110 How did you first get into cruise ship design? Like many in the industry, my path wasn’t a straight line but it was an interesting one that truly mirrors how the industry has grown. In the late 1980s I started working at The H. Chambers Company in Baltimore, Maryland, which specialised in hotel interior design. The owner, Lee Chambers, had secured a contract with Sitmar Cruises, a traditional passenger line that sailed between Europe and the USA. Sitmar was eventually purchased by P&O, which transferred the line to Princess Cruises, and Chambers ended up designing spaces for the original Crown Princess and Regal Princess. I assisted Teresa Anderson – who was a lead designer with Chambers at the time – with detailing and documentation for these projects. I was young and soaked it up like a sponge, learning whatever I could and trying to look smarter than I was. I was immediately taken by the level of detail and precision – we calculated everything down to the last millimetre – but fell in love with the typology and the people. However, I was mostly impressed with the impact our work had on the guests. We didn’t call it the guest experience back then, but that’s what we were crafting. In 1998, I moved from Baltimore to Miami, where I joined Howard Snoweiss at his firm, which specialises in designing interiors for hospitality spaces and cruise ships. My experience was suddenly in demand, and I haven’t looked back since. What fundamental design principles have underpinned your work and how have they changed during your career? My thinking has evolved over the years, but my design principles remain steadfast. As a graduate student I had the honour and privilege to work for John Portman, one of the most significant urban designers and hotel architects of the 20th century. John was a true visionary who defined the way modern hotels look and function and he instilled in me the importance of creating experiences for people, no matter if it was a large urban planning project or a restaurant. To this day, whenever I start an assignment, I go back to that fundamental principle – we’re designing this for a person, so knowing and understanding that human is the most crucial part of design. Can you tell us about some of the other individuals who have had the greatest influences on your work? It’s a cliche but I feel as though I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. As mentioned, John Portman opened my eyes as an architect and my tenure at his practice was a very significant part of my career, equal to studying at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts. I’ve also had the great fortune to have a mentor everywhere I’ve worked: Jean Barnak at CHK Architects, Rita St. Clair in Baltimore, Maryland; and Howard Snoweiss. It was Howard who reintroduced me to cruise ship design and taught me how to run a studio as a business. He helped me understand how to identify, hire and retain the best talent, and how to work with clients, especially the challenging ones. In addition, Maj Lindstrom, senior consultant at ShipPalette, has been a constant presence in my work over the years – it would be hard to imagine achieving any level of success without her. Bruna Carriero, who works for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, has also been instrumental in my life since we met in 2012. She has been a steadfast sounding board. I also cannot thank Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Frank Del Rio and Robin Lindsay enough for their ongoing support and friendships. However, the bedrock of my career have been my Studio DADO co-founders Yohandel Ruiz, Jorge Mesa and Javier Calle, especially over the past couple of decades. They have been an unlimited source of knowledge, inspiration and humour. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like without them. They have always been there for me from our days at Callison RTKL. Which third-party companies have you had the longest professional partnerships with, and what factors have been key to this longevity? European shipyards Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Fincantieri, Meyer Turku and Meyer Werft have all been true partners that understand the relationship between design, engineering and construction. What design trends have inspired your work over the decades? In the 1980s, post-modernism was all the rage and deconstructivism was popular in the 1990s, but both of these trends ran their course after a few years. They now look dated, tired and a little cliched. To me, that’s the opposite of what good design should be – an interior space should look just as relevant and high quality on day 3,791 as on day one. Consequently, I’ve never really followed the latest trends; my goal has always been to create designs that embraced a level of timelessness or lasting value, while also reflecting an understanding of their time or era. However, that doesn’t mean all trends are bad or misdirected. For example, the recent movement towards sustainable design feels like it’s absolutely the right thing to do. The cruise industry has a long way to go to catch up to landbased design, but we are making great progress. A core value of green design is its lasting value and respect for the environment, and I can’t think of a stronger endorsement of quality design. DESIGN LEGEND “ Knowing and understanding humans is the most crucial part of design”
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