40 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .22 | aia-wyoming.org How did you get involved in historic preservation? I was always interested in architectural history and almost majored in it at the University of Virginia, but I thought my job options might be limited if I did. I chose to complete a traditional master of architecture degree instead. My master’s degree coursework allowed me to take a one-semester studio course from a Venetian architect. He taught us about the preservation of buildings. It was stimulating. I also took other graduate courses, such as urban history, that followed and developed my interests. When I served as an intern and had my practice, I did some traditional preservation, but it was not the bulk of my work. I became intrigued with projects as I taught history and had opportunities to do consulting. That brought opportunities to study historic preservation in more depth. After my experience with ICCROM, I got more involved in things like historic preservation, commissions and committees, state agencies and cultural resource preservation. I am currently the VP co-chair for the Fort Collins historic preservation commission, which works to save old buildings. How has architecture changed during the decades you’ve been a part of the profession? Moving from slide rules to personal computers with architectural computer graphics is the biggest change. During the early 1970s, you were still calculating the same way they did at the turn of the century, and hand-held calculators were a novelty. I used a slide rule when I began as an engineering student. You had to approximate the order of magnitude and understand whether the numbers made sense. Now there are no hard-copy drawings anymore. People work on iPads and laptops to make realtime corrections. It’s a vast improvement, but some students aren’t adept at sketching an idea if they don’t have a computer. Also, sometimes students don’t realize the order of magnitude is wrong when they read the answer from a TI calculator. They might not realize that $43,000 per square foot makes no sense. On the other hand, computers made the profession more effective. Better coordination of overlapping systems means you can prevent conflicts early. For example, the plans might have a beam where you need to run a conduit, and you can see the problem early enough to change it before it becomes more expensive and difficult. What are your favorite accomplishments? They could be buildings you’ve designed or something you’ve done as a professor. My biggest accomplishment is being married for 52 years and raising a family of three successful young people with my wife. My other big accomplishment was making a difference to at least one other student during their college experience. I hope I gave students the help, encouragement and confidence they needed. Students could be stimulating, challenging, and sometimes frustrating, but you could see their progress. The real reward of teaching is when a student still knows who you are and what you were able to do together five years after they graduate and are in active practice. Honors, awards and accolades are beside the point. What is your most important legacy as an architect? It’s indirect. The work we did to create a program in architectural engineering prepares qualified professionals to do work in architecture, not just engineering. I wouldn’t have accomplished that without my education and architectural experience. We helped students understand the difference between being an architect and an architectural engineer. We taught them communication and the full realm of what is involved in designing and creating a building. Things don’t get done in isolation anymore. You have to be a team and understand something about your other team members. One of the benefits of moving from an option program to an independent accredited program was the focus on how the whole profession could be integrated between the two professions (engineer and architect) as they communicate across the disciplinary lines. Everyone should be a player on the same team. I was comfortable as an architect. I jumped from that to being a professor, even though I still had my hand in some form of architectural practice. As I became involved in educational pedagogy, I became more fascinated with the community college. Students who came to me were pretty well prepared in high school, but they were not prepared for engineering. So many students were capable but didn’t have the opportunities because of a lack of attention or opportunity. They had to choose other paths. I am grateful I was never frozen into a position. I could look beyond and say, “Maybe there is something else to do.” What are you doing now? I’m involved in historic preservation here in Fort Collins. My wife and I also sing in a chorale of 80-100+ people. It’s an interesting group to be involved in. We travel some, too. We recently returned from three weeks in Europe and enjoyed doing that. We also spend some time with our family when opportunities arise. b CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39
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