What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?
Critical Thinking, computer aided manufacturing, and design self study and thesis.
Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?
Tom Fisher, for his thoughtful and considerate critiques. Renee Cheng, for her eagerness to promote current information into what was a dated curriculum. Bruno Franck, for the great adventures building low-income houses in the deep south of northern Minnesotta. Dale Mullfinger, for the best introduction to architectural design and studio culture that one could hope for.
What is your favorite memory from your studio days?
Totally ignoring the rules and doing the opposite!
Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.
My thesis of the soft space/sleep space. It was an 8'x8'x8' homasote cube, the inside of which was CNC formed routed foam, that created a space for students to sleep and relax. It was a reaction to the hard, rectilinear forms and acoustics that pervaded the school, as well as the first full scale demonstration of CNC routing at the school. It was also the first collaboration with Dave Hultman of the Aerospace Engineering Department. Also, I co-taught an Affordable Housing Design class with Bruno Franck in which we built a highly energy efficient house in northern Minnesota and then had students apply what they learned towards Affordable Housing Design in studio.
What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?
There were several such "forces" for me. One of my great influences was the work of Frank Gehry on campus. This was a fairly new building when I started at the U in 1996. I was further influenced by a conference on design and manufacturing in the digital age that I attended as a grad student. This type of design using advanced computer methods and parametrics was not taught at CALA at the time.
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.
I have influenced many coworkers to think more critically about what and how they design buildings.
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