AIA Design Award, Merit – Table Cloth | |
| 2009 | Shenzhen Hong Kong Biennale, Innovation Award – Built to Wear |
| UCLA Arts Initiative Grant | |
| 2008 | Graham Foundation Exhibition Grant, Life Cycle Design in Temporary Spatial Installation through Cross Manufacturing |
| California Home and Design Magazine, 10 to Watch | |
| 2007 | United States Artists Target Fellowship |
| Otis College of Art and Design, O Award and Grant | |
| Museum of Modern Art P.S.1, Young Architects Program – Winner | |
| Los Angeles AIA Design Award, Citation – Rip Curl Canyon | |
| Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award – Rip Curl Canyon | |
| 2006 | Durfee Foundation, Artist’s Resource for Completion Grant |
| Los Angeles AIA Design Award, Honor Award – Maximilian’s Schell | |
| I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review, Best of Category: Environments – Maximilian’s Schell | |
| LA Architect Magazine, 10 to Watch |