This month, many AIA Chapters celebrated National Architecture Week. Some chapters also dedicate the entire month of April for architecture-related events and tours throughout their respective cities. This also makes it a perfect time to explore why BR&P team members decided to choose architecture as a career path.
“Growing up I always wanted to be an architect. I think it was the creative side of me that drove me to the profession. As I started growing professionally, I started to realize that the reason I loved doing architecture was less about creativity in general, and more about creatively solving problems. You get to create a design, work through the challenges, see it physically built, and know that it has positively improved the quality of life in the built environment. The final product of this process is tangible and long-lasting. I find that extremely rewarding.” – Nick Banner, BR&P Intern Architect
Mike Harned, AIA – BR&P Partner
“At an early age, I was always interested in art classes. I loved to hand draw. When I got into high school, they started offering drafting courses. We started getting into residential design, and that just stuck with me. Living in Tulsa also offered the opportunity of seeing some great architecture! There was a lot of activity happening in the city as far as building and construction, and I was always fascinated by how buildings go together.” – Mike Harned, BR&P Partner
“When I was in grade school, I loved designing houses for my friends. I then decided I wanted to become an architect and design all types of buildings.” – Gerri Kielhofner, BR&P Partner
Laura Daugherty, BR&P Architect
“I grew up in a family where we were designing and building all the time. I really can’t imagine doing anything else. It was always either art, design or construction. So, architecture was a great mix of all.” – Laura Daugherty, BR&P Architect
“Architecture found me really. I was born with bad vision. My parents didn’t think I needed to go the eye doctor. They just thought I was looking for attention because I had four older brothers and sisters that also needed their attention. Because of this, my form of play was internal and personal. It had to do with drawing things because I could see up close. I just found myself always designing, planning and making things. Most of my life I’ve had the fortune of knowing what I wanted to do for a living, and it’s not just a living, it’s a passion.” – Tim Rosenbury, BR&P Managing Partner
Tom Epps, BR&P Architect
“I have always been curious about construction, my maternal grandfather was a builder and my father was a developer. My paternal grandmother gave me a set of drafting tools when I was about 10 years old. I did not know it at the time that architecture would be my life’s career path, but it set some basic thoughts in me that I carried into high school where I excelled in mechanical and architectural drafting classes. Just before I went into the military, I had the opportunity to work at Silver Dollar City Corporate Planning as an architectural draftsman where I worked with an architect. When I was ready to leave the U.S. Air Force, I decided then I wanted to become an architect, and with the GI Bill paying for part of my college expenses, I was hooked!” – Tom Epps, BR&P Architect
“Growing up as a kid, I had always been interested in design. I always had my notebook and was designing and laying out things. Architecture was that outlet for me that I could design and have those puzzles that I enjoy.” – Jacob Nentrup, BR&P Intern Architect
(L-R) Benjamin Van Eps, BR&P Partner, Brandon Roellig, BR&P Intern Architect
“I grew up drawing any house or building I had seen or could think of. Our kitchen table would have drawings scattered everywhere with different ideas. As I got older, my sketches turned into improvements for our house, our bank, our church, even our grocery store. At this point, I was beginning to realize that most of the architecture we experience everyday was wrong – these places were designed poorly or not at all. I learned early that I wanted to become an architect to understand the impact of good design and help solve these issues.” – Brandon Roellig, BR&P Intern Architect
Also in the April Newsletter: BR&P in Transition: Past, Present & Future Springfield-Branson National Airport Expansion Complete