Urban Operations was formed in the Summer of 2002 by John Southern. The initial purpose of the office was to serve as an outlet for research and competitions. It was intended to function as a non-profit, informational device. A collaboration with the research organization AUDC and their One Wilshire exhibition served as a catalyst for launching the office. This model was later revised in order to incorporate a more commercial approach. For its first three years the studio merely functioned as an alternate identity for the founder, John Southern, in order to separate his private work from that of his partnership with LEVEL design. The work produced by Urban Operations was intended to critique culture either through suggestive methods (See "Waiting for Architecture"), or more direct strategies (See ENT_001) that involved the design of furniture whose proportions revolved around collections of consumerist technologies. Fashion was also brought into the scope of the studio with a brief collaboration with the designer Bojanna Banyasz in which graphics from the studio were silk-screened onto wallets and bags made by Ms. Banyasz (See Graphic Consumption). After the closure of LEVEL design in 2005, the studio began to focus on reshaping itself into a more fluid design office. Two projects made this possible. The first, a construction consulting contract with Taalman Koch Architecture utilized John's experience as a contractor on his own house (See Projects), functioning as the C.M. for Taalman Koch's first iT House project in Orange County. It opened the opportunity for Urban Operations to help other designers manage their construction projects utilizing a design/build approach. This project was followed by the purchase of a vacant, hillside lot in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park enabling the studio to act as developer, architect, and contractor (See Projects). Urban Operations continues to expand it's horizons by actively seeking collaborations with artists, architects, developers, and contractors. At the studio we're always up for adventure and are looking for interesting individuals who are seeking a partner for collaboration.
You can see a list of our partnerships and affiliations here.