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.

Teresa R. Forsberg

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

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

Being able to see, accept, and justify criticism.

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

Arthur Chen - I could not have experienced as much diverse architecture, culture, and society as I did without embarking on the Port Cities semester study abroad, guided by Arthur. It was phenomenal, life-changing, and a critical component to diversifying my architectural skills.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Port Cities studio work environment, culture, and critiques in Giudecca (Venice, Italy).

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

A group project involving Lakewood Cemetery research in Julia Robinson's architecture class, environmental studio projects with Virajita Singh and Ali Heshmati, and my thesis project - Daily Exposure: a Synthesis of Life and Death.

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

Antonio Gaudi, Frederick Law Olmsted, Peter Zumthor, and E. Fay Jones.