Scott Adams

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '80, BED '80

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Communicating with drawings.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

George Winterowd for his love of architectural history.

Robert A. Findlay

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '63, B.Arch '67

ISU - M.Arch '75

Oxford Brookes University, UK - PhD '96

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

The need to get beyond elitist notions of social change that were inherent in modernism as taught in the '60s and to honestly engage community and user interests in the design process.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

A visiting lecturer from Scandinavia in the '60s, who engaged students in rich conversations about their design work, making the link to its social importance and the students' experience.

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 had four Peace Corps assignments through my career years; rural school construction in Colombia in '63-'65, disaster management work in Peru in 1970, the Cook Islands in '98, and El Salvador in '99.

John A. Madson

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '49, B.Arch '50

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Get the concept you want and then develop it in detail.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Don W. Brown, a classmate. We used to study together.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

The camaraderie of all us dumb men from the service. We had a great time.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

It was a five-man team for a medical office building using the site across the street from the Minneapolis YMCA. We had Hesson, Thorsen, Gibson, Madson & Brown. Brown was responsible for the design and he and I built the model. It was a great model. It was displayed for quite a spell afterward in the Museum of Art located in Northrup Auditorium.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Rendering, Harold Blewett, John Rauman, and Don Brown.

Darrick A. Mack

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '96, B.Arch '96, M.Arch '04

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

A visiting (at the time) professor, Renee Cheng, who taught a tectonics class that really opened up the way we should explore materials and techniques.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Traveling through Europe in spring of 1999 with Eric, Aaron, Donovan, and Chris and eventually meeting up with Arthur Chen to participate in the Port Cities study abroad class in Lisbon, Barcelona, and Venice. A very interesting and memorable trip through some of the oldest and most varied cities in Europe.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

A housing project for the Phillips Neighborhood with Arthur Chen. The studio worked with actual clients and a predetermined program of needs. It allowed us to really explore our (sometimes drastic) ideas about how to best provide community housing and to learn how to interact and respond to community relations.

Erica J. Boyles

University of Minnesota - BFA '05, M.Arch '11

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Associate Professor Ozayr Saloojee, because he introduced me to the idea that architects have agency in a much broader sense than just designing buildings. Architects have a responsibility to address issues of social justice, poverty, violence, and equality through their work.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

I remember Steve Weeks' comprehensive studio project as being one of my favorites. We designed mixed-use multi-family housing for a site near Stadium Village on the U of M campus, using one of three precedents for a jumping-off point. It was a fantastic studio and I learned so much from Steve about construction processes and details.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Public interest design and architecture as a major player in social justice/responsibility have influenced me most.

Sara M. Ibarra

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '05, Metropolitan Design Certificate '09, M.Arch '09

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Work like a crazy person.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Dissecting corn.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Louis Kahn.

Matthew E. Lunn

University of Minnesota - BED '03

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Alternative ways of thinking. 

Gregory E. Nook

University of Minnesota - M.Arch '81

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Creative problem solving.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Milo Thompson and Leonard Parker for their compassionate teaching skills and the ability to find ways to motivate diverse ideas and individuals. Mark Fisher (now deceased) because he cared so much. Craig Mulford because he was the most organized student that I have ever known! Always done thoroughly and ahead of schedule...by a full day!! Bill Chilton because he brought his friendship, talent, creativity and organization to all that he did. Roger Clemence and Steve Weeks because they cared enough to allow me into the school and guide me through it!

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

One Sunday afternoon I was in studio working on thesis with a half dozen or so students. Manos Ginnis was standing at the window looking towards Northrup and said, "There is a dead man in the bushes!" (Now do this with his accent in mind.) We all were detached and indicated "Yeah, sure."  Manos was persistent, over and over we would hear, "Hey you guys, there is a dead man in the bushes!!"  We still ignored him. This went on for about 5 minutes before finally he had us all at the windows looking and we concurred...that may be a dead man lying motionless, face down in the flowers across the street. Manos cautiously went outside as we all watched and carefully crept up on the still body only to have the physical plant employee get up, pull his arm out of the sprinkler valve pipe and announce gleefully, "One more sprinkler line turned on!" I got to say, we all were secretly a bit disappointed because we liked the distraction drama of a potential corpse. So next time you see Manos say, "Hey you guys, there is a dead man in the bushes!!!"

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Thesis and "Housing as Urban Regenerator."

 

Ryan M. Radzak

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '12

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Technical skills, such as AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Working with peers of a comparable age. 

Richard A. Carter

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '82

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Problem solving.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Having Gunter Dittmar teach us how to draw a "straight" line the first day of Grade One. Garth Rockcastle's Grade Four studio where we had to draw with rapidogragh ink on vellum.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Staying up very late, making models. 

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

My thesis, the Downtown Minneapolis YMCA.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Jerry Zuber's trees and people.

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 focused my entire career on Green Building and reducing climate change at building, organization, and community scales. My education at the School of Architecture and the people who were my advisers, including Garth, Mary Guzowski, Steve Weeks, and Julia Robinson, guided me in that direction.

Philip A. Bussey

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '08

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Parametrics.

Michael J. Joyce

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '73

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

The design process and the importance of drawing.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Dennis Grebner. He had a clear headed and logical approach to the design process.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Foam cor chair competition.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Thesis.

Julia W. Robinson

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '71

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

How to handle a large number of architectural variables at once and come up with an appropriate design.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Clare Cooper Marcus, Amos Rapoport, John Zeisel, Oscar Newman, Irving Altman and the other guests in the seminar on housing organized by Roger Clemence and Evelyn Franklin in 1975, I believe. I participated in this several years after graduating and it led to my study of anthropology and all the later research I have done on such topics as architectural programming and housing.

Phillip G. Koski

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '91

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Poche space.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Cynthia Jara made me read Norberg-Schulz. 

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

The Sound Machine.

Danny J. Welch

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '99

University of Michigan - M.Arch '03

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Critical thinking and design organization.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Ali Heshmati.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Staying up working all night with friends and classmates. 

Anthony S. Desnick

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '80

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Creative problem solving. 

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Jerry Allan who was a 3rd year design critic.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

My 2nd year Minnegasco competition for Nicollet Island Master Plan and Pine Ridge Reservation High School and Community Center, which was my thesis.

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.

Services on many community organizations, such as Twin Cities Transit Leadership Group, Minneapolis Arts Board, St. Paul Ford Plant Planning Task Force, Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District Infrastructure Committee: Downtown 2025.

William G. Dohman

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '03, M.Arch '05 

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

How to tackle a problem from various avenues.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Andrzej Piotrowski.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Late nights with friends talking design.

Sophia F. Skemp

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '12

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Kirsten Paulsen's Studio III, Fall 2011: Design for the Cedar Lake Bike Trail.

Sarah A. Wolbert

University of Minnesota - M.Arch '09, M.S. Arch '10

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Don't quit your other jobs/hobbies! Those are what will build connections for projects when the profession is in a recession. 

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

There were a few that left good and bad impressions. The most consistent supporter and mentor for my projects is Dean Tom Fisher.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

When Piotrowski brought us cookies upon request. 

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Rethinking waste engagement installation in Rapson Courtyard. 

William M. Wells

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '03, M.Arch '07

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Model building and 3-D rendering skills.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Tom Fisher.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Seeing people sleep under their desk.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Nicollet Ave redesign.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Steven Holl.

Kyle D. Van

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '08

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Iteration. 

Janis Blumentals

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '59

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

How to design a complete building.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Professor Robert Bliss. Bob was my adviser and helped this C student get through school.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Frank Lloyd Wright.

Teri L. Nagel

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '92

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Thinking three dimensionally. 

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

During thesis, going back and forth giving crits to each other.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

The music machines in the courtyard. Three days with no sleep. I've never been less literate or logical.

Joan H. B. Price

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '88

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Buildings should interact with human nature and foresee new technologies and all possible needs with simplicity to maintain a timelessness.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Patricia Mack for getting me involved with the all women's built Habitat for Humanity home project in Minneapolis.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Team projects where we built models - one was the mouse trap game and another was pumpkin carving, Pink Flyod the Wall came in first that year. These were interesting because of the discussions afterwards of the process different groups used.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Airline Convention Display. There are marketable designs and interesting designs that may or may not be marketable...if you can't get the backing of the money/funding then you haven't made that external human connection that will make it architecture. Sometimes that artful design has to get out of you and onto paper but if not marketable, it just stays art...that or you're just ahead of you time and the technology might develop to make it marketable.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

This one student who decided to draw one perspective a day and each day he started a fresh new one, leaving the one before it at whatever stage he had got to. Over the years his skill became masterful.

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

Educating developers on universal design and the benefits of one hundred percent accessible, instead of just the minimums, saves in the construction cost by producing in bulk. In having well designed features that are adaptable improved the desirability of the units and lessened turnover rates.

Jerry L. Peterson

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '67, B.Arch '67

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Design process.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Richard Morrill installed confidence, encouragement, and provided opportunity for two career changes.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

All nighters, juries, and fellow students.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Neighborship planned community. 

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

Rapson rendering!

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.

Think of the big picture, not just the details. 

Jennifer D. Charzewski

University of Minnesota - M.Arch '05

What was the most important thing/skill/concept you learned at the School of Architecture?

Theory, research-based design, precedent study, and integration of design at detail scale.

Who made the most lasting impression (most influenced you) and why?

Renee Cheng for being the best possible mentor a grad student could hope for and Julie Snow as a visiting critic, a later employer, and a complete inspiration for practice.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

They mostly relate to a pervasive sense of place, romanticized by memories of cozy winter nights in studio with snow falling, an urban walk to campus with fall leaves, the downtown views from campus, breaks from studio to go to yoga or swim at the rec center, and of course the invention of various quesadillas on Nick Potts' quesadilla maker.

Please identify one (or more) memorable design project that you worked on while a student at the School of Architecture.

Bell Museum with Cheng in GD2 studio, Urban Infill in Mic Johnson's GD3 studio, and Pre-Fab Motel in Charlie Lazor's GD2 studio.

What major forces (such as individual architects, design philosophies, rendering styles, research methods, etc.) do you remember influencing you significantly as a student?

The study of fabrication methods in application to design with Charlie Lazor, the research of multi-functional details as the heart of design with Renee Cheng for Graduate Research Assistant projects, and modern, elegant, sleek, rigorous architecture distilled to its cleanest elements in the practice of Julie Snow and the infused legacy of Scandinavian aesthetic in the area.