And you think, who will want to schlep their bags and groceries? Those sold first! We also designed the units so there was no wall for a TV because Bob said, “When you come up to Sundance, you’re not going to watch TV.” The first thing that happened was everybody wanted to know where they were going to put their TV set. I said, “Well, Bob, once they buy that unit, they can do whatever they want.” We did that project. We did the amphitheater. We did the offices for the Sundance Institute, and we did the Creekside Condominiums, as well as several homes. We were published twice in Architectural Digest for the work that we did there. Which sounds great, though Bob got most of the credit. (Laughing) I don’t hold that against you, Bob. As the opportunities there slowed down, he referred me to some friends in Deer Valley, and we started doing a couple of homes there. The next thing I realized was that our practice revolved around the ski industry, recreational second homes, and condominium projects. We started doing numerous projects in Park City, and more and more people were coming to us for custom homes in various locations. Talk about the evolution of the industry. I still, to this day, go through more felt tip markers than the rest of the office, and that’s still my major design mode. Years ago, when we were an office of about ten people, one of my associates came to me and said, “John, we really need a fax machine.” I said, “You know, I don’t see the point of having a fax machine unless everybody else has a fax machine because then you won’t have anywhere to send it to.” He looked at me and said, “John, everybody already has a fax machine. We’re the one that doesn’t have a fax machine.” That was the turning point. I realized that technology was going to be the way of the future. It wasn’t long before we got our first computers. I personally feel bad that I haven’t ever had the time to learn the CAD programs, because I’ve always been so busy trying to keep up with design. It was just easier to hand it off to somebody else. But, as a firm, we have tried ever since then to be on the leading edge of technology. I think we were one of the first firms in the valley to go totally into Revit. Of course, now everybody’s on it. One of the things I enjoy with my personal practice is that I work with a lot of interns just coming out of school. I rely quite heavily on their technological skills, but they’re coming out of school with less skill in the actual process of architecture. It’s also, I think, a great equalizer in the profession because it used to be only the large firms could afford the technology. Now, everybody has that same technology sitting at their desk. So visually, graphically, and presentation-wise, a one-man firm can look as good as a very large firm. I think that’s going to be good for the industry. The Internet has been a huge influence because if I want inspiration on a certain aspect of something, I can go online and see examples from all over the world. I The challenge was to create something more contemporary when contemporary was not in vogue in Park City. 10 REFLEXION | 2022-23 | AIA Utah
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