William Pulgram (born 1921), a Holocaust survivor, began his career in the late 1940s, as an architect – drawing concrete details and wall sections as he worked on construction documents at Finch Alexander. As his career unfolded, he began to specialize in corporate interiors, as a number of interior designers did. This esteemed group includes Davis Allen, Florence Knoll, Margaret McCurry, and Margo Grant Walsh. Pulgram’s philosophy was that interior design is a continuation of the architecture of the space and needs to be carefully designed and contracted for; he was an advocate for architecture firms moving into the area of commercial interiors. In 1963, he created his own firm – Associated Space Design. The focus of his firm was interiors – he was known for his corporate environments including Coca-Cola and Black & Decker. His book, Designing the Automated Office, focused on how technology was changing the office environment and how architects should design for that. He worked tirelessly throughout his career to create interior contract documents – which are still used today.
Contents
Childhood and WWII
William Pulgram was born on January 21, 1921 in Vienna, Austria to Sigmund Pulgram (tailor and manager of a fine clothing store) and Giselle Bauer Pulgram. He had two siblings, a younger sister, Lilli, and older brother, Ernst.
Life in the United States
His brother, Ernst, had already made it to America and served in the United States Army until he was released on medical leave. William was drafted and served with special services entertainment, playing the piano; he served for three years ending in 1946. He served in McPherson and Los Angeles.
Education
In 1946, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology, at twenty five years old, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1950. He studied under the G.I. Bill. William meets his wife, Lucia, while studying at Georgia Tech. He continued his education at Ecole des Beaux Arts where he won first prize for design.
Career
He then joins the firm Cecil Finch Alexander in Atlanta where he begins working on creating contract documents for the firm’s interior projects. He then creates a subsidiary firm of Finch Alexander Rothschild and Pascal focusing on interiors. He leaves and begins his own firm – ASD, for the design of interior spaces –in 1963. His firm focuses on the development of corporate environments such as Southern Bell, Coca-Cola, and Black & Decker. His firm works to insure they respond to the needs of the employees as well as their automated working tools. He is currently the chairman emeritus of ASD. He spend time consulting internationally on architecture and facility planning with an emphasis on effects of the information based society.
Associated Space Design
William Pulgram started his company as the interior design department of Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild, and Pascal, where William stayed for five years. William Pulgram had built up a first rate interior design firm while contributed to it as a designer and leader in the field of interior design. It became its own firm in 1963. It is one of the largest interior design firms in the country. The firm does not market itself, work is obtained by referral. Associated Space Design offers complete design services, including product and graphic design. Some of ASD’s projects include corporation offices, banks, public institutions, and a number of government jobs.
Interiors Contract Documents
In 1972, he is the chair of a taskforce for the AIA documents committee for developing interiors contract documents. This committee was full of members of the AIA and ASID. In 1975, he is the chairman for the AIA’s pioneering Interiors Committee, within two years. The committee developed contract documents and start publishing information on starting a practice, differences between interiors and architecture practice, client relationships and obtaining new work. The Interiors Committee now has nearly 1,500 members when it begun it has almost fifty.
Book
In 1984, Pulgram and Richard Stonis wrote the book, Designing the Automated Office, which focuses on the need to plan for new technologies in offices. Their book discusses how the design community must educate itself on office technology and how it will affect the way offices work. They believed there were six factors: flexibility, human factors, project team, spacing planning, building systems, and furnishings that affect the design of the automated office. Programming for machines becomes necessary as well as the design and layout of workstations to focus on the productivity and comfort of the worker. The book contains workstation suggestions and different desk set ups for different task jobs. The book addresses different office layouts and the effect on communication between employees. They also discuss electricity, how lighting affects people and costs, acoustics and its effects on people/privacy, as well as wall assemblies and new furniture technology. Their book won the Designer’s book club of the month award and was later translated into Japanese.
Projects
Previously the Pulgram Residence, the Huff-Feldman House was built in 1953, it is 3,000 square feet. It was remolded in 1955,1958 and again once it was purchased by the Feldman’s and restored by Margaret Gilchrist Serro and interior designer Herbert Brito in 2000. It is one of only five houses designed by Pulgram.
In 1970, he created the TRM (task response module) System. Eppinger Furniture, INC used in opening planning for offices. TRMs are similar to wall units in homes used to hold decorations, books, and stereos. A TRM can hold any necessary item while also allowing the occupant to add items to make them feel more comfortable.
Tampa Electric Company in Tampa, Florida. 1979. A main focus was the atrium overlooking offices.
Old Post Office in Washington, D.C. 1979. An adaptive restoration, the first project of its type in the U.S. government, it was completed as part of the Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Project.
Hurt Building Redevelopment in Atlanta, Georgia. 1985. Ground floor arcade and art gallery.
Alma Desk showroom in Atlanta, Georgia. Associated Space Design created a space where each showroom has a different perception of the community. ASD allows the space to form different spaces. The spaces created double as offices for the showroom staff.
McDonald’s Oak Brook headquarters is an interiors project where Pulgram removed the desks, and replaced them with task response modules that hold telephones, create writing spaces, drawing boards, and typewriters. There are few doors or walls, the space is separated by TRMs and cabinets. He created a ‘think tank’ where a hidden door led visitors to a small arena with a waterbed in the floor- where they can relax and take time to take care of their minds – creating a space where they can be creative. The space is created with irregular shapes and padded walls.
Awards
He is currently a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects. He is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and The National Committee on Interiors. He is a member of the Architectural Research Council, the AIA Foundation, and the Atlanta Arts Association.
Family life
With his wife Lucia, he had four children, Christopher, Anthony, Lawrence, and Dierdre. Christopher was a violinist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Anthony was an opera singer with the New York City Opera, and Lawrence worked as an attorney in San Francisco.
Conclusion
In the aftermath of World War II, Mies van der Rohe and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, were building modern office blocks across the globe. Multinational corporations were drawn to them. It was not immediately clear how modernism would be applied in the realm of office interiors. Pulgram is one of those who provided an answer. The now ubiquitous open office plan, with workstations, file banks, and low-height partitions needed an advocate and a philosophy, and Pulgram stepped into the void.