Wayne B. Holtan

University of Minnesota - B.Arch '77, BED '77

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

Design organization and process.

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

Third year design studio of building methodology and how to approach and resolve design problems.

What is your favorite memory from your studio days?

My thesis project, which was good and bad. The many hours in the studio on hot June days and nights with someone installing a "through the door" AC unit in the studio space.

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

Working on the "green" house before sustainable design was an advertising buzz word in an environmental design class.

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

Our study abroad trip to Italy in our 4th year design studio in '76, chaperoned by Ralph Rapson. What a memorable opportunity that was to have personal time with the head of the school and learn a little more about his personal career, his quick wit, hearing stories of his escapades at Cranbrook, meeting some of his previous graduates in Rome, and always his sketches. I appreciate it more now on reflection than when we were actually there.

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 some small way, and some bigger than others, I think every project I have done had a positive impact on our community. We learned to design, not just take the first solution, and work to the best solution possible.

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.