I love buildings, always have. I love old ones that have endured time and events and new ones that are created on the shoulders of my clients’ dreams. I’ve been learning about buildings since I was a young boy watching my father, Harry, draft in our basement late at night. Harry was also an architect. He introduced me to the profession by taking me to job sites when I was just a kid. I loved the hustle and bustle of that dynamic environment; the song of men at work, the orchestration of materials. Even today, the smells of recently sawn lumber and freshly poured concrete remind me of those wonderful days spent with my dad. I was blessed to have worked with Harry for many years after I graduated from college. He was a great mentor and taught me many important lessons.
Harry explained that in order to be a good architect, it is essential to be a good listener. He understood that with the exponential growth of technology, architects in the 21st century would need to be lifelong learners. He demonstrated, through example, that being a professional meant that our job often requires us to lead our clients and that sometimes, it meant educating them based on important lessons we’ve learned. Harry taught me that good buildings live long after we do and their care and maintenance need to be major influences in their design.
Through my 30 plus years of architectural practice I’ve come to understand that good architecture is not only engineered well and meets or exceeds our clients’ functional goals but that, hopefully, it also evokes a positive emotional response from the people who use it everyday. That’s the “art” in the architecture; an element that is so often overlooked in today’s built environment. At our best, architects create a sense of place that shapes people’s lives for the better.
I’ve tried to teach the men and women who serve our clients at Schneider Services these same lessons. I talk a lot about my dad and I ask them to strive for excellence in everything they do. I tell them to be professionals of the highest order and to remember how lucky we all are to work in a field as exciting and as challenging as architecture.