What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?
Problem solving within a specific time period of creating a concept, developing it, and implementing it. This skill has helped me both professionally and personally in every area of my life and was definitely a direct result of my School of Architecture studio courses.
Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?
My studio professor John Cunningham. I remember him saying that he brought his firm's receptionists and book-keepers into design presentation rehearsals to teach his presenters to eliminate "architect-speech," and to be able to describe design in a clear and logical way that resonated with non-design clients. His focus on the client's needs instead of the designer's ego remains a key part of my success in marketing and my practice.
What is your favorite memory from your studio days?
Student parties in the Atrium. I particularly remember a dramatic "Midnite at the Oasis" party.
Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.
None - I've tried to block them out.
What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?
The UMN rendering styles were fabulous and it's sad that the unemotional perfection of CAD has replaced the individual expression and exuberance of hand-rendered presentation drawings.
Cite an example (be specific) that illustrates how you used the education you received at the School of Architecture to positively impact (or better) your community, city, nation or the world.
UMN Architecture totally indoctrinated me into believing that our purpose as architects is to move architecture in new directions and "push the envelope." I specifically remember the Director of Design, Jim Stageberg, telling us at an opening assembly that "if anyone wants to design an Italian Villa or a Swiss Chalet, you should walk out that door right now." A few years later I was attending parties at professors' houses and realized that they all lived in Victorian Houses around the Lakes in older neighborhoods, and talked about vacationing in Tuscany. THAT understanding caused me to question why 20-25 yr old Minnesota students, like ALL architecture students I later learned, were pushing envelopes instead of trying to discover what appeals to people about Victorian Houses and Tuscany, and incorporate those qualities into our designs. Decades later, and I have developed 18 Instinct-Based Design Principles and am focused on helping design professionals and healthcare organizations incorporate principles from nature in order to create places that will make people healthier and happier (back to Victorian Houses and Tuscany...)
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