Coffee Talk with Andrea Clark Brown, AIA
May 2021
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American Institute of Architects Florida Southwest
May 2021 – Andrea Clark Brown What do you consider the role of an architect to be in society at large? Visionary. That is what I expect them to be. They must think ahead and again, and subsequently should have every tool possible so they can keep moving forward. It is important to explain the layers of the architectural thought processes around why decisions come to be. We must not shy away from unravelling, understanding and/or questioning complexities. There are reasons why some solutions work, and others never will. What makes great architecture? I’d have to say that greatness becomes possible when an architect thinks and designs a building in terms of ‘how it feels’ rather than ‘how it looks’. What does it smell like, what is the acoustic experience like, what does the time of day mean to the occupants of your building, what is happening at various times of day? I’ve often said to my residential clients: “I have lived in every inch of your home, every-square-inch.” When designing, one needs to know where the inside corners are, but also where the outside corners are too. If we open the proverbial box in different ways during the initial process of exploration we can open to new ideas and make visceral something delightful and unexpected. |
How long have you been with your current firm and what is your position?
I have been in Naples as the sole owner and principal architect at Andrea Clark Brown Architects since 1986, making this my 35th year! My classic first project while I was still working in NYC was a Florida house for my parents. In 1983 they had purchased the second lot in Pelican Bay when the community was all saw palmetto and slash pine. The neighborhood was just emerging and fortunately, the design review process for that community was at such a nascent stage that I was able to design without the restraints of the “going traditions?”
How has the town evolved since then?
Once the Ritz Carlton and the Philharmonic were built, the laid back demeanor of the town began to change. The atmosphere gradually shifted to cater to a more sophisticated perhaps elite lifestyle, the firms became more professionally structured, and coat and tie became more common. It was a palpable shift from a more relaxed and personal approach to business interaction. I grew up with this town right along with many of our long seasoned professionals in the area today. Many of these colleagues are now starting to retire or sadly, have passed away. Being here for so many years, to go through this lifecycle, is tender to the heart. However, the unique wisdom that accrues over these years as well as the best and worst moments of my experience as an architect are a source of great story telling and in some cases quite humorous. I am gearing up to write a book about adventures in professional practice, some of which include a few magnificent blunders or unanticipated client quirks that posed surprising architectural challenges. Blunders, Foibles and Failures? Still searching for a title…
Practicing here in my very early 30’s was a series of firsts. There was a good old boys’ network and as a young (female) architect running my own firm, I think I was a bit of a novelty. I utilized this dynamic by asking questions; a lot of questions and people were eager to help. I’ve learned that asking questions is not the worst thing to do, you should never be ashamed to ask questions. When asking every question possible, you may avoid assuming anything. You know my most important piece of advice, right?
Of course. Never assume anything.
That is correct. Never assume anything. Believe me, if you do, it will bite you where it hurts!
What skill do you think are most import for an architect to cultivate?
Undoubtedly, coping skills and resiliency. We carry a lot on our shoulders. We are crafts people, engineers, social workers, psychologists, historians and hopefully artists. We must do all these things well to be good architects. The public has hard time understanding the concept of how much is required of an architect in order to formulate design options and develop intelligent architectural solutions.
What parameters have you developed regarding coping and resiliency?
It is always important to measure the human size against the scale of the universe to keep a holistic perspective. Additionally, I find it helps to disengage with the emotional side of the process, even though as a humanist this disengagement is always a challenge for me. Also, it is important to extend to oneself the gift of compassion and forgiveness for not being perfect as well as to provide positive reinforcement -always- to those around you. There’s power in positivity.
Remember to laugh. Laughter has a wonderful way of dissipating tension in a room. For example, I enjoy imagining how bad a situation could be, absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong and then reframing it as if it were an episode of Saturday Night Live. Make a parody of it. Without being flippant, I try to find the humor in a sticky situation, find something good and move forward.
What was it like starting your practice?
Early on, the operational side of running a business caught me off guard. Business management is a whole artform within itself and you must do it successfully as you will always be under the gun as the owner.
This however is where curiosity comes in. Curiosity is the most important tool we have. One doesn’t need to have all the answers, but you do need the curiosity to find them. Also, it was important to find the right combination of talents and personalities for a fully functioning collaborative team, one willing to check egos at the door and support an environment where people feel free to bounce ideas back and forth with respect. Acting as human resources manager has been one of the most challenging parts of my practice….I’d rather design.
How do you navigate the demand on your time required by your practice?
My days are long and do not stop on weekends. Most nights I’m home at 9:30 or later and am miraculously greeted with my husband’s good humor and support (maybe hunger as well?). I am able to wind down by making my best attempt at an ‘iron chef’ meal, which on many occasions by 11 PM we laughingly call ‘breakfast.’ This “creative therapy”…i.e. cooking, not to mention the essential glass of wine that accompanies, in combination with a daily 40 min walk in the morning allows me to find some balance. I absolutely love what I do as well. I always find moments of great joy when I am working late at night exploring new ideas. In all this, perhaps it is most important to keep your focus and protect the gift of your interests. Do not let it get degraded by the mundane.
Have you ever had a challenging client?
Yes. At times you will find there are dynamics of control at play and depending on whether a client is a couple or a committee, their interpersonal relationships can amplify these dynamics. When tight control is put on an architect it makes the process more challenging than it needs to be. To mitigate impacts to the projects design I’ve had to learn to realize that I, too can be powerful; that I may have to, or can, say no. This gets easier with experience.
What is your must have item?
Actually there are two: A magic wand and a cowbell. The wand is to ward off impossible situations with a positive wave and the cowbell is there to ring for successes! Both make me (and others laugh!). I’m not kidding.
Are you still playing piano?
This is another must have, soul salving part of my life. I have been recently dabbling in chamber music. It is good to be forced to keep time with accomplished musicians as opposed solo piano, although I have been trying to conquer other pieces that have haunted me with their unapproachable technical demands. Glutton for punishment. A long beloved Chopin Concerto is among them. There are so many connections between music and architecture, so many places to pull inspiration, scoring light in the same way one would score music for example. Piano is my other voice and place of refuge.
I’ve mentioned my own current re-acquaintance with the Chopin Fantasia-Impromptu but found my ability to play it has been completely relegated to muscle memory. Sight reading my way back through that piece is daunting at best.
Ah, yes, I recommend standing up when you play it. Just that simple change in perspective and positioning forces you to break the muscle memory which in turn makes you read the music again. When sight reading, I never look at my hands and keep my eyes moving ahead. Do not stop, look at the shape of everything on the page. Try to utilize your gift of spatial perception when looking at complex chords, just look at the shape, it helps so much. It was a discovery for me to just start looking at the shape instead of each note within the chord. Suddenly, sight reading became about patterns and relationships and so many awesome reading challenges gradually became surmountable.
Favorite quote?
“Anything can be Anything” -
“Everything is on its way to becoming something else instead.” -
What do you find most challenging about being an architect in southwest Florida?
The challenge is in finding a way help people see what they are not often shown. Namely what architecture -can do- if it is as thought of in in terms of its performance not just about how it looks. It’s not about ‘weird’ buildings it’s about being an appropriate design response or contribution to context. We know how to make architecture great; we should make sure that architects have all the tools at our disposal required to do it. That means stop holding or pushing their pencils.
What advice would you give to young designers starting out today?
The same that I would give to seasoned professional. You need to continually fuel your curiosity. There are so many ways of doing the same thing, you must be curious enough to find out what your options are and solve numerous problems, never assume that you know enough. A rising star may assume she does not have to as work hard because of her natural gifts and talents but this would be a mistake. There are so many different challenges that you will come to face. You must maintain humility. You need to know that you will make mistakes and that is ok, so do not be timid about seeking the “edge”. You must be fearless, but being fearless is not about being arrogant or overpowering - just a willingness to go into the fire. The architect must always be the reasonable collective thinker in the room. Being fearless is knowing you can get there even through the fires are burning around you. Fearlessness is being able to see things from all perspectives because the more you can see, grasp and wield - the less fearful they become.
I have been in Naples as the sole owner and principal architect at Andrea Clark Brown Architects since 1986, making this my 35th year! My classic first project while I was still working in NYC was a Florida house for my parents. In 1983 they had purchased the second lot in Pelican Bay when the community was all saw palmetto and slash pine. The neighborhood was just emerging and fortunately, the design review process for that community was at such a nascent stage that I was able to design without the restraints of the “going traditions?”
How has the town evolved since then?
Once the Ritz Carlton and the Philharmonic were built, the laid back demeanor of the town began to change. The atmosphere gradually shifted to cater to a more sophisticated perhaps elite lifestyle, the firms became more professionally structured, and coat and tie became more common. It was a palpable shift from a more relaxed and personal approach to business interaction. I grew up with this town right along with many of our long seasoned professionals in the area today. Many of these colleagues are now starting to retire or sadly, have passed away. Being here for so many years, to go through this lifecycle, is tender to the heart. However, the unique wisdom that accrues over these years as well as the best and worst moments of my experience as an architect are a source of great story telling and in some cases quite humorous. I am gearing up to write a book about adventures in professional practice, some of which include a few magnificent blunders or unanticipated client quirks that posed surprising architectural challenges. Blunders, Foibles and Failures? Still searching for a title…
Practicing here in my very early 30’s was a series of firsts. There was a good old boys’ network and as a young (female) architect running my own firm, I think I was a bit of a novelty. I utilized this dynamic by asking questions; a lot of questions and people were eager to help. I’ve learned that asking questions is not the worst thing to do, you should never be ashamed to ask questions. When asking every question possible, you may avoid assuming anything. You know my most important piece of advice, right?
Of course. Never assume anything.
That is correct. Never assume anything. Believe me, if you do, it will bite you where it hurts!
What skill do you think are most import for an architect to cultivate?
Undoubtedly, coping skills and resiliency. We carry a lot on our shoulders. We are crafts people, engineers, social workers, psychologists, historians and hopefully artists. We must do all these things well to be good architects. The public has hard time understanding the concept of how much is required of an architect in order to formulate design options and develop intelligent architectural solutions.
What parameters have you developed regarding coping and resiliency?
It is always important to measure the human size against the scale of the universe to keep a holistic perspective. Additionally, I find it helps to disengage with the emotional side of the process, even though as a humanist this disengagement is always a challenge for me. Also, it is important to extend to oneself the gift of compassion and forgiveness for not being perfect as well as to provide positive reinforcement -always- to those around you. There’s power in positivity.
Remember to laugh. Laughter has a wonderful way of dissipating tension in a room. For example, I enjoy imagining how bad a situation could be, absolutely everything that could possibly go wrong and then reframing it as if it were an episode of Saturday Night Live. Make a parody of it. Without being flippant, I try to find the humor in a sticky situation, find something good and move forward.
What was it like starting your practice?
Early on, the operational side of running a business caught me off guard. Business management is a whole artform within itself and you must do it successfully as you will always be under the gun as the owner.
This however is where curiosity comes in. Curiosity is the most important tool we have. One doesn’t need to have all the answers, but you do need the curiosity to find them. Also, it was important to find the right combination of talents and personalities for a fully functioning collaborative team, one willing to check egos at the door and support an environment where people feel free to bounce ideas back and forth with respect. Acting as human resources manager has been one of the most challenging parts of my practice….I’d rather design.
How do you navigate the demand on your time required by your practice?
My days are long and do not stop on weekends. Most nights I’m home at 9:30 or later and am miraculously greeted with my husband’s good humor and support (maybe hunger as well?). I am able to wind down by making my best attempt at an ‘iron chef’ meal, which on many occasions by 11 PM we laughingly call ‘breakfast.’ This “creative therapy”…i.e. cooking, not to mention the essential glass of wine that accompanies, in combination with a daily 40 min walk in the morning allows me to find some balance. I absolutely love what I do as well. I always find moments of great joy when I am working late at night exploring new ideas. In all this, perhaps it is most important to keep your focus and protect the gift of your interests. Do not let it get degraded by the mundane.
Have you ever had a challenging client?
Yes. At times you will find there are dynamics of control at play and depending on whether a client is a couple or a committee, their interpersonal relationships can amplify these dynamics. When tight control is put on an architect it makes the process more challenging than it needs to be. To mitigate impacts to the projects design I’ve had to learn to realize that I, too can be powerful; that I may have to, or can, say no. This gets easier with experience.
What is your must have item?
Actually there are two: A magic wand and a cowbell. The wand is to ward off impossible situations with a positive wave and the cowbell is there to ring for successes! Both make me (and others laugh!). I’m not kidding.
Are you still playing piano?
This is another must have, soul salving part of my life. I have been recently dabbling in chamber music. It is good to be forced to keep time with accomplished musicians as opposed solo piano, although I have been trying to conquer other pieces that have haunted me with their unapproachable technical demands. Glutton for punishment. A long beloved Chopin Concerto is among them. There are so many connections between music and architecture, so many places to pull inspiration, scoring light in the same way one would score music for example. Piano is my other voice and place of refuge.
I’ve mentioned my own current re-acquaintance with the Chopin Fantasia-Impromptu but found my ability to play it has been completely relegated to muscle memory. Sight reading my way back through that piece is daunting at best.
Ah, yes, I recommend standing up when you play it. Just that simple change in perspective and positioning forces you to break the muscle memory which in turn makes you read the music again. When sight reading, I never look at my hands and keep my eyes moving ahead. Do not stop, look at the shape of everything on the page. Try to utilize your gift of spatial perception when looking at complex chords, just look at the shape, it helps so much. It was a discovery for me to just start looking at the shape instead of each note within the chord. Suddenly, sight reading became about patterns and relationships and so many awesome reading challenges gradually became surmountable.
Favorite quote?
“Anything can be Anything” -
“Everything is on its way to becoming something else instead.” -
What do you find most challenging about being an architect in southwest Florida?
The challenge is in finding a way help people see what they are not often shown. Namely what architecture -can do- if it is as thought of in in terms of its performance not just about how it looks. It’s not about ‘weird’ buildings it’s about being an appropriate design response or contribution to context. We know how to make architecture great; we should make sure that architects have all the tools at our disposal required to do it. That means stop holding or pushing their pencils.
What advice would you give to young designers starting out today?
The same that I would give to seasoned professional. You need to continually fuel your curiosity. There are so many ways of doing the same thing, you must be curious enough to find out what your options are and solve numerous problems, never assume that you know enough. A rising star may assume she does not have to as work hard because of her natural gifts and talents but this would be a mistake. There are so many different challenges that you will come to face. You must maintain humility. You need to know that you will make mistakes and that is ok, so do not be timid about seeking the “edge”. You must be fearless, but being fearless is not about being arrogant or overpowering - just a willingness to go into the fire. The architect must always be the reasonable collective thinker in the room. Being fearless is knowing you can get there even through the fires are burning around you. Fearlessness is being able to see things from all perspectives because the more you can see, grasp and wield - the less fearful they become.
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