HAVEN:
AN INTERVIEW WITH TED, JOSH AND BEN HALL, SPEARHEAD CONSTRUCTION
17 July 2024
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I am in awe of the team at Spearhead Construction – their reverence for craft, their intentional approach to people and process, and their mission to improve the built environment one project at a time. Both father and sons are committed to running a values-driven company, elevating the process of construction and making the world a better place through their work. For our newest Haven post, we sat down with them to talk about living their values, working with intention, growing with integrity, and celebrating craft while moving the industry forward through technology. I hope you enjoy the conversation, and come away from it as inspired as I am."
The Spearhead website opens with two phrases: we are the bridge between craft and technology and we elevate process. Taken together, these two phrases are the foundation for everything Spearhead stands for: respect for materials and craft, commitment to the efficiencies and promise of technology, and a reverence for their environment, their community and their industry.
Led by the father-son team of Ted Hall and his two sons Josh and Ben, Spearhead is based in Nelson, British Columbia, which they call “one of the most beautiful places on earth.” Though based in British Columbia, a majority of their work, (roughly 80%), is in the United States, including projects throughout the West Coast and Hawaii, and more recently, on the Eastern Seaboard. Three-quarters of their work consists of high-end custom residential projects. It’s where they’ve “cut their teeth,” and where Spearhead has built its reputation.
Blending traditional craft with cutting-edge technology, their work in prefabricated construction looks through the lens of the digital fabricator to realize architectural design intent, and they have developed a well-deserved reputation for their ability to bring complex, groundbreaking architecture to life.
We truly celebrate innovative and groundbreaking architecture."
MQ: I’m fascinated by the relationship you’ve built between craft and technology, holding a deep respect for things made by hand and thoughtfully using technology to build efficiently and open up design opportunities.
Josh: Bringing digital technology to the forefront of prefabricated construction opens the door to interfacing with the architectural design process, which creates a dynamic feedback loop. This reinforces the efficacy of the architectural vision during the early design phases, establishing feasibility early on and saving the time, money and heartache of design changes made later in the game.
Ben: We have a staff of 65 people, and nearly half of them are involved in the front end digital process, which is a significant variation from the norm.
Ted: I think this is the future of the industry.
We pride ourselves on living between craft and technology. It allows us to offer something very unique."
MQ: And you are having a profound influence on the process of building.
Josh: We’re a conduit for a more integrated construction process. In pushing the envelope, we unlock the potential for following these best processes. We’re working to determine financial feasibility early in the process, and minimize waste – both in terms of materials and human effort.
Ben: We have a one-to-one ratio of externally-facing to internally-facing roles, which supports the notion of a closely-integrated design and fabrication team. We practice what we preach.
MQ: Can you tell me more?
Josh: We’re working to address silos in the building industry head-on, working to eliminate risk and redundancy, which decreases the cost associated with experimentation.
MQ: And you share what you learn. It really is an atmosphere of trust.
Ben: We are trying to democratize technology, giving access to high-fidelity information needed during the manufacturing process, and applying consistent methodology to often incredibly unique forms.
MQ: The complexity of your work acts as a proving ground.
Josh: You cannot build an unconventional design with a conventional process. The goal is to push the envelope, in a way that is unconventional and expressive. Then you can apply that learning back to more conventional builds, making the process ever better.
We come to a project with a great deal of intentionality around exactly what is possible."
Ben: Pushing the envelope does not mean ignoring building realities. By marrying feasibility and buildability with technology and craft, we are able to leverage the big ideas behind the architecture, which inspires creative confidence and even more innovation.
Ted: It’s easy to get attention when the risks are high. We enter the dialogue early in the design process – as early as the schematic design phase. Complex projects help build the argument that the process needs to be as integrated as possible – less siloed – in order to be successful.
We are enablers of complexity."
MQ: No wonder the architects you work with have such trust in your process!
Josh: We value design. I think that’s why we have a seat at the table. We have our own unique relationship to the design solution.
Ted: We support the big narrative behind the project.
MQ: The projects you’ve worked on are so beautiful, with organic shapes that are so complex, but feel so effortless, almost as if nature created them. I’m thinking of the spiritual quality of Kol Emeth in Palo Alto, and the fluid forms of your project in Dubai.
Josh: We work with a primitive material being manufactured in a sophisticated way.
Ben: The digital process is data driven, and a significant contributor to parametric design, which layers inputs to form a continuous flow of information and create more efficient and elegant forms.
MQ: We are exploring the concept of beauty this year in a deep way, and we often think about timelessness. How do you approach the concepts of beauty and timelessness in your work?
Josh: We study things through a detailed lens, making connections and playing a role in selecting materials. There is beauty in the process, and in delivering architecture that is timeless.
Ben: Timelessness is grounded in logic. Logic makes sense, materials make sense, and this contributes to the beauty of the end product. A performance-based concept of beauty is prevalent in Europe. Can we return to that here? I think it is possible; we can enhance beauty through data and logic.
Ted: In Europe, the concept of functionality and performance is built into design. The idea is to create something that is timeless because it works, and it does not need to be changed.
MQ: Your location is so beautiful, set in a small community.
Josh: We live at the source, in timber country, and we are connected to the material with which we work in a very real way. This gives our clients a glimpse into the impact of their materials choices – large trees for traditional beams or smaller trees felled to form glue-lam beams. Being close to the material makes a distinct difference in how you think about resource management and efficiencies.
Ted: Our roots in timber framing are important. We use materials in a way that respects those materials for the beauty they give to us. One of my favorite quotes is by Louis Kahn:
You say to a brick, ‘What do you want, brick?’ And the brick says to you, ‘I like an arch.’ And you say to the brick, ‘Look, I want one, too, but arches are expensive and I can use a concrete lintel.’ And then you say: ‘What do you think of that, brick?’ The brick says: ‘I like an arch."
MQ: I’ve always thought that a tight-knit, thoughtful community grows from intentionality and constraint.
Ted: We’re keeping it real.
Everything is part of the experience. Being part of a community, and a multi-generational company, brings about a perspective shift. We feel a strong sense of purpose and responsibility, not only for what we produce, but how we produce it. We want to contribute positively to the whole.
A few more fun questions we love to ask…
MQ: What’s the one thing you love most about what you do?
Josh: Working with incredibly talented and inspired people is a privilege. Our team is exceptional, and we’re fortunate to collectively practice our craft at the highest level.
MQ: Who — or what — inspires you?
Ben: Progressive change in our industry.
MQ: What’s the single best business or creative advice you’ve ever received?
Josh: Consider people, planet, and profit.
MQ: If you weren’t doing this, what would you be up to?
Ted: Paddle boarding!
MQ: How do you love spending time outside of work?
Ben: Nelson is a remarkable place that caters to an active lifestyle. When we’re not at work, you’ll find us with our families in the mountains or on the lake!
MQ: What is one fun fact that most people don’t know about you?
Ted: My career began in tree planting on the West Coast. We’re now working with sustainably sourced fiber that’s being harvested from the same regions we planted in 35 years ago.
MQ: Last book you read?
Josh: The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni.