PUB 5 2024-2025 ISSUE 2 INTRODUCING Utah Clean Energy’s Climate Innovation Center A Model of Zero Energy Adaptive Reuse
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Reflexion is a publication of the Utah Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. www.aia.org/utah AIA Utah 280 S. 400 W., Ste. 150 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 President Chamonix Larsen, AIA, LEED AP, CxA+BE President-Elect Whitney Ward, AIA Secretary Natalie Shutts-Bank, AIA Treasurer Libby Haslam, AIA Editor Frances Pruyn, CPSM Staff Executive Director Angie Harris Roberts Programs & Office Manager Joe Mangum ©2024 AIA Utah | The newsLINK Group LLC. All rights reserved. Reflexion is published quarterly by The newsLINK Group LLC for AIA Utah and is the official publication for this association. The information contained in this publication is intended to provide general information for review, consideration and education. The contents do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you need legal advice or assistance, it is strongly recommended that you contact an attorney as to your circumstances. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the AIA Utah, its board of directors or the publisher. Likewise, the appearance of advertisements within this publication does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any product or service advertised. Reflexion is a collective work, and as such, some articles are submitted by authors who are independent of the AIA Utah. While AIA Utah encourages a first-print policy, in cases where this is not possible, every effort has been made to comply with any known reprint guidelines or restrictions. Content may not be reproduced or reprinted without prior written permission. For further information, please contact the publisher at (855) 747-4003. 4 Executive Director’s Message How AIA Membership Benefits You 6 Legends Mike Vela, AIA, CDT, LEED AP 12 Legends Roger Jackson, FAIA 17 FFKR’s Latest Generation Charges On 20 Introducing Utah Clean Energy’s Climate Innovation Center A Model of Zero Energy Adaptive Reuse 24 I-CAN-ic Utah 26 In Memoriam Lynn Allen Jones, AIA 1942-2024 CONTENTS 3
How AIA Membership Benefits You ANGIE HARRIS ROBERTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AIA UTAH Thanks to each of you for helping AIA Utah enjoy a successful 2024! Your AIA Utah Board and staff are dedicated to providing members with meaningful value. This key objective has driven most of our discussions this year and our goals for 2025. If you have renewed your membership for 2025, thank you. If you are still considering the return on investment for your membership, please keep in mind the comprehensive list of benefits you receive both nationally and locally. The following is a small sampling of how your AIA membership benefits you: • Leadership opportunities to build leadership skills and interact with other leaders in the profession, AIA and universities. At the national level, this includes the AIA Leadership Academy and Women’s Leadership Summit. » AIA Utah has nine active committees, board opportunities and a revitalized partnership with UCFA if you want to get more involved! • Professional development through various channels and on multiple topics to meet your specific continuing education needs, such as AIAU and the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design. » AIA Utah, through partnerships with Allied Members, offered 11.5 LUs and 16.5 HSWs. • AIA advocacy is the voice of architecture to legislators at the federal, state and local levels. AIA is a bipartisan organization that lobbies and supports candidates on topics of importance to members, such as resilience, school safety, affordable housing, climate change and infrastructure investment. » AIA Utah leaders met with Utah’s members of Congress to advocate for comprehensive tax reform that directly impacted architecture firms and no mandated style of architecture for federal buildings. » AIA Utah’s Government Affairs Committee and Board also advocated for maintaining licensure requirements for building officials, the preservation of Abravanel Hall and the positive impacts of a diverse talent pool in the state. • AIA community connects you with over 100,000 architects and design professionals at the local, state and national levels. There are 21 Knowledge Communities to connect you with architects who share similar interests along with resources and tools to reach future K-12 architects. » AIA Utah’s committees and Board provide monthly educational and social opportunities for members to engage with and learn from each other. In addition, AIA Utah offers an annual conference and annual Architecture Awards celebration to recognize the incredible talent here in Utah. This year, we brought back CANstruction, which saw seven teams comprised of design professionals compete to create iconic Utah scenes from canned goods that will support the Utah Food Bank. • AIA designation helps you stand out in the competitive architectural profession. Having AIA behind your name lets clients know about your commitment to the profession. » AIA Utah and its members are seen as a resource for issues of importance regarding the health, safety and welfare of our communities. » AIA Utah members are viewed as leaders in the architecture profession. 4 REFLEXION
Building connections from concept to completion.™ crceng.com | (801) 466-1699 In addition to offering the benefits just listed, here are some new and improved things to look forward to in 2025: • In addition to the Legislative Breakfast, the Government Affairs Committee will host pre- and post-legislative session discussions with our lobbyists so all members can understand how to become more involved in advocacy. • A membership directory will go out in early 2025 to all members, sponsors and allied partners. Please, update your AIA National member information before the end of December so your profile is correct. • A more robust calendar of activities for member engagement with a focus on tours and socials. • A new membership committee will enhance our recruitment of new members and strengthen our understanding of member needs. • Improved efforts to educate about and promote the profession of architecture in our local communities. Thanks again for your belief in AIA Utah, and cheers for a peaceful holiday season and 2025. Angie Reach out today and let’s talk about your next project. ALDERS.COM A Leading Distributor of Specialty Building Materials 5
LEGEND Mike Vela, AIA, CDT, LEED AP INTERVIEWED BY FRAN PRUYN, CPSM As part of our ongoing series of interviews with architectural legends, we are proud to present this interview with Mike Vela, AIA, CDT, LEED AP. We spoke about his lengthy career in architecture and the projects he’s most proud of. We hope you enjoy learning more about Mike as much as we did. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. When did you decide to become an architect? It was right at the beginning of my second year at the University of Texas. After grade school, I got a scholarship to a military high school in San Antonio, then won a scholarship to the University of Texas. I just fell in love with Austin; it was always where I wanted to go to school. It’s in the hill country and it’s quite beautiful. I learned later that it was a Paul Philippe Cret master-planned design. I had taken only basic classes that first year. I had placed out of 21 hours, so I had an extra slot on my calendar. I took an architectural history class, and it was quite fascinating. I’d always loved to draw. It just seemed to be a natural extension. When I graduated in 1975, I knew that I wanted to teach — maybe not full-time, but as part of the profession — so I then went to the University of Texas at Arlington. I earned a master’s degree in 1978. That master’s 6 REFLEXION
DShelped, and I taught at the University of Utah for 22 years. Let’s talk about the evolution of your career. While pursuing a master’s degree, I worked first at a local Fort Worth firm, and then at the DFW Airport as a Project Architect. I wanted to have construction administration experience, and I worked both on and off the airport campus on multiple major works. I worked on the American Airlines Corporate Headquarters and the restoration of their Southern Reservations Office Building and flight simulators. Were you teaching? During the last year and a half, I taught at the University of Texas at Arlington. I was teaching construction documents, just like I did later at the University of Utah. When I graduated, I went to Dallas to Foster Meyer Architects for about five years. Because I was quick on the boards when we drew with our hands and I wanted to do construction administration as well, I changed offices and went to HKS. I knew it was a big architectural firm, and I knew I wanted to work in a large firm. I had some other friends who had intern jobs working at smaller architectural firms, and it just didn’t seem interesting to work on house repairs, roof repairs and restroom upgrades. I wanted to work on big buildings. I wanted to work on large structures. HKS was, at the time, the largest architectural firm in Texas. It was a little bit daunting; there were about 160 people. I didn’t want to get lost in the crowd, but I have been at HKS ever since. It’s been about 40 years. Were there mentors there? Oh, very much so. HKS is very collaborative. When I started, I could walk into any one of my project managers’ or principals’ offices, ask some questions, and always get the help I needed. There were a handful of mentors that have now retired. I still talk with them. I still look up to them as good friends and good men. Different mentors taught me different things. Joe Buskuhl was a project manager before he became HKS president. I was his project architect. We worked on a 30-story corporate office building for Greyhound Dial in Phoenix. I learned from Joe that you don’t do the work unless you have a contract. We were in a contract negotiation, and I was surprised at how he spoke to the owner, “Yes, we’ll do this work, but this is our contract. This is what we need to have.” And the owner kept pushing him off. Joe was basically saying, “We’re good businessmen. We’re not going to do the work until we have a contract. That’s just good business. You’re a good businessman. So are we.” My first president at HKS, Ron Brame, said, “We’re in the business of architecture. And if you don’t do the business properly, you don’t get to do the architecture.” Those were two very, very good mentors. “We love being architects, but let’s get the paperwork done first. And once we do that, then we’re on good ground.” How did you become a specialist? I was a generalist when I joined HKS. Now we’ve grown to 1,700 employees worldwide. When I joined, it was a single office in Dallas, and we’ve migrated 7
around the world with 30 offices. When I started at HKS, we did a lot of office buildings and quite a bit of architectural record work, working with black cape architects. At the time, we were primarily a commercial office. I remember, as a project manager, we thought we might expand into health care. Fortunately, we did, and now we’re the largest health care provider in the United States. I remember saying “perhaps we do some sports” and now you see where that’s led. I dabbled in all of that. I did a lot of corporate headquarters and a lot of high‑rise construction. The president of the firm knew that my wife was from Utah. He said, “I would like you to open the office in Utah.” When I talked to my wife, that was a very quick conversation, “Absolutely,” because she wanted to return to Utah. That was 25 years ago. What I was primarily asked to do was to be the senior construction administrator for the McKay-Dee Hospital and for Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, with the instruction to keep Intermountain Healthcare happy. I was here for six months, and I knew I did not want to return to Texas. I’m a Texan. I love Texas, but I love Utah even more. I parlayed anything that might use my experience — office, corporate headquarters and other work. The office grew from just a handful to just under 50, and we did work up and down the Wasatch Front. I had good seed money with the two projects to begin the office, but it was really up to me to expand the office, and that’s what we did. I taught construction documents at the University of Utah. I absolutely love teaching at the U. I would pick off one or two of the best students every semester for eight or ten years. Emir Tursic is now our office director. I passed the baton to him. He’s been with us 20 years. Almost every one of my six principals at HKS has been a student from that class. Is doing architecture different in Utah than elsewhere? I have worked in 28 states and a handful of foreign countries. I’ve lived in Texas, California and here. I would say that there is a can-do spirit here that is genuinely different. I think Utahns, for the most part, are fairly conservative. They don’t get out over their skis. They just have this entrepreneurial spirit: “We don’t know everything, but we’ll figure it out and we’ll get it done.” When the president of our firm was here, he commented, “Your employees are just so engaged.” I tell people back home in Dallas, “I have the best job at HKS. First, I get to work on big projects. Second, I like everybody that I work with, and I like everybody that I work with because I’ve hired them. And third, this is the most beautiful place to be. Where would be better? Where would be easier? Where would be nicer?” Talk about some of your projects. People say, “What’s your favorite project?” My response is, “What do you got; what do you need?” I remember my first project with HKS. It was an 18-story, 1,000-room, 750-key hotel, on axis with Disney World in Florida. It was a full complement of a convention hotel, rooms and restaurants. We created a lake and cabanas around the lake. I remember sitting with the owner in the 18-story atrium. We saw people come into the atrium and watched them look up. The game was, “Okay, is the husband or the wife going to look up first?” It was so much fun and engaging to be with the owner in a completed space. I recall completing McKay-Dee Hospital. In the user group meetings, the doctors, nurses and maintenance people were telling us which space they liked the best and how they liked it. What about this? What about that? That’s the best part. Every one of the projects when you finish is the best one. Finishing Eccles Theatre and being there with Cesar Pelli, who was our partner, was over the top. I learned so much from both Cesar Pelli and Mitch Hirsch. But being in the completed space and going from that very first discussion with Cesar explaining to him what Utah is to assisting with the design, competing for the project, winning the project and then completing the project. And then being there on opening night with the Tabernacle Choir and all of the leaders from Salt Lake, and being with Cesar and seeing the space that we had imagined … that was the best project until the next project. In addition to the projects, what are you most proud of in your career? I like to think that I’m a mentor. I feel like a proud papa. I brought these kids in from the university. They were young college kids. I saw them date, marry and have 8 REFLEXION
kids. Now their kids are grown. I’m proud that I was able to impact their lives; it feels like a family. At HKS, in certain cities after the pandemic, it was hard to get staff back into the office to work. My furthest employee is 28 miles away. Here in Utah, that’s about 28 minutes. In New York, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta or San Francisco, that’s an hour to an hour and a half. So, we have the highest average daily occupancy in the United States of all our HKS offices. That tells me that people like to be where they are. It’s a team sport, architecture. And the team likes to be together. We’ve proven that we could do the work remotely, but at least here in Salt Lake, we prefer to be together. Any disappointments along the way? My only regret is that I didn’t find the arts until 14 years ago. If I had to do it all over again, I would have gotten into the arts from the very beginning. There’s something about the arts that is just completely different. It brings people into the spaces that we create in a completely different way. They are spaces that captivate people; they’re special places. There is a significant difference in doing user group meetings. There is a difference between doctors, nurses, technicians, conductors and ballerinas. In every practice I work in, there’s a passion: to have the best hotel, to have the best hospital. Give an artist a space and he or she will do it. Give them a better space, and they’ll be better at it. I’d say it’s more of a passion than a career. It’s not a job. It’s what they do. You’ve been doing architecture since the 70s. How has it evolved? For the first eight to ten years there were changes, but they were fairly minor changes. As an example, at HKS we went from paper to Mylar drawings. We had to learn how to use plastic pencils as opposed to lead. We used ink but it was different on Mylar. So that was a little change. I’m old enough to remember when we used a pin bar. I would do all of my details at 8-1/2 × 11 on Mylar sheets, and we would tape them to a sheet. We would send it to the printer, and a mylar was made at 50% or 100%, and that would be our sheet. That was a little bit of a change. 9
HKS had two principals that toured the country trying to select what the right electronics system would be. We wound up with a CAD system that was very dynamic. I raised my hand, saying, “I want to try this. I think this sounds interesting.” We would do floor plans and reflective ceiling plans with CAD, but all of the other drawings, we would still draw by hand. And then we said, “Hang on, maybe we could actually do all of the others.” The Greyhound Dial project, that 30-story corporate headquarters in Phoenix, was the first project at HKS that we drew everything, top to bottom — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, all of the architectural landscaping in CAD. That was a big change. There were increases in technology and we could do things better and faster, but everything was basically replicating what we could do by hand: a line was a line. Then when we went to Revit modeling. That changed everything. Now we are making that same kind of large changes, over and over. It used to be that when we brought in kids from the university, there was a long training period. Now, students are coming to us and are training us that this is the new thing, this is how it’s done, this is how it could be faster. That’s the exciting thing about architecture. Have you seen other changes beyond technology in the profession? The way architects and contractors deal with one another has changed quite a bit. In the past, architects would give drawings and the contractor would go build it. I think there was some contention about what things meant. I think architects and contractors have figured out that it’s better to hold hands than argue. There are good contractors in Utah who understand that it’s really a collaboration. There is respect for what we do architecturally and what they do, which to me, is the harder part: taking the architecture and building it. There’s a different working relationship between architects and contractors. It’s much, much better now. It’s not perfect, but it’s better. What advice would you give to young architects? I’ll go back to something my dad taught me. He said, “Take money out of the equation. What do you like to do?” I always liked to draw. I always liked to build things. I would ask them the same kind of thing. Architecture has evolved into specializations. Hospitals are a very special thing. Airports are a very, very special thing. High-rise construction is different from the other practices we have. I would ask them what they liked to do and suggest they specialize earlier rather than later. The age of generalist architecture will always be there for the smaller firms. But at larger firms, we are a body of specialized individuals that work together. My advice, if you want to work on a specific building type — hotels, hospitals, airports or whatever it is — do it, and be the best at that practice. Any last thoughts? I’m proud to be an architect. I’m proud to be in a position of changing cities, areas and neighborhoods. I’m working on a project in South Dallas right now. It’s historically a black neighborhood that has not had the services that it should have. The project is really helping knit that neighborhood together again. I’m proud to be an architect that does that. I think it’s different than being a doctor, lawyer or teacher, which are all great professions. But being able to, over the course of time, physically see something that you did, that’s very gratifying to me. To view the full interview, scan the QR code. www.youtube.com/watch?v=erfK6pE1lcs 10 REFLEXION
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LEGEND Roger Jackson, FAIA INTERVIEWED BY FRAN PRUYN, CPSM As part of our ongoing series of interviews with architectural legends, we are proud to present this interview with Roger Jackson, FAIA. It was a pleasure to interview him and to learn more about his fascinating career and his thoughts on the industry. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Roger, when did you decide to become an architect? The day I said it out loud actually surprised me. My father was an architect. It didn’t stick with any of my siblings. I did a year of engineering at the University of Utah, then went on my LDS mission. Right before I left to come home, someone said, “What are you going to do?” I replied, “I’m thinking of going to architecture school.” I remember thinking, “Where did that come from?” I don’t know exactly. I came back from the mission, abandoned engineering and jumped into architecture full blast. What’s your bachelor’s degree in? I got a Bachelor of University Studies at the University of Utah, where you take everything you’ve done, bundle it together and call it a Bachelor of Stuff. I made up this little pre-architecture degree. I took all my engineering classes and then I took a basic design class, a couple of architecture classes, a couple of geography classes, a couple of art classes, and some other classes and made up this university studies degree. By itself, it is nearly nothing except to get into graduate school. And who influenced you at the University of Utah? I had John Sugden the most. I had him for a quarter in my fourth year, for a couple of quarters in my fifth year and a couple of times in my sixth year. I had him and Gordon Hashimoto a lot, but that was it. I figured out early that these guys were 12 REFLEXION
DS educators, not necessarily practicing architects. I respect the educators, but I was thinking about buildings and stuff, and they were thinking education. Were you working during school? I worked during the summers, but I just was not capable of working part-time during school. Many of my classmates had to. I was able to work enough in the summers to earn enough money to squeeze by. I worked a summer for Richardson Design. Then I worked a little bit for a developer in their architectural arm. Then for a summer I worked for Dana Larson Ruble, which is a giant firm out of Omaha that briefly had a small branch office here. How did that inform your career? When I was in school, you needed to know how to hand draft. There was none of the software that we use today. It was me, a pencil, a T-square and the tools. All of this work experience was really just drawing and drafting. So, you graduated. What were your plans? Honestly, I did not have a plan. I was just going to finish school and take the test. At that brief moment in time, you could take the test right out of school and then do your internship. I was planning to take the test and thought, “Well, I’ll figure something out.” I got to my desk at school, and Tom Kass, one of my teachers, had written a note that said, “Call Ray Kingston, FFKR” on a little piece of yellow paper (which I still have). I called Ray and a couple of interviews later, I got a job and have been there ever since. I retired in January after 39 and a half years. I got there in ‘84, and the first thing I worked on was something for (Khashoggi’s) Triad project. There was a festival marketplace and some apartments; it was hand-drafting construction documents. Robert Fowler had sold some property to the developer with the proviso that they get some of the architectural work. In the end, when it all fell apart, we were one of the very few that came out whole. I know other firms in town really were hurt badly, but we came out good somehow because of whatever deal Robert Fowler had done. The office did a lot of grocery stores for American Stores. I worked on a couple of those. I worked on Sam Skaggs’ home (the owner of American Stores) in Laguna Beach with Ray Kingston. Then in 1987, Joe Ruben got me involved in remodeling the Hotel Utah into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. That project changed the direction of my life. I worked with that client for the rest of my career. Who influenced your career? I had some really wonderful mentors at FFKR. The first person I worked for was Kip Harris, a great guy, good architect, kind, fair and demanding, but you were happy to do it. I worked with Ray Kingston on the Skaggs house. He was all about running around taking care of the client and left me to do all the work, which was great. Then I was with Joe Ruben, who taught me a lot. Joe was the architect’s architect. He could draw like a bandit. He could draw perspectives of things, which is a skill that very, very rarely happens. He was very practical and very sensible. 13
We worked on the Hotel Utah remodel. I was the project architect directing traffic. Many of the project architects over the big pieces of the project were more experienced than me. I would take design questions to Joe: “Joe, I can’t make these rooms fit. I can’t figure this out.” He said, “Go back, figure out what the problem is, and then come back with an answer or two, and we’ll talk about it.” So, I came back and said, “Okay, this is the problem. Here are two ideas. I like this one the best.” And he’d reply, “Yeah, I think that’s right. Go ahead.” So, after two or three of those, I figured out I didn’t need to ask him anymore, I’ll just do it. Then Joe got sick. The symptoms of liver cancer had been masked by blood thinner he took for a heart issue. By the time it was discovered, it was in late stages, and he died pretty quickly. But he taught me so much about how to get things done, how to make decisions, how to understand the problem, come up with the right answer, and then move along. I felt cheated that I didn’t learn enough from him. I knew he had so much more that he could teach me. Jeff Fisher became the principal in charge. I worked with Jeff a lot. He was a good, kind mentor and always willing to delegate and leave me alone and let me go, which was ideal for me. I appreciated his hands-off approach. I think it trained me to be a principal in the firm and to make things happen. So, you inherited the church as a client? I’ve heard it said that the best thing that happened to my career was that Joe Ruben passed away. It’s true; I spent the rest of my career working with the good folks at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on their projects. Why do you think you were so successful working with the church? I wondered that myself. What did I bring to the table that made it work so well? It’s really about hard work, listening and doing what they want. I think many people in the world imagine the architect as the master form giver, “I have all the control and influence over projects,” but the architect really doesn’t. You bring what you know, but it’s the client’s project. It’s their money, and they should get what they want. And if they want something that you don’t agree with, you’ve got to figure out how to make what they want work with the aesthetic that you want. I think I was pretty good at understanding what the client wanted and pushing our team enough to give them what they wanted. And I worked very hard. What’s the best part of it for you? I really like to see the building done and full of people. The design part is the most fun part; you know, I like to draw. It is rewarding to see that I can come up with a design solution. But the most rewarding is to see the place full of people. We did a project for Viewmont High School. They had a windswept, barren courtyard in the middle of this building. We enclosed the courtyard with this beautiful spaceframe structure and built a giant commons room. I saw it once during a lunch break; I’ll bet there were a thousand students in that space. It was so touching to see them using this space and enjoying it. What are some of the projects you’re most proud of? The Joseph Smith Memorial Building. That project set my course with this client and taught me the love of old buildings. I know more now, of course, than I did then, but I walk into the building and see things now that I must have felt or understood at some level, but I couldn’t have verbalized it. That building taught me so much about old buildings and about grace and beauty. I’m super proud of what we did with it and how it turned out. I was the design architect for the new East High School. Frank Ferguson and Kip Harris were the principals, with me tagging along as project architect. We tried to save the old school, but the district clearly did not want to do that. We said okay and figured out how to surgically insert the new school, tearing out the old part. It was this difficult Tetris, getting new pieces in and old pieces out. I did a lot of design work under Kip’s watchful eye, and he liked a lot of what we did. That project was really meaningful to me. But then I’ve had a lot of really great projects. I joked with someone about a once-in-a-lifetime project or a 14 REFLEXION
once-in-10,000-lifetimes project. I’ve had like four or five or six of these once-in-a-thousand-lifetime kind of projects. The temple projects for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints are really special projects. They positively impact everyone who touches them. They have meaning to me on a personal level, and I know how much they mean to the people who will use and enjoy the buildings. They are also a lot of work and a chance to really think through the design and details. My favorite temple projects include the Provo City Center Temple; Hartford, Connecticut; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Tucson, Arizona. I also have to throw in the seismic upgrade we did for the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle. Each of these great buildings is a story by itself. Truly, these are once-in-10,000-lifetimes projects, and I have been so fortunate to have been part of them. You became the president of FFKR. How did that unfold? I was made a principal in 1998. I was getting work on my own. I had projects for the Davis and Granite School Districts, and I was doing LDS Church projects. For a long time, Ken Louder was the president of the company. As his time ran down, I was the de facto leader in the group — not the most senior, but the leader in the office. When we had some layoffs and people were frightened, I was the one who brought the staff together to explain what was happening in the company. Ken did everything, but I was not going to do everything because I still had active clients and active projects. So, we split the presidency into several pieces. Jeff Fisher took one part, Kevin Mass and others took parts of the work, and I took a part. I was at the helm for seven and a half years. It was difficult, but it was great. It was fun. At the time, I knew every person in our office. As a principal, you’re the one that gets the work, but there are the people that do the work. I was always shocked at the summer party when everybody was there with their family and kids. You look around and think, “Wow, look at all these people who are counting on me to bring in work so that I can write them a check.” You really need all the people to rally the team and get things done. Otherwise, you’re just a single-person office doing single‑person projects. There are firms like that do great work, 15
but not the kind of volume, not the sort of size and scope of projects that we’ve been doing at FFKR. What led to that success? We always took the tack of doing more, being more, pushing for growth and advancement. We did not want to get to a comfortable place and stay there. Long ago, the University of Utah had a basketball team that would get ahead by a couple of points and then they would stall the whole rest of the game and try not to lose. We did not want to try not to lose. It’s not like we wanted total world domination; we just wanted to keep pushing, growing, stretching and trying. FFKR has always been known as a Design firm with a capital D. We like to think that too. That started with Frank Ferguson. Our firm started with Symphony Hall and the idea of designing this fabulous building. That set the tone and culture for the rest of the office. Even during the time that we were doing a lot of pedestrian work, like the 300 stores we did for Skaggs, we were still trying to push for design, maybe not on those projects, but on other projects. We’ve always tried to push the design. We’ve never had a design guy — a design leader. I know other firms do and have great success with it. We’ve always said on our projects that the individual principals and their teams are the designers; I’m going to do this. Our team is going to do this. Any disappointments along the way? Yes, of course. Every project we didn’t get. You think that you are a good fit for a project. You did a good proposal and interviewed. And then you don’t get it. That’s always a disappointment. But that’s the universal language of architecture, isn’t it? Now that I’m mostly retired, I’ve also worried that I worked too much. There’s always a work/life balance. I always felt like I was out of balance, favoring work but working hard to make that balance work at home. I’ve had projects that I worked on and cared about that have now been demolished, and I guess that’s just a function of living long enough that you’re going to see some of your projects go away or get remodeled poorly. Talk about the evolution of architecture throughout your career. As a boy, I’d go to my father’s office, and he had this blueprint machine. The activator was ammonia. It was really smelly. I’d go with him on Saturday to pick up something. I’d hyperventilate outside, hold my breath and run through the back door because his office always smelled like ammonia. When I was working, we still had the ammonia activator for the Diazo printmaking. There were times when it was my job to run prints, and I’d get dizzy from all the ammonia. Then in the late 80s, our firm started work on CAD, as did everyone. We had a computer the size of your car that ran the two drafting terminals. The whole computer revolution in architecture passed me by. By the time it got rolling, we were working on the Hotel Utah remodel, which was maybe one‑fourth or one-third drawn on the computer, and the rest was hand-drawn. I was on that project for six years. Meanwhile, AutoCAD happened, and the construction documents were now done in AutoCAD. During that time, I was at a different level with project managing, client keeping and working into design responsibilities, so my highest and best use was not learning how to do AutoCAD. I could have, maybe should have, but I didn’t. Now there are exactly two drafting tables left at FFKR, and those same two are the only ones who actually know how to draw because that is a dying art. How do you think that’s transformed the industry? I might just be seeing it through my own filter, but I think it’s been a little detrimental because it’s so easy to do a separate plan for the demolition, a separate plan for the furniture and a separate plan for the finishes where that stuff used to all be carefully thought out and drawn on one plan. It was about the economy of effort. Now, it’s so easy to copy and paste. Drawing sets today have a lot of white paper because it’s so easy to say, “Let’s do another floor plan; let’s do an enlarged plan,” and the larger plan is not drawn differently. It’s just a bigger clip of the other plan. I think there’s a bit of a loss of thought and care in the development of the construction documents. What advice would you give a young architect? You have to work hard. This is hard work. All your business school buddies are going to feel bad if they have a project that lasts three months, and you’re going to be on projects that go six or eight years. That is not uncommon, and it’s hard, and you’re not going to make as much money. But — and this is important — architecture is incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable, but it’s hard work. To view the full interview, scan the QR code. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ZO_EB6ljo 16 REFLEXION
FFKR’s Latest Generation Charges On INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL LEISHMAN, AIA, AND EXCERPTED FROM FRANK FERGUSON, FAIA LEGEND, INTERVIEWED BY FRAN PRUYN Fowler Ferguson Kingston Ruben (FFKR) was founded in 1976. This is how Frank Ferguson remembers it: “I was friends with Bob Fowler. We were both competing for Symphony Hall and Bob got it. We were friends, so I wrote a letter to Bob and said, ‘I really feel crummy. I really wanted to have that job, but, if I can’t have it, I want you to have it.’ A couple weeks later, Bob asked me to come over and said, ‘I want you to be my design consultant,’ … because it had to be done in a short period of time. Bob believed in me like I believed in him. We worked side by side. He was the architect; I was his design consultant.” “There was enormous pressure, but sometimes pressure helps you with the decision-making process and your brain works better because you can’t sit around and dream about things. You have got to get things done. Without Bob, it would never have happened. It wouldn’t have been the same without me, but I had no political weight. Bob had plenty of political weight (to sell the design). All this time we were just having a great time, it was wonderful.” So, Enteleki (Ferguson’s firm that also included Ray Kingston) and Robert Fowler Architects merged; FFKR’s first project was Abravanel Hall, for Salt Lake County. In those days, FFKR was a studio — built on the talents and charisma of the principals. Ferguson: “When a new project would come in the office, we would assign it to one of us, and we just worked together and had very good people. We were careful that we worked hard every day, and efficiently, and we were able to make our payroll. You couldn’t draw a corporate structure of either Enteleki or FFKR. It was a very artistic environment.” FFKR is now edging up on 50 years old. It is still known as a capital “D” Design firm. It is also very successful, and with 158 employees and offices in Utah and Arizona, it is decidedly more of a design business than a studio. I spoke with Mike Leishman, the firm’s president, about FFKR’s evolution, growth and the keys to its current success. Leishman: “We have been very fortunate and blessed. We started out well, with Symphony Hall. Then, through the tenacity of the founders, and their carefully chosen successors, we have had a lot of great projects: the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Hillcrest High School, Talking Stick Resort, Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, Delta Center. 85% of our work is for return clients. But ultimately, our 17
changes in people’s lives. 25% of our workforce is part-time. There are people at points in their life when they just can’t work full-time. We try to accommodate their personal needs.” They also don’t try to peg people into permanent positions or studios until they are ready to be there. Initially, when they hire young professionals, they hop around a bit between studios, to determine what they do best, what they enjoy most and which people they can work with. This serves both the career advancement of the employee and the efficiency of the firm by ensuring the likelihood of a comfortable fit. By the time an employee becomes a candidate for principal, they already have clientele and relationships. They have teams. Additionally, Leishman says, “We have created a successful succession plan. We are now in our fourth generation and working toward a fifth generation.” When the third generation of principals brought on a fourth generation which included him, he believes, “We were not particularly charismatic. What we were was good project managers.” As there wasn’t one individual in the group that stood out as the designer, “the soul of the company,” they created a very socialistic group environment, and very collaborative environment. As a result, the firm became more corporate — which is not necessarily a bad thing for a large design firm, as it encouraged very sound business practices. legacy is built on our people. We have people who care at all levels.” Leishman says that when FFKR first started, the founders were more in control of what went out the door. As the firm evolved, however, they have learned how to create opportunities for people on project teams to participate at all levels. “We don’t have a design committee, and we provide a wide range of design solutions. We are open with our design.” Keeping the Quality High So, how does FFKR ensure the quality of their product, despite the growth of the firm and empowerment of more employees at all levels? Leishman answers, “It starts with the buy-in of the project team understanding that we have been contracted to do the work from start to finish. We keep staffing the project until it is done right. Yes, we want our projects to be profitable, but we all win when projects are good. The recipe for success is high quality, and no matter what the financial condition is internally, we do the project and we do it right. Some years have been painful. We try to learn from those experiences, from our mistakes.” And how do they leverage quality and a healthy bottom line? Leishman: “One of the things we aim to do is to have design be finished by the end of design development; all the primary design decisions should be made. If those design decisions go into Contract Documents, that is when things go bad; you have to know when to stop designing. The second piece of the equation is applying the ‘Fatal Flaw Test.’ If you are in CDs or construction, will the design change impact the long-time viability of the project, or is it just a preference?” Retention and Succession FFKR has a very high personnel retention rate and a very low turnover rate. Their people often stay with them for decades and settle into the most appropriate career positions as they mature. Frequently, this has meant customizing jobs around both individual skill sets and availability. “Over the years, we have done a really good job creating really flexible work schedules that accommodate the 18 REFLEXION
There was also a long crossover between generations. “I really liked the way Roger Jackson and Jeff Fisher coached me for five or six years — mimicking their positions,” he says. “It was a great way to learn the job, watching what they were doing. In the long run, it pays off. It is not as abrupt of a change.” And, of course, it is an investment. FFKR Goals What’s next? Leishman: “Our goal is to expand. At the heart of that is the principal’s ability to collaborate with other principals, making it easy to win.” Practically, what that means, is that partner(s) might have multiple other partners working with them, building an operational platform that isn’t based on a single person, or that could fall apart if they were to leave. The primary reason they want continued growth is that it is the vehicle that provides expanded leadership opportunities. As many people want to be partners, there has to be a bigger pie to slice. Leishman sees expanding geographically being a likely development. “COVID taught us how to collaborate remotely. As we had work, we were able to use short‑term contracts with people from other firms that were temporarily short of work.” When they opened their office in Arizona, they recruited a core group of people, and the overhead was fairly small. Fortunately, they also had some larger projects that they could use to keep the remote location busy while they were building their Tempe practice. Now they are seeing Arizona clients flowing into that office. Leishman believes the Arizona office has huge potential. Other FFKR studios are looking outside the Salt Lake Valley and outside Utah for work. The firm is looking at a couple of locations for new offices. He says, “It is about the personality of the principal group. Some people are more willing and able to make those trips and can take the three to five years to invest to build a practice.” Growth also happens with bigger, better projects. Currently they have four really big projects, with five or six in the wings, so they are in a better position to collaborate with the Big “A” firms on some very large, exciting, complex projects. “This really allows us a lot of ability to support all of our projects and all of our staff. Even when there is less work in one studio, we have four studios knocking it out of the park; four studios that are generating significant fees. It is beautiful to see.” “We are always hiring. We have a lot of opportunities for customizable job descriptions even at the principal level. People don’t have a job in the box. We can create positions and slot people where they are strongest. We don’t have a one-size-fits-all; it has allowed us to keep good talent.” FFKR’s extensive portfolio of past and current work is enviable. Their client list is long and loyal. And, from the ground, it appears that their goals are reachable: steady growth, reasonable profits and stable employee retention. Their brand is solid. I am also happy to report that they celebrate National Hot Dog Day. Even for one of Salt Lake’s respected design firms, not everything can be about architecture. 19
Introducing Utah Clean Energy’s Climate Innovation Center A Model of Zero Energy Adaptive Reuse BY KEVIN EMERSON, MSc Design Team Architect: Blalock & Partners Civil Engineer: Forsgren Electrical Engineer: BNA Mechanical Engineer: VBFA Structural Engineer: BHB Engineers Geotechnical Engineer: AGEC Interior Design: Blalock & Partners Landscape Architect: G Brown Building Envelope Commissioning Agent: Morrison Hershfield (now Stantec) System Commissioning Agent: Bernhard Solar Design: Gardner Energy Construction Team GC: Okland Concrete: Iron Horse Plumbing: Reliable HVAC: Atlas (and Mechanical Products) Electrical: STF Masonry: Monsen Cladding: Monsen Drywall: K&L Painting: Grow Tile/Stone: Design Team Millwork: Boswell Flooring: Design Team Roofing: Superior Glazing/Curtain Wall: Midwest Waterproofing: Guaranteed Steel Fabrication: Intermark Steel Erection: Intermark Mass Timber: Golder (installer) sourced by Kalesnikoff Excavation: MC Green Demolition: Red Rock Precast: No precast on project Landscaping: Erickson Building Envelope Commissioning Agent: Morrison Hershfield (now Stantec) System Commissioning Agent: Bernhard Solar Equipment and Install: rPlus Energies, Gardner Energy, Creative Energies, Intermountain Wind and Solar In a significant step towards redefining sustainable building, Utah Clean Energy recently unveiled the new zero energy office building, the Climate Innovation Center. This innovative space, spearheaded by a dedicated team including myself, goes beyond reducing our carbon footprint; it represents a commitment to the future of our planet and the well-being of our employees. Utah Clean Energy is a mission-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring healthy, thriving communities for all, empowered and sustained by clean energy. Since our inception, tackling the pollution from the built environment has been at the forefront of Utah Clean Energy’s work. When it was time to find a permanent home for Utah Clean Energy, it was imperative that we led by example. In addition to serving as Utah Clean Energy’s headquarters, the Climate Innovation Center is a teaching tool and model of how to retrofit existing buildings to achieve zero emissions. This was essential to Utah Clean Energy’s mission, given that globally, buildings contribute an estimated 42% of total energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Innovation Center is registered to receive Zero Energy certification through the International Living Future Institute. This ambitious third-party standard requires that 100% of a building’s energy use is generated through onsite renewable energy and doesn’t allow onsite combustion for space heating, water heating, etc. We’ll soon begin our 12-month performance period for our Zero Energy and ENERGY STAR certifications. In this article, I’ll walk you through the nine steps we took to bring the Climate Innovation Center to fruition. Nine Steps to Zero Energy at the Climate Innovation Center Step 1: Set an ambitious goal and create the right team. One of the first decisions we made for the Climate Innovation Center was to commit to achieving a zero-energy building. Both the owner and the design team — including our architect and mechanical engineer — need to commit to the zero-energy goal. Buy-in on the front end from our design team was vital. Early on, we integrated our zero-energy goals as core requirements into our Owner’s Project Requirements/Project Manual. We referred to this document frequently during design and throughout the construction process to ensure that the energy performance targets stayed front and center in all project decisions. Then we asked ourselves and our design team, “How do we know how energy efficient to design the building?” This is where the energy model came in. I’ll tell you more about this in a moment. 20 REFLEXION
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