Susan has dedicated her life to the profession. Her passion and pursuit of excellence have set a high bar for generations to come. With projects that span the globe, Susan’s holistic approach to design, combined with her love of learning, has resulted in buildings and spaces that are uniquely fused to cultures and communities. Susan’s path to becoming an architect was clearly paved from a very young age. It’s almost as if the Universe whispered, “This is your destiny.” We recently had a chance to talk with Susan about her life, her body of work and her hopes for the future of the profession. The following are excerpts from our conversation. Please tell us about your experience with design legends. Prior to relocating my design practice to Ketchum in 2000, I had the opportunity to collaborate with architects Mack Scogin, AIA; Merrill Elam, AIA; Frank Gehry, FAIA; Jon Jerde, FAIA; as well as teach alongside MacArthur Genius Samuel Mockbee, FAIA, at Auburn’s Rural Studio. I studied under esteemed professors and mentors Anthony Ames, FAIA; Rafael Moneo, FAIA; William J. Mitchell, Wilfried Wang and John Hejduk, FAIA, just to name a few. What types of projects have you worked on during the course of your career? While at former offices and on my own, the most noteworthy large-scale projects would include the Corporate Headquarters for Coca Cola in Atlanta, mixed-use complexes in Shanghai, Osaka and Cape Town, six city blocks at Rockefeller Center, plus a Trident Submarine Base for the U.S. Navy. Medium-size projects would include the first 24-hour CNN Broadcasting Studio, the School of Theology at Emory University, the Law Library at Arizona State University, the JUMP building in Boise and the Chobani Yogurt Facility in Twin Falls. Smaller projects but no less significant would include the Buckhead Branch Library in Atlanta, two junior gallery installations at the High Museum of Art, the Sun Valley Visitors Center and Starbucks next to Ketchum’s Town Project Name: Goose Island Location: Ketchum Idaho Architect: Susan Desko, AIA Project Scope: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design, Boulder Installation and Lighting, Art Installation Photo Credit: Susan Desko 23
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