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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Nicholas A. Hofstede

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '03

Rice University - M.Arch '07

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

I believe that for me, the seeds for a continuous strive for clarity in an idea were planted at the U; that there must be an engagement, ambition, and intensity for architecture to advance design and influence impact into the built environment.

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

Thomas Fisher influenced me to instill a positive and inquisitive attitude, thoughtfulness in work and goals, both personally and architecturally. I was always impressed by Tom's sensitivity and wisdom. Robert Adams and Dawn Gilpin had a very lasting impression of instilling clarity of thought, intensity, purpose, and quality in ALL work. My fellow students in the Honor Program, and our shared commitment to the discourse, collective skills and knowledge, and pushing each other to think and do better.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

There are many! One, having the last big Beaux Arts Ball parties in the old architecture building before the renovation. Ralph Rapson and previous deans were there waxing poetic about parties there in the 60's, and we "shut the building down." Our class was displaced in four buildings around campus, and our adoption and adaptation of these old classroom spaces in these buildings made for a memorable time. Our temporary locations also made it easier to get questionable Chinese take-out food in Dinkytown before almost every studio.

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

My studio projects, and especially the drawing projects, were all quite memorable and valuable. But the most valuable project for me and the one I still think about often was my Honor's Thesis Project, which in most respects was a complete disaster in its effort to approach something so broad with such shallow focus. This failure was a valuable tool for me and the lessons learned are something I continually use as I approach a design project or idea in order to achieve clarity, depth, purpose, and intent.

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

Most influential to me was drawing, more specifically a technical means of drawing and diagramming taught by Adams and Gilpin. Although I draw or diagram now quickly to communicate ideas to a client or design team, the precision and understanding of drawing as an architectural construct, a way to communicate, an artful medium, and a means to show a great underlying depth in thinking, provided a strong method that could be applied to any idea and transcend any preference of "style" being taught at a certain 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.

That is still in process and I would argue that instead of being specific about the impact, I would say that the education and base provided me only a positive impact and betterment of our environments, as it's our charge in society as architects and designers to better what I know best; the spaces our community, city, nation, and world inhabit. Every design project I approach with the goal to invest as much thought, strength quality, foresight, radicalness, and skillfulness into its outcome to advance architectural ideas. My education and experience in its totality has instilled these drives and continually inspires me today.

Amy L. Meller

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '00, M.Arch '02

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

How to think conceptually and outside the box, and then apply to in-the-box design problems.

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

Greg Watson - You learn more from your failures than you do from your successes, and often the solution exists in your previous attempts.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

The studio culture.

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

The Music Education building, which was my M.Arch thesis project.

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

Lance Lavine for introducing me to phenomenology; Ali Hesmati for how to physically model and manipulate space; Greg Watson for teaching how to design and the importance of using different media in creative thinking; Steve Weeks stating that building materials and details do matter; and Bob Mack for historic preservation and its role in a "modernist" society.

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.

My career focuses on historic preservation and the sustainable reuse of existing buildings and structures. My work reflects the core values I began fostering while at the University of Minnesota. Reuse solutions are often subtle, requiring creative thinking and a blending of past building techniques and modern technology.

Jared M. Eder

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '03

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

I didn't know it then, but those were the years where I started to see things differently. I looked at things a little bit more critically, observed my surroundings, and appreciate the little things that "worked."

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

Charlie Lazor's summer furniture design studio. Summer studio was a different animal and to focus on an object of that scale and produce a final product was something I had never expected to do in undergrad. It was great to focus in on the smallest details of furniture and design. Katherine Solomonson and her suburbia course are lasting memories, and Leon Satkowski's course on Gothic cathedrals was incredibly interesting and his knowledge was incredibly impressive.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Creating a bond with my studio mates and of course, "social gatherings."

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

We studied the Milwaukee Avenue Historic District in Rob Goods studio as an exercise that contributed to our design of a multi-generational housing concept. I still have the model. Again, summer furniture design studio with Charles Lazor.

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

Being there while the addition was getting constructed created a lot of discussions that were very valuable. Also, I didn't appreciate it then but Rapson Hall (the original building) is a great place to study architecture and far exceed facilities at other schools.

Emilie Schmitz

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '09

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

To be self-critical of my work and to see the beauty in simple design elements.

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

My first studio professor, Dan Clark. He taught me how to take my ideas and edit them, refine them, and then present them in a clear diagrammatic way.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

In my final studio my professor, Dale Mulfinger, made us go to a site visit in Northern Minnesota. We had to rent snow shoes and hike around our sites for two days. I never realized how hard snow shoeing was! Between that, having Dale's wife's home cooking and hanging out with studio mates for two nights, that northern adventure became one of the most memorable trips of my undergrad.

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

My first studio project, a row clubhouse, because I had to hand draw everything and made one of my favorite scale models completely out of basswood and rice paper. When it was picked to be put on display for an AIA convention, it was one of the proudest architecture moments of my undergrad. I still have the model, it is one the few that I've kept.

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

Architect, Peter Zumthor.

Jennifer A. Roets

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '01, M.Arch '05

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

Perseverance. 

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

The Chicago trip in GD1.

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

The Glass Bank for the city of Green Bay, WI. 

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

I was really influenced by sustainable design, especially daylighting.

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'm a part of the Downtown Mainstreet Design Committee for the city of La Crosse, WI.

Andrew J. Sigfrids

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '04 

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

Design Objectives, such as having a small, simple list of design criteria and carrying them throughout every aspect of a complex design. I thank Ernesto Ruiz and that team of professors for that one.

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

Richard McLaughlin. Richard was my first year studio professor and he brought a realistic element to a flood of concepts that was probably the most practical perspective on design I didn't see for even many years after graduation. His energy was uplifting, always positive and he was the most down-to-earth of any teacher I ever had.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Hanging out in studio with a group of students on an occasional Saturday night doing design work instead of being out at house parties and bars. We would have our own fun and I can't say our work was productive after 11pm or so, but it bonded us in a way that made the weekdays even more enjoyable. Great connections were made.

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

Mississippi Riverbank Redesign.

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

Renzo Piano's style had an effect on me because his work is conceptual enough in form to be respected in a school, yet practical enough to studied from a building construction perspective. SNU was a student group I was heavily involved with during school and design of practical neighborhoods was good experience on how to practically design for 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 once did a presentation to the first design studio I worked for in China about my university curriculum. Education is highly regarded in China and my Chinese colleagues were fascinated with how we learn design and the independent thinking we were pushed to do on each and every project.

Michael P. Sweeney

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '00

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

I learned the importance of the social and urban aspects of projects. 

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

Bill Morrish.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Watching the sun come up through the windows in the the temp studios in Jones Hall, which was the sign to go to Al's Breakfast before the review started, building pizza box models at DCAUL, and touring the Winton house in the middle of winter and feeling the radiant floor-heating in the travertine.

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

Uptown Library and the Winton House.

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

Frank Gehry and the book, "Planning to Stay."

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.

In particular, compared to Harvard where I went on to do my masters, the program taught me to look at architecture and design in a much broader range and focus. There was a refreshing openness to considering quotidian spaces, such as doctor offices, bus stops, small towns, etc., as equally viable opportunities for architecture relative to the other more valorized cultural spaces. That openness and ecumenical approach to design has shaped my continuing practice more than just about any other aspect of my education, anywhere.

Dimitrios A. Poulios

University of Minnesota - B.A. Arch '98, M.Arch '01

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

Designing with sketch models, the idea of process, deriving a whole design based on environmental considerations, tectonics, and respect of the user.

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

Not necessarily a single person, but I can say the whole idea of balance between design professionals teaching and the full-time professors.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Every studio was a big mess with clipboards and papers everywhere. I personally enjoyed doing sketches.

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

• GDS 1 MN landscape Alboretum: Pavilions
• GDS 2 Urban Transformation at St. Paul Riverfront
• GDS 3 Collin Row memorial design of an Urban Theatre
• My Graduate Architecture Thesis

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

How to link the past with the future and "The Necessity for Ruins" written by J.B. Jackson.

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.

The City of Allatini urban design project in '06-'07. Thessaloniki was a mediation between history and the present, not simply a work of restoring, but an approach of bringing the past into a dialogue with the present and the future. A long-lasting struggle in my career ever since my thesis in the School of Architecture.

Karen A. Stolzenberg

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '09

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

Methods and nuance of graphical representation, and critical thinking.

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

I was most influenced by studio professors that demonstrated what contemporary practice looks like including the tools, philosophies, and aesthetics. David Newton and Marc Swackhammer were influencing professors. 

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Exposure to new tools and techniques, both software in studios and the excellent workshops, and challenging design crits.

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

Creating laser cut models for studio.

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

I took away a strong appreciation for phenomenology and critical regionalism. From a tool standpoint, having early exposure to V-Ray and digital fabrication has been tremendously helpful professionally.

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.

While I was underemployed in 2009, I volunteered with Public Architecture. Public Architecture is a San Francisco based non-profit that attempts to make design services more accessible to the general public

Joel J. Zinnel

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '02, M.Arch '04

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

The value of design on human habitation.

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

Dean Fisher was my thesis adviser and constructively guided me through a realistic, yet creative, exploration of the culmination of my school career.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Making so many life-long friends.

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

Weisman Art Museum addition and Skyscraper Studio.

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

Design of space, not buildings.

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.

Designing educational architecture influences students to be more aware of and appreciate their surroundings.

Michelle E. Stadelman

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '04

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

Conceptual design and practical application through the Fall 2004 Undergraduate Studio IV with the Mendota Dakota Indian Tribe.

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

The time spent working in the AIAS.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

Playing frisbee in the courtyard and sliding down the stairs on cardboard sleds in Jones Hall.

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

The design-build experience Fall 2004 Undergraduate Studio IV with the Mendota Dakota Indian Tribe.

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

Hand drafting throughout all of studio was a technique that I value daily. While teaching now, I stress it to students as well.

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.

Because of my experience in undergraduate I have begun teaching myself, first at the Boston Architectural College and now at the first and only architecture program in Rwanda. In May of 2013, the first ever graduating class of architects finished their five year degree in Rwanda.

Shaghayegh T. Missaghi

University of Minnesota - B.S. Arch '06

Iowa State University - M.Arch '11

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

Theory and drawing conventions, both the act of drawing and physical sheet.

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

Dan Clark for making it easy to relate to him and he genuinely seemed invested in our success.