Where did you go to college?
I attended UVA Undergrad (1979) and also UVA Grad School (1982)
Would you recommend studying architecture to a young person? Absolutely. It is a wonderful major with many options for how to apply architectural training to various career paths. Architectural training can take one towards a more traditional route of designing buildings to newer forms of a career like CAD modeling, gaming, or other types of application of design training.
What does it take to be an architect?
It requires perseverance, faith, enjoyment of the creative process, good listening skills, and respect for collaboration and leadership…..many more qualifiers could be added, however, the great thing about architecture is that it can utilize a wide variety of abilities within the profession. Most important, it requires a commitment to the built environment and the elevation of people’s experience of it.
Was there an architect that particularly inspired you?
There are many. As one who appreciate history, I value Vitruvius, Alberti (and many other Renaissance Architects), Wren, Lutyens, Cram, McKim, Mead and White, Carrere and Hastings, Bottomley, and others from around the turn of the 20th century. I was mentored by Jaquelin Robertson who heavily influenced the start of my architectural career and he introduces me to people like Leon Krier, Demetri Porphyrios and Andres Duany, and Liz Plater Zyberk. I collaborated on one project with Quinlan Terry who was influential to me. Jim Glave was a longtime mentor and friend. Robert A M Stern and his firm have always been an inspiration to me.
What are you currently reading?
The Future of the Past by Steven W. Semes. I just finished On the Road with Saint Augustine by James K. A. Smith which was fantastic.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
That’s tough. I like many meals (my waistline is proof of the fact). It is often the combination of food and atmosphere that makes meals memorable to me. I just returned from Jamaica where a group of my friends, my wife and I sat on a point, looking out on the sunset over the ocean and had a fabulous meal of fish, vegetables, bread, and wine….these kinds of experiences seem to make the best meals to me.
Why do you volunteer with the AIA?
Because AIA is the architect’s advocacy group and our only large, national, professional association. We must make it as strong as we can and so volunteering is one way to make a small contribution towards that aim.