Why did you become an architect? Construction and architecture had always been in my family, so I always had both in my life. My paternal grandfather was an architect. He trained and worked in Germany, immigrated and ended up in Oregon. My maternal grandfather was a builder in Oregon. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I went to the university. Like many students, I tried different subjects such as drawing, sculpture and photography classes, and I spent time in the art and architecture building. It was inspiring, and I felt the pull in the arts. Of all the arts, architecture felt like the right choice because of my experience growing up. You studied architecture at the University of Oregon and graduated in 1995. What was the most important thing you learned as part of your university education? I didn’t know much about architecture when I started, even though I had experience. What had the biggest influence was how the School of Architecture program opened my eyes to what architecture is and can be. During my time there, I began to understand and appreciate architecture. It opened my eyes to a way of thinking about architecture that was really just the beginning. How has your work as an adjunct instructor at the University of Oregon, School of Architecture, helped you as an architect? Teaching requires me to explain things clearly and precisely. I have summarized and organized my approach for achieving clarity, and I teach it to students throughout the course as a framework. It is not formulaic, but it helps students think about how to design their own projects. What has been the most significant work experience you’ve had so far during your career? After my experience at the University of Oregon, I left the U.S., moved to Europe, and worked for three years in Renzo Piano’s RPBW Architects studio. He is one of the most famous living architects, and he has projects all over the world. Professionally, my experience at RPBW Architects was extremely formative because it combined seeing, experiencing Getting to Know: Ben Waechter, AIA Idaho Juror 28 AIA IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2022-23 | aiaidaho.com Furioso Vineyards, Waechter Architecture, photographer Lara Swimmer
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