Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Corinne, UT
My undergraduate education has presented me with methods and techniques necessary to improve the human experience within the built environment. Studying architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, under the philosophy of Mies van der Rohe, has instilled within me a pragmatic structural and material sensibility as well as keen awareness of both proportion and detail. While living in Chicago I have gained an innate understanding of the ways in which architecture and the urban form hold powerful influence over individual behaviors and cultural archetypes.
My experiences within two divergent academic spheres, both with the commonality of research and collaboratively driven design, have molded me as an individual versed not only in technical skills but as someone with the desire to generate novel ideas and push for their realization. Choosing to leave Chicago for the Architectural Association provided valuable exposure to a varied range of influences, both cultural and academic.
This opportunity to explore new rationales has clarified my understanding of the architect’s role. The tool itself cannot be the alpha and omega of architectural process; architecture must seek to incite meaningful change. It should impact its occupants in ways they could not have anticipated. It should synthesize its context and programs, augmenting the ground upon which it stands. Ultimately, dynamic form must ally with social and urban intentions to further architecture’s advancement and avoid the dangers of complacency.