Newsletter of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University
On Feb. 2, Texas A&M welcomed a team of speakers from Chicago-based Perkins + Will, a top 10 international design firm that has completed projects across the United States and in 43 countries around the world. Present and future approaches to design were discussed in front of a crowd of almost 600 guests at the 2009 Rowlett Distinguished Firm Lecture, hosted by the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s CRS Center for Leadership and Management in the Design and Construction Industry.
The event, which annually highlights a distinguished firm from the design, planning and construction industries, took place at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George Bush Presidential Library on the Texas A&M campus in College Station.
“Since 1935, Perkins + Will has collaborated with globally-recognized clients to set worldwide standards for exceptional service,” said Valerian Miranda, director of the CRS Center. “The firm has garnered numerous national and international design awards, including being named ‘Firm of the Year’ in 1999 by the American Institute of Architects.”
At the event, Miranda was named the CRS Center’s director by Jorge Vanegas, interim director of the College of Architecture. Miranda had been serving as the center’s interim director since Sept. 2008.
According to the Perkins + Will website, the firm is bound to a philosophy that places people at the center of its work. “The very reason for a building — the client’s vision — is the focal point for any design solution,” the website reads.
Phil Harrison, Perkins + Will president and chief executive officer, kicked off the lecture with an introduction to the company. Founded in 1935 in Chicago by Larry Perkins and Philip Will, Jr., the company initially gained international renown through its design in education and healthcare projects.
“This outstanding event featured two panel presentations by senior executives of the firm,” said Vanegas. “The first panel, called “The Practice,” discussed the philosophy of design from several perspectives of design drivers – programmatic, interdisciplinary, contextual, and sustainability.”
“The second panel,” he continued, “called ‘The Vision,’ discussed and illustrated the firm’s vision for its design future as a society, economy, and a practice that is engaged in design solutions.”
Both panels were followed by question and answer sessions with attendees.
Vanegas said the 2009 Rowlett event was an outstanding success, and thanked the CRS Center’s staff and volunteers for their efforts.
The John Miles Rowlett Lecture Series was endowed in 1979 through a grant to the Texas Architectural Foundation from the founders of Caudill Rowlett Scott and Mrs. Virginia Rowlett. Its goal is to bring speakers of national and international significance to the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University.
- Posted: February 16, 2009 -
