Why Architecture?

I’m often asked, “What made you want to become an Architect?” Equally interesting is just how many people say to me, “Oh I always wanted to be an Architect, but I can’t draw or I’m horrible at math.” Tip: I never thought about or considered those two things when I decided I wanted to spend my life pursuing architecture.

I was fortunate. In fifth grade my math teacher gave us an assignment to go home and draw our house. I don’t recall his intent or how it related to the topic we were studying but, bottom line, it was about measuring, numbers and adding things up – i.e. an appropriate assignment for a fifth grader, or at least for fifth grade me.  That evening, I sat at our kitchen table where I did all my homework. Sharing a bedroom with three other brothers who always seemed to occupy our room for anything other than homework, the kitchen was the one place I had peace and quiet.

As I sat there holding my forehead and noncommittally scratching lines on paper, my father walked in to see what I was doing. My response was that of any kid trying to do something he had no idea how to do, “I’m trying to draw our stupid house” I said. “Hmmm,” said my dad as he walked out. I thought to myself that wasn’t very helpful. My dad was always there to help, guide, inspire and influence my brothers and me, so his response was surprising.

Little did I know that in the next 10 minutes the trajectory of my life would forever be changed. My dad returned to the kitchen carrying a trove of drafting tools -- triangles and t-squares, compass sets and slide rules, pencils and beautiful drawings of homes. See, my father attended Architecture School for two years before ultimately changing directions to Engineering. He kept everything from his collegiate days, and I became the benefactor. Together we walked around the house with a tape measure and pad of paper. He drew lines as we confirmed the length of walls. He showed me how to take that collected information and transfer it a to scaled drawing with his saved drafting tools.

I showed up to class a few days later with something no fifth grade student could have figured out on their own. That was the moment I became obsessed with houses -- drawing them, walking them, reading about them and studying them. For the next 8 years until I graduated high school it consumed most of my free time between school, sports and other extracurricular activities. I knew I wanted to have a career in housing and to do that meant Architecture was my pursuit. 

When I graduated from architecture school, I moved to California to pursue my career. I responded to an ad from Aram Bassenian and Associates for a Junior Designer position. They hired me and I quickly learned how much I didn’t know about housing. Working under the seasoned experience of Carl Lagoni and Aram Bassenian, I learned more in the first six months of employment than my entire collegiate career. Eventually I was thrown into a fast-paced studio setting, working with demanding clients pushing the envelope of creativity. Those early years clients like Bill Probert of Presley Homes, Steve Scarborough of Standard Pacific Homes, Gordon Statler of Coleman Homes, and countless others pushed for excellence and creativity. Their persistence shaped who I am today as a Designer and Mentor to the design staff at Bassenian Lagoni Architects.

So Dad, thanks for getting me on this track. And to all of you, never underestimate how the smallest of gestures can influence a child in a profound and lasting way.