Breakform Design is tucked into the industrial area of El Segundo known as Smoky Hollow, an area that has attracted creatives in entertainment, design and advertising in recent years.
Ramsey Daham, 34, runs the architecture, design and fabrication studio. He incorporated just two years ago but has 10 years of experience behind him and started his office in Paramount eight years ago. Daham now has a crew of 16, six of whom are on the fabrication end. The others focus on design and architecture.
“After SCIarc, I got fed up with everyone talking about doing things,” Daham said. He is a native of Rochester, New York, and studied architecture as an undergraduate at the University of Buffalo before getting his Master’s at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCIarc).
“Here we focus on a resolved-oriented way of practicing.”
Breakform consists of a 2,000-square-foot office with sleek rows of design work stations and an expansive meeting table. Behind the office is the 2,000 square foot fabrication studio.
“We can have an idea and then go into the laboratory and all have a go at it, hands on,” Daham said.
The Breakform Design space, itself, is a work of art. The massive glass door into the office glides open horizontally with structured steel handles. The glass facade provides the designers with natural light and passersby with a glimpse of the workspace.
“We wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for David Gordon,” Daham said, referring to the property owner. “He’s a patron.”
Breakform has astrongly developed ethos. The name “breakform” is a play on the term “brake,” the process by which metal is bent and made stronger. The name is also meant to distinguish the company from the formalist aesthetic prevalent in current architectural circles. Daham hires creative and ambitious young talent and allows them to work largely on their own. The average age of employees is early thirties.
Mark Stankard, a senior architect, advises Daham on more intricate projects. Their relationship, both personal and professional, has been instrumental in Breakform’s growth.
“I work with Breakform reviewing drawing sets and helping with the permitting process, especially ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations,” Stankard said. “I teach part- time and going into Breakform is a little bit like that. I like meeting with people on their projects…and they are all really great. The place has great energy.”
Daham attributes that energy to the strong relationships within his office.
“We are all extremely independent and manage our own projects,” he said. “But this is a family that looks out for each other.”
Breakform’s client list is impressive: single family homes, tenant improvements, office space, and, most recently, mixed-use properties. Most of its work has been within the Los Angeles city limits, primarily in Venice. Daham is expanding in the South Bay and has several Manhattan Beach projects just underway.
A highlight of the Breakform portfolio is Tar & Roses, a highly regarded Santa Monica small plates restaurant that opened in 2012 under the direction of chef Andrew Kirschner. The chef wanted to create a restaurant space that was industrial but different and he wanted to use rebar, or reinforced steel, throughout. He hired Daham, whose early expertise is in metal, to do all of the steel work for Tar & Roses.
The restaurant’s name refers to the flavor undertones of Barolo wine, a main focus of the restaurant. One of the main design elements Kirschner charged Daham with was the fabrication of a functional yet artful wine rack entryway. While in Piedmont studying Barolo for Tar & Roses, the chef found an inspiring concept for a wine cellar: a black steel wine storage system that was as artistic as it was functional.
“I took some photos and proposed it to Ramsey,” Kirschner said. “He came up with great ideas and designed and built the thing.” The rack at Tar & Roses holds 750 bottles of wine and has became a trademark of the 70-seat restaurant.
Though the majority of the Breakform crew lives outside the South Bay — with the exception of Phil Knight, a North Redondo resident — the designers are beach-minded. Almost everyone lives on the beach, and a quiver of surfboards is tucked behind a wall in the office.
“El Segundo is Mayberry,” Daham said. “And I love that. But it’s also cool to see the area changing…with all of the graphic designers and artists coming in.”
The next step for Breakform is getting into development. Toward this end, Daham has begun financing some of his clients’ projects.
He has also earned appointment to the Land Use and Planning Committee in Venice.
“In Venice, there’s a contingency that’s trying to halt development and another that wants to press as hard as they can to exploit the real estate value,” he said. “We are caught in the middle. We try to be as sensitive to the community as we can be while still doing our best for our clients.”
Daham has grown the company from a specialty refab firm to a full-scale architectural outfit in a matter of a few years. Breakform’s success has allowed Daham to begin financing some of his clients, a big leap towards development.
Daham’s clients include musicians John Legend and Jim Goldstein of the Sheats Goldstein Residence. Goldstein’s Beverly Hills property, recognizable as Jackie Treehorn’s house in “The Big Lebowski,” was designed in the 1960s by architect John Lautner, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. Daham and his crew coordinate all of the improvements on the property.
Perhaps even more important than amassing clients, Daham has earned the respect of his team and his mentors.
“I’ve known Ramsey for a while,” Mark Stankard said. “He is such a…well, he just really goes for it.”
