RLPS Promotes Two

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to cook.  There is nothing more relaxing to me than coming home from a stressful day at work and chopping up a bunch of vegetables to craft into something delectable.  In particular, I enjoy the slow and intentional process of making an Italian risotto, a dish I learned to cook while studying abroad.  The layers of flavor and texture are classic, yet can have endless potential to be heightened to a new creation.  Just don’t ask me to follow a recipe.

What inspired you to become an architect?

During my college search, I remember walking through the lower level of Penn State’s architecture building and seeing a forest of treehouse models created by students.  Each model started with an actual branch that the students had foraged and became the structure for their intricately modeled spaces.  I was immediately taken back to my childhood, recalling the experience of building a treehouse with my father.  The way that nature inspired each design and created intriguing spaces filled me with a sense of wonderment.

If you could advise a student on the same career track – what would it be?

Confidence in your ideas is sometimes more important than the ideas themselves.  Even a bad idea might have the seed of something great.

Explain something that has happened in your professional career that confirmed you are doing what you are meant to be doing.

It isn’t unique in our profession to spend many years working on a single project.  LiveWell was one such project where the design of the River Homes sought to change the narrative for people living with dementia by providing an environment where they could live independently, doing the things they love to do, while having easy access to the resources that might be needed.  Throughout the process of creating these spaces, it was critical that the River Homes feel authentically like home, not ‘home-like’ replicas.

I was most struck by a story that came from a resident who had recently moved in and was able to share a meal with her daughter who had come to visit for the first time in many years because she finally felt comfortable visiting the environment where her mother lived.  Pulling stools up to the kitchen island, just as they have done for many years, brought back the feeling of coming ‘home’.  This is just one of many stories of how the spaces we design have the opportunity to create meaningful change for the people that they serve.

What inspired you to become an architect?

While I was growing up, my dad and grandpa built our family house. During construction, they finished off a closet for my onsite naps, and as the story goes, I was crushed when the rest of the drywall went up and I was unable to freely run through walls. Even then, I remember always enjoying the act of creating and building. Later in life, an interest in becoming an underwater architect was fostered by a teacher when they handed me a pamphlet for an underwater hotel down in Florida. This unique bent on architecture and design gave me a great story and focus as I approached architecture school. During school, I had the opportunity to work with a professor in his small design-led construction company. There is great value in seeing details come together and even more value in having to construct them yourself. All of this contributes to the fun I have in tackling home renovations for my own family.

If you could advise a student on the same career track – what would it be?

Focus on your why and glean all you can from the instructors. See them as human and fallible, but also ones who have experience getting projects realized and built. Enjoy the pure act of creation, but don’t be afraid to bring a level of reality to your projects as well. Often, you’ll find that you are surrounded by peers from a variety of cultures. Lean into that. As an architect, you’ll have the responsibility of crafting environments for all and it’s never too early to learn to listen to those around you. Once you begin working in the profession, find your craft in the details, and let that contribute to great projects.

Who has had a significant influence on your life?

My parents instilled in me a solid work ethic and a desire to make time in my life to pour into others. Finding a balance helps you do each one better.

What is your favorite musical genre, and why?

I will listen to a wide variety of tunes with certain caveats…it needs to have more than 4 chords and not sing about a truck. There is a sweetness that develops in folk, bluegrass and jazz by establishing a structure…all the while weaving pockets of creativity throughout. Current listens: Roo Panes, Gregory Alan Isakov, Watchhouse, GoGo Penguin, Kings Kaleidoscope.

Congratulations Dustin & Justin!