Ask Andy #2: Architecture

I can’t say how much adoring architecture became my life when I started architecture school, but the obvious evidence is in this tweet.

Photographer: “And you get a picture of a church.”
Me: “I like the architecture.”
I have a problem.

— Andrew Maynard (@Badsay34) January 24, 2016

Basically, I liked architecture because I learned more about it. My major became my interest. Now, that my plans changed from Architecture to Engineering, the adoration still remains. Yet I go to a more practical and problem-solving career rather than an artistic and indescribable, I am thankful for my architecture professors for satisfying that interest. These questions pertain to architecture.

What is your favorite piece of Architecture overall?
Robie House, Chicago, Il
- This is a hard one. I would say the Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.But honestly, I am tired of hearing Frank Lloyd Wright, so I also like Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers’ Centre Georges Pompidou.
  Centre Pompidou, Paris France
Who is your favorite architect?
- I think of Louis Kahn, Eero Saarinen or Frank Gehry. I hate to admit to liking Frank Lloyd Wright. I appreciate all architects and most architecture so favorites is hard.
What is your favorite period/style?
- I like the Gothic architecture of churches such as Chartres Cathedral in France. I like large spaces, high ceilings, and grand interiors. I also appreciate today’s architecture, such as buildings by Gehry and Zaha Hadid for being innovative in shape and form.
What is your favorite piece of architecture that you have visited in person?
- St. Mary’s Cathedral, Austin Tx
  
  I love St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Austin. It is a Gothic revival church. It is so beautiful and also subtle in its style without being gaudy. The stained glass, the large beams, and the altar space are all great elements that make this church worth seeing. Also, it has Holy Doors.
What is your favorite piece of architecture on campus at UT?
- Battle Hall, University of Texas at Austin
  
  I love Battle Hall. It is great place to study and also is the home of the Architecture library. This place has large windows, intricate ornamentation on the facade, and a grand reading room.
What is your favorite piece of architecture from your hometown?
- This is a problem. I need to see more architecture in Houston to say for sure, but The George R. Brown Convention Center is nice. It is designed in a industrial style like Centre Pompidou.
What is your favorite type of building?
- I prefer churches, mostly of because of my Catholic upbringing and how church can provide imagery of space and for the spiritual ideas that don’t commonly have an image. I also like houses, because they were the first things I designed with a simple home-design computer program. (I also did a hotel and a school with this program.) Houses are where we spent most of our time, and the architecture of your house can help or hurt you, even if you are not aware of it.
Who inspired your interest?
Larry Speck
- I blame Larry Speck, architecture professor at UT Austin and principal at Page for my interest. His class is given me a good way to examine architecture and understand it as both an architect and a layperson. He loves architecture, and knows how to make others appreciate something that is rather overlooked in American culture. He makes anyone more appreciative of architecture by working with what they know, rather than talking above them in ideas that only architects could understand.