Taft Architects Receives AIA/Houston 1999 Firm Award
Taft Architects, a partnership of John Casbarian, FAIA, Danny Samuels, FAIA, and Robert Timme, FAIA, received the 1999 AIA Houston Firm Award at Celebrate Architecture on April 16.
A distinguished jury of James Gatton, FAIA, Kenneth Bentsen, FAIA, and Preston Bolton, FAIA, reviewed nominations and made the selection. They cited the firm's unique approach to partnership as well as the its record of design excellence and leadership in architectural education in choosing Taft for the award.
The AIA Houston Firm Award recognizes firms that have consistently produced distinguished architecture for a period of at least ten years. The jury considers design, firm organization, contributions to the profession and contributions to the community in its decision. The Award was presented at Celebrate Architecture on April 16.
Taft Architects, organized in 1972, is a small office with a unique philosophy. The three partners work equally on the design and execution of each project. They take a limited number of projects at any one time to ensure careful attention to each by the partners. Their work is internationally recognized, with a proven record of satisfied clients and design excellence. Projects have been diverse in both scale and type and include a bath house for the Southside Place swimming pool, a range of residential projects, country club houses, a processing plant in France, and several schools including one in Columbus, Indiana, and the Rice School in Houston Independent School District.
Each partner is committed to architectural education. Casbarian is Associate Dean of the School of Architecture at Rice University; Samuels is Visiting Professor at Rice and Director of the Rice Building Workshop; Timme, currently on sabbatical from the firm, is Dean of Architecture at the University of Southern California. They have held appointments as Distinguished Visiting Professor at Yale, the University of Illinois, the University of Pennsylvania and Clemson University and received the AIA Houston Educator Award in 1991.
The firm has won more than 60 awards, including three consecutive Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects. The trio was elected to the AIA College of Fellows in 1991 and in 1985 were awarded the Advanced Fellowship in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome. Since 1981 they have served on 30 awards juries in the United States and Europe.
John J. Casbarian, FAIA, was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts and a Bachelor of architecture degree from Rice University. He has worked for Guren Associates, in Los Angeles, with Cesar Pelli and at Works West with Craig Hodgetts. He is licensed to practice architecture in five states.
Danny M. Samuels, FAIA, was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Rice University and has worked with Kevin Roche and Guillermo Julian de la Fuentes in Paris. An accomplished photographer, his work has been recognized in exhibitions and publications and is a part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Find Arts Houston.
Robert Timme, FAIA, was born in Houston and holds both a Bachelor and Master of Architecture degree from Rice University. He studied at the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in New York with Peter Eisenman and worked with I. M. Pei & Partners and with Paul Kennon at CRS.
Ken Bentsen Named to Honorary Membership
The Board of Directors of the AIA/Houston has elected U.S. Representative Ken Bentsen to Honorary Membership in the Chapter, according to James D. Hill, AIA, President. "His sponsorship and support of legislation for inner city revitalization, improvement and expansion of educational facilities, and construction of affordable housing as well as his accessibility to constituents made Bentsen an obvious choice," said Hill.
A third term Congressman representing the 25th Congressional District of Texas, Bentsen serves on the Budget Committee and the Banking and Financial Services Committee. His legislative priorities have included federal budget, health care, financial, and economic policy. He has been active in crafting legislation to modernize the nation's banking and securities laws and authored legislation to reform and strengthen federal export finance policy and federal mortgage finance policy.
This legislation as well as initiatives expanding the Houston Ship Channel, reforming federal flood control policy, and funding the Johnson Spacecraft Center not only bring economic benefit to Houston but also demonstrate sensitivity to the interdependence of all parts of the Houston region, including those outside of his district. AIA Houston sees this understanding as a necessary condition for an effective urban growth policy.
Bentsen is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and holds a Masters of Public Administration in Finance and Economics from American University. Bentsen's father, Kenneth Bentsen, Sr., FAIA, is a member of AIA Houston.
Bentsen was honored at Celebrate Architecture on April 16, AIA/Houston's annual tribute to the inventive spirit and recognition of distinguished architecture, urban design, and community and public service.
Mark Wamble Named 1999 Young Architect
Mark Wamble, design coordinator at Willis Bricker & Cannady, was named AIA Houston's Young Architect for 1999. The jury was composed of Mark Francis, AIA, the 1998 winner; Ken Ross, AIA, Past President of AIA Houston, and Joe Mashburn, AIA, Dean of Architecture at the University of Houston. The award was announced at Celebrate Architecture on April 16.
The Young Architect Award was created to recognize excellence in ability and exceptional contributions by architects who are under 40 years of age or are in their first ten years of practice. This award is for accomplishment not promise and may be awarded for achievement in design, practice, education, project management, or research.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Cambridge University, Wamble combines design and architectural education in ways that enhance both. He has worked with Peter Eisenman, studied with Joseph Rykwerk and Catherine Cook and has been responsible for a variety of projects all over the world.
He was an excavation artist at an archeological site in Crete, participated in the design of a research center, a hotel, a line of textiles, office buildings, convention centers, master planning projects.
He joined the faculty at Rice University School of Architecture in 1991 and soon began Galleryworks, a collaboration of artists, architects and students that combined academic explorations with construction and hands-on experience. He was leader of one of the teams of professionals, community leaders, and architecture students from Rice and the University of Houston in AIA Houston's Main Street Study in 1991.
Wamble began Interloop Architects in 1994, bringing his academic explorations, particularly those on Houston urbanism, into his practice, and joined Willis Bricker & Cannady in 1997. He continues as a studio critic at Harvard GDS and shows his work in galleries in Houston, Austin, and New York.
In 1995 he was named to 40 Under 40 by Interiors Magazine and received the Young Architects Award from the Architectural League of New York. He has lectured at Pratt Institute, ohio State University, UCLA, Woodbury College, and Harvard University.
One of his current projects, the renovation of Jones Plaza in downtown Houston, won an On the Boards award in the 1999 Design Awards Competition.
Cultural Arts Council Receives Citation of Honor from AIA Houston
The Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County (CACHH) was named the recipient of the 1999 Citation of Honor from the American Institute of Architects/Houston, according to James Hill, AIA, President. This award is reserved for an individual or organization that has inspired and influenced the architectural profession, or made outstanding contributions to the community in the fields of civic improvements, conservation, beautification, transportation, or social responsibility.
"CACHH has done all of those things," remarked Hill, "but their recent production of the Houston Framework with its base maps of natural systems, infrastructure, neighborhoods, gathering places, and treasurers is especially exemplary." The inclusion of artists and architects on infrastructure design teams and the commissioning of public art for Sesquicentennial Park and other prominent sites have enriched the city.
The CACHH was founded in 1977 to provide equitable support and services to artists and arts organizations, to enhance the physical environment through art and design, and to lead community cultural development. The Civic Art and Design program, responsible for the Houston Framework, initiates and manages civic enhancement projects in the region. The program serves as a community resource and works on a consulting basis with both public and private sector entities.
Luci Dabney is the Interim Executive Director of CACHH; Jessica Cusik is Director of the Civic Art and Design program.
The award was presented at Celebrate Architecture on April 16, AIA/Houston's annual tribute to the inventive spirit and recognition of distinguished architecture, urban design, and community and public service.
