Becoming an Architect

Manifest Destiny" Grandpa followed the trail of Lewis and Clark, built rails to open up the West and helped fulfill America's Manifest Destiny. Learning what architecture is, what it should be and how I fit in would be mine."--Peter H. Green, AIA, Architect and Author

Discovering Architecture 

Once Peter had decided at an early age he wanted to design buildings, the desire turned into a quest: picking the right college, learning to compete in a larger arena and at last seeking an architectural degree. Along the way he met opponents and obstacles and dodged or overcame them. He traveled to study architecture in its original setting, absorbing its history and culture. En route he met many people and learned a lot about human nature. He sketched what he saw and told stories he recalled, honing his visual and verbal communication skills. It's all part of how he acquired his expertise, met a few great mentors and unlocked secrets of his survival in a complex, difficult and ever-changing profession .

Readers Praise Becoming an Architect  

Enjoyable, fun and courageous! Although there are plenty of books about great architects, very few of them show how architects think and conceptualize...Despite the newer Design-Build delivery systems, it's still  the vision of the owner and the architect that forms the seed of every project.

-Robert O. Little, Former President, Ittner Architects, St. Louis

 

Overall, I found the book very entertaining. I particularly liked the travels in Ireland, France and Turkey with...wonderful sketches of famous places...[and] some very funny anecdotes.

-David Margolis, Author of The Myth of Dr. Kugelman and The Misadventures of Buddy Jones

 

I loved the adventure of continuing to work while getting farther and further from the nest. Milan! The Orient Express! Istanbul! Great characters-the South Africans, the Turkish vendor, Elias and Catherine ("Oh darn, I missed it by that much!"), Charlie, Stan, Bulent, Omar, the architecture in Milan and Istanbul, Turkish history and customs were all fascinating.

-C. Michael Lederer, Career Nuclear and Environmental Scientist, University of California, Berkeley