5 AIA Q&A With President Robert Piñon Robert Piñon, AIA, LEED AP and MHTN Architects’ Vice President over Commercial and Municipal Sectors, is the current AIA Utah president. MHTN was founded in 1923 by Ray Ashton and Ray Evans. The company has been involved in many important Utah projects, such as the University of Utah School of Business (2012), Utah Valley Convention Center (2012), and Salt Lake County District Attorney Office (2020). The firm is nationally recognized and currently employs 36 licensed architects. — continued on page 6 Robert is a longtime member of AIA hired in 1996 at MHTN as a drafter. He graduated from the University of Utah in 2001, with a master’s degree in architecture and has worked in every area of the company since he was hired. Robert’s father was a Texas-born embassy employee who married a Spanish woman he met while serving in the U.S. Air Force. As a result, the family moved from capital to capital in countries such as Chile, Honduras, Ireland and Portugal, and Robert attended international schools. During Robert’s childhood and youth, he never lived anywhere for more than two to four years. He played varsity basketball and graduated from high school in Chile 30 years ago. His Eagle Scout project involved updating a children’s playground at a local Chilean kindergarten. Robert also spent two years in Japan on a church mission. He is multilingual and speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. He and his wife have two sons and enjoy traveling. Robert is preparing for Lotoja, a 206-mile bike ride from Logan to Jackson. He also coaches his sons’ soccer team. He enjoys skiing at Alta and exploring southern Utah’s deserts. AIA Utah recently spoke with Robert about his life, work and AIA.
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