“Martin Handford (creator of Where’s Waldo) isn’t really much of an author, but his elaborate urban environments and whimsical plays on the interaction with people and space were early influencers bringing me to architecture. My search for Waldo was always more than met the eye.”
Dave Swetz, Butler Armsden Architects, “Butler Armsden Breaks Up the Single-Family House”
“I read Albert Camus’s The Plague many years ago, and the message for me remains loud and clear: We are on an island—Earth. There are multiple existential problems which sometimes seem overwhelming—climate change, our plague. But we can lead a satisfying life attempting solutions—creating sustainable buildings.”
Arthur Klipfel, Oaktree Development, “The (Alternative) Power Couple”
“The Turning Point by physicist Fritjof Capra. It envisaged how as more human understanding expands, so does the recognition of the interconnectedness of all parts—both scientific and cultural. Stressing the understanding of the web-like structure of all systems has profound implications for all professions, especially architecture.”
Kevin Tyrrell, Quatro Design Group, “Safe Havens and Gathering Spaces”
“About the time that I was seriously considering becoming an architect, I was also reading Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This story inspired me to become an architect and also instilled in me the sense of the persistence that would be required to realize buildings of enduring quality.”
Horst Noppenberger, Horst Architects, “Hotel Seven4One”
“Roberto Burle Marx is still a part of my daily life, in thought and physically by the plants he gave me and by his paintings, which grace the spaces of my studio and home. He knew plants’ cultural preferences and always created plant communities based on ecology. I have never met anyone with as much knowledge and passion for plants as Roberto.”
Raymond Jungles, Raymond Jungles, Inc., “BIG in Miami”
Larry Kearns’s answer? John McPhee. Learn why in our Q&A.
