Natasha Case：“我们的工作是激发乐趣。”
“Our work is to inspire joy”: Natasha Case Talks Coolhaus Ice Cream and Designing for Delight

由专筑网李韧，吴静雅编译

建筑由人而限定。人类的条件塑造了我们的居住环境和我们分享的时刻。很少有设计师和企业家比Coolhaus Ice Cream公司的联合创始人Natasha Case更了解这一点。作为一名建筑师，Natasha开始在她的研究生建筑课程中探索一种名为“Farchitecture”的内容，这个词来源于“Food + Architecture”，即“食物+建筑”，这个说法起源于一个广义的概念，即设计可以改善人们的日常生活，同样，食物也可以给设计带来灵感。

在ArchDaily记者的独家采访中，Natasha谈到了其冰淇淋设计灵感，以及洛杉矶对于她生活与工作的影响，还有制造过程中的乐趣。

Architecture is defined by people. It’s the human condition that shapes the spaces we live within and the moments we share. Few designers and entrepreneurs understand this better than Natasha Case, co-founder of Coolhaus Ice Cream. Trained as an architect, Natasha began exploring a passion for what she called “Farchitecture” – or, Food + Architecture – in her graduate architecture program. The concept originated with the broader notion that design could enhance everyday life, and, by the same token, that food could bring awareness to design.
In an exclusive interview with ArchDaily, Natasha talks about her inspiration for creating architecturally inspired ice cream, how Los Angeles influences her life and work, and what it means to bring joy into the process of making.



EB：很难相信Coolhaus已经经历了十多年的风雨，对于那些还不知道的人，你能谈谈自己的事儿以及公司怎么开始的吗？

NC：可以的，我是第三代洛杉矶人，成长于谢尔曼-奥克斯。我的父亲是一位建筑师，母亲是迪士尼动画片绘制者。我在加州大学伯克利分校主修建筑，后来在加州大学洛杉矶分校继续进修，并获得了建筑学硕士学位。毕业之后，我在Walt Disney Imagineering工作，从而也激发了对于食物与建筑的兴趣。因此我开始举办宴会，制作冰淇淋与饼干。后来我遇见了Freya，她和我共同合作，开始了商业运营。

EB: It’s hard to believe that Coolhaus is now over a decade in the making! For those that don’t already know, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how the business was started?
NC: Sure. So I’m a third generation Angeleno, and I grew up in Sherman Oaks. My father was an architect and my mother was an animator at Disney. I attended UC Berkeley and majored in Architecture, and then I went on to study at UCLA and received my Masters in Architecture. After graduating I worked at Walt Disney Imagineering. It was there that my interest in food and architecture really took off; I was hosting dinner parties, making ice cream and baking cookies. That was also the time that I met Freya, who helped me refine what I was doing and really create a business model.



EB：当时的第一个考验就是Coachella音乐节是吗？

NC：是的。是个大考验。简单来说，我们买了一辆没有引擎的邮政车，然后把它拖到音乐会的现场，那便是我们的“冰淇淋三明治系列Coolhaus”，因为我们的灵感来源于库哈斯、包豪斯，而且这个三明治看起来很像迷你冷藏室。在当时那个周末的一夜之间，我们就有了许多粉丝，当我们回到洛杉矶时，这个品牌迅速传播开来。直到今天，我都几乎还是无法相信如此之大的影响，你无法依赖这样的时刻，我们感到非常幸运，有机会这么快速地建立起这样的粉丝群。

EB：那在你回来之后，你怎么开始公司的运行呢？

NC：首先，我们要让这辆车动起来！在我们能把控它之后，就开始了各项服务，其中包括Myspace，这是我们做的第一次举办餐饮活动。在把各个基础要素放在一起之后，我们就开始专注于这件事情。我们的品牌氛围三个主题，即女性主导、奶油冰淇淋和创新。

EB: After that the first big test was Coachella, correct?
NC: Yes, Coachella was the ultimate test. In short, we bought a beat-up postal van on Craigslist with no engine. We had it towed out to the concert grounds and called our new ice cream sandwich line Coolhaus because we were inspired by Rem Koolhaas, the Bauhaus, and because our sandwiches looked like tiny cold houses! That weekend we built up a following, almost overnight, and when we got back to Los Angeles the brand had gone viral. To this day I still can’t believe how incredible the viral impact was: you can never plan or depend on the viral moment, and we felt so lucky that we had the opportunity to build a customer base as quickly as we did.

EB: When you returned, how did you start building the business?
NC: First off, we had to make the truck drivable! Once we had that under control, we started catering, including at Myspace, which was our first catering event ever. RIP Myspace. Really putting the basics together, then we started focusing on it more full time. Our brand centered on three pillars: women led, the creamiest ice cream, and innovation.



EB：那么你现在已经创立了一个全球品牌，在洛杉矶、纽约、达拉斯都有这个品牌的身影，更不用说全国的批发市场。那么我想知道，为什么你把总部设在洛杉矶呢？它对于你的事业和成长有哪些影响呢？

NC：在洛杉矶，有很多人与事都影响了我。人们忘记了好莱坞是由波西米亚人建立的产业，导演、演员，全是戏剧与设计。洛杉矶是创意的发源地，与我们的品牌有着共鸣，我们的品牌本身就很有创意。同时这里也有一些纽约的元素，这是对于工作生活的平衡。洛杉矶是一座有着驾驶文化的城市，因此我们始于餐车，这里便能成为我们的活广告。洛杉矶的发展还在继续，我们的事业也能成为它的一部分，这会引起人们对于城市不同地区的关注。我们创造了有创意的社区空间，这很洛杉矶。

EB: And now you’ve built a global brand: you have a fleet of trucks in LA, New York and Dallas, as well as two brick and mortars locations. Not to mention your sandwiches and pints are sold wholesale in every state across the nation! I’m wondering, why did you decide to make Los Angeles your headquarters? How does the city influence your ice cream and how you’ve grown?
NC: There is so much about LA that has shaped what we do. People forget that Hollywood is an industry built by bohemians. Directors, actors, it’s all theater, all design. LA is a place of creatives, and that resonates with our brand, which is very creative. You also have some elements of the New York grit alongside a great work-life balance. LA is a city with a driving culture, so it made sense that we started with a food truck and it could become a billboard for our brand. Los Angeles is also a very unfinished city, and it was exciting to have the truck be a part of activating vacant lots and creating food truck courts to bring attention to different parts of the city. We created impromptu community spaces. That is very LA.



EB：那接触到这座城市，哪些是你最喜欢的部分呢？

NC：我喜欢LACMA，在那里既可以感受爵士之夜，也可以去野餐，总而言之，那里有许多不可思议的事情。另外，我也很喜欢我们的街区，我常常走路去拉斐特广场，这非常美丽，这里有许多地方有着特殊而丰富的历史。我认为我们正处于洛杉矶发展的新篇章，这个城市正在经历一个时刻。。

EB：我们可以谈谈你曾经在Walt Disney Imagineering的工作吗？这些经历是否对Coolhaus有影响呢？

NC：我相信设计能够传递许多故事，而迪士尼绝对有很多大师级的故事讲述者。人们毕生都很珍惜这些角色，我从迪士尼也学到了许多关于品牌和讲故事的知识，并且建立了自己的概念。

EB: Touching on the city, do you have a favorite spot you enjoy?
NC: I love going to LACMA. There’s so much there, from the jazz nights in the summer to picnics with our son, and obviously, the incredible shows that happen there. I also love our neighborhood in Mid-City. I love going on long walks around there and to Lafayette Square. It’s so beautiful. There are so many places with a special, rich history. I think we’re in a new chapter of LA’s development, and the city is really having a moment.

EB: I was wondering if we could go back for a second and touch on your work at Walt Disney Imagineering. How do you think your experience there influenced Coolhaus?
NC: I believe design is very much about storytelling, and Disney is definitely full of master storytellers. People cherish these characters their whole lives. I learned a lot about brand and storytelling from Disney, and building something that’s truly epic.



我同样认为，建筑也很像企业，当你创建企业时，你必须了解各个部分的作用。企业同样具有功能，必须有着健康的经济体系，而且有人真正需要它。对于企业家与建筑师而言，这些都是实话，而作为一名建筑师，你必须设计真正落地的东西，要有人能够利用这些空间，其中很多内容都是相通的。

EB：说到相通，那你能说说建筑与冰淇淋的关系吗？这个名字是怎么来的？你的作品中有哪些建筑风格呢？

NC：这些名字其实是对建筑师的致敬，同时也是以趣味的方式来告诉人们关于建筑的小知识。我相信带有趣味的学习效率会更高一些。如果压力过大，会让人不想学习。如果建筑行业的压力比较大，那我们就会稍微后退一些，然后再让设计变得更加贴近生活，哪怕是一个小设计。

近期，我们模仿建筑师Julia Morgan，构思了这样的名字，即“Julia S'more-gan”。另外还有“Cara Mia Lehrer”，这来源于饼干和盐焦糖冰淇淋，这个名字则来源于出色的萨尔瓦多籍美国景观设计师Mia Lehrer。

I’d also say that I think architecture is a lot like entrepreneurship. As you build a business, there are walls you have to know how to work around. The business has to function. It has to be sound economically, and someone has to really want it. That’s true of being an entrepreneur and being an architect. As an architect, you’re building something that has to stand up, and hopefully people want to use the space. I think there’s a lot of overlap.

EB: Speaking of overlap, can we talk about the ice cream and architecture mash-up? Where do the names come from, and do you have any new architect-flavors in the works?
NC: The names were really about celebrating the architects and educating people about architecture in a fun way. I really believe that people want to learn more when it’s fun. No one wants to learn when it feels forced. Coming out of the recession when architecture was hit so hard, we hoped to continue making design more accessible, even in seemingly small ways.
Recently, we created a Campfire and S’mores flavor, 'Julia S'more-gan', after our hero, architect Julia Morgan. We also have Cara Mia Lehrer, made with two snickerdoodle cookies with salted caramel ice cream. It’s named after Mia Lehrer, who is an amazing Salvadorian-American landscape architect.



EB：你喜欢哪位建筑师呢？

NC：这不好回答。我一直很喜欢关于Heatherwick工作室的Provocations show。这非常精彩，其艺术特征几乎和我产生了共鸣。他们的创作很有深度。在纽约，我们和PRO Architects事务所共用办公室，跟他们一起办公的感觉很好，他们有着很棒的项目。

EB：从建筑的角度而言，许多毕业生都开始探索未知的领域，这和我的背景相呼应。你可以谈谈这个吗？建筑学经历给你的其他方面带来了什么呢？

NC：在我学建筑的时候我就知道自己要做其他事，我觉得这种思维方式完全可行，建筑是广义的练习，可以应用在不同的方面之中。你学习了一系列的交流与思考的方法，然后再通过技能，应用到不同的事情之中。

EB: Are there any architects that you look up to now, any favorites that you’re inspired by?
NC: It’s always a hard question. I really enjoyed the Provocations show at the Hammer about Heatherwick Studio. It was such a good show. There was such artistry, and the storytelling and process really resonated with me. They make beautiful creations with a lot of depth. In New York, we actually share an office with PRO Architects, and it’s awesome to follow their work. They make incredibly cool projects.

EB: Looking at architecture, increasingly graduates go on to explore different fields, which resonates with my own background. I’m wondering if you could talk about that and what architecture brings to other pursuits?
NC: I went into architecture knowing I was going to do something else. And I think it’s perfectly okay to have that way of thinking; architecture is such a broad training that can apply to many other things. You learn a set of tools, ways of communicating and thinking, and then you can use your skill set and apply it to a very different world.  



EB：那么是否有建筑之外的领域带给你灵感呢？

NC：我觉得工业界常常会关注其他专业，我很享受以沟通的方式来看人们对于品牌的介绍。现在，我们正在和K-Swiss进行合作，打造Coolhaus鞋子款式。他们以企业家为特色，就像其他鞋业公司以运动员为特色一样，我认为这很不可思议。

EB：那么你为什么选择卡尔弗作为公司总部呢？

NC：因为它去哪里都不远。这里位于中心地区，有着许多设计师与建筑师，我们不想在发展过于完善的地区，我们想要伴随着城市的发展而成长。我们是第一批来到这里的企业，随着公司的不断发展，这座城市也愈发繁荣。

EB: Are there fields outside architecture that inspire you?
NC: I think industries are increasingly looking at other disciplines. I enjoy looking at the communications side to see how people share their brand, sometimes as much as the product or idea itself. Right now we’re doing this awesome collaboration with K-Swiss to create a Coolhaus-inspired shoe. They’re featuring entrepreneurs in the same way other shoe companies feature athletes, and I think that’s pretty incredible.

EB: I’m wondering why you choose Culver City to create your headquarters for Coolhaus?
NC: It didn’t sound too far from anywhere! It’s very central, but also there’s a huge concentration of designers and architects. We also didn’t want to be part of a neighborhood that was already finished; we wanted to be part of bringing energy and creativity to another part of Los Angeles. We were one of the first businesses to make a move here, and it’s been great to see the city flourish as we’ve continue to grow.



EB：那么你是否有哪些不为人知的事呢？对你的工作有什么影响呢？

NC：我很会打高尔夫球！同时我们也有篮球队，我们热爱运动。活力与团队是工作的一部分。

EB：Coolhaus似乎有一种能量，能够把人们的注意力吸引过来。你的工作就是快乐本身，这对你意味着什么呢？

NC：我相信我们的工作是激发乐趣。在你开心的时候，你能够尽最大努力来进行创作。这就是Coolhaus的内涵。我认为这部分非常透明，人们彼此相连，他们不可或缺。与人分享是一件快乐的事情，这会引发人们的共鸣。我们的工作很有趣，我希望继续让它带给人们欢乐与满足。

图片：Coolhaus

EB: Is there anything about you that few people know, anything that lends itself to your work?
NC: I’m an avid golfer! We’re also on a basketball team; we’re very into sports. That energy and teamwork is part of our work.

EB: There’s definitely an energy around Coolhaus that naturally draws people to what you’re doing. You’re truly designing delight. Could you talk about that and what it means to you?
NC: I believe our work is to inspire joy. I think you do your best work when you’re having the most fun, when you truly love what you’re creating. That is very much a part of Coolhaus. I think part of it is transparency, that people feel connected and that they are part of something. It’s inspiring to share things that you feel good about, and I think that resonates with people. Our work is fun, and I hope it continues making people feel happy and fulfilled.