10 REFLEXION | 2021-22 | AIA Utah AIA Utah’s Kevin Miller: From Basic Design to Becoming a Fellow Left-Right: Kevin Miller, FAIA (2022) and Michael J. Stransky, FAIA (1993) Kevin Miller is a Utah native who grew up in Olympus Cove. He left Utah after high school to attend a private liberal arts college in California that is now called Claremont McKenna College. Kevin spent two years in California. Although he thought he might become a lawyer, he had trouble deciding what to do professionally. “I know a lot of attorneys, especially those who focus on construction law,” he said. “The way their brains work is fascinating, but I am doing the right thing. My interest in the legal aspects of architecture is an outgrowth of my interest in the law, but I would not have enjoyed practicing law the way I enjoy architecture.” His parents suggested that he attend the University of Utah until he figured out his direction. At that point, Kevin was a college junior. He wanted to take Introduction to Architecture as his Fine Arts prerequisite. The class was full, so he asked what else was available and signed up for a three-class series called Basic Design. The first class was about black and white, the second was about color, and the third was about 3D. “I thought the series sounded like a good idea even though it was a big commitment. It was a bit by chance that I took it, but it lit my fire and has given complete form to my life professionally,” said Kevin. “I wasn’t convinced I could be an architect until that series changed my mind.” Kevin got involved in AIA Utah as a student, serving as AIAS President in his final year of graduate school. He was also a student member of the Salt Lake City R/UDAT (Regional/ Urban Design Assistance Team) that occurred in the spring of 1988. R/UDAT is a public service program of the national AIA. It is “a results-driven community design program” based on the principles of interdisciplinary solutions, objectivity and public participation. The program combines local resources with the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of nationally recognized professionals who volunteer their time to identify ways to encourage desirable change in a community. The Kevin Miller, FAIA, is the president and CEO of GSBS Architects and recently became a Fellow of AIA. Kevin started working at GSBS in 1988 after earning his master’s degree in architecture at the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning. AIA Utah interviewed Kevin about his life, career, the importance of having a membership in AIA Utah, the award ceremony and some of his favorite projects.
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