'What do you want, brick?

I have spent nearly 20 years as an architect/landscape architect. During my first year of architectural school, I learned about buildings, projects, and the architects who design them. One of my all-time favorites is Louis I. Kahn.

His approach to architecture has many aspects, but what really captured me was his commitment to staying true to the material. This means using the essence of materials to their best effect. When materials fulfill their quality, they contribute to an immersive spatial experience for the user. This makes you feel the space, which seemed very conceptual to me back then (I was 19 years old, knowing nothing about life). I was fortunate enough to visit some of Kahn's buildings, and when I walked in, no words needed to be said. You feel it; you feel the space through the light and shadow, through the openings, through the floor, through its materials, through the brick.

Since then, I've often had his quote in my head: "What do you want, brick?" I use this quote quite often in designing buildings, houses, landscapes, parks, and gardens. Even now, as I make and teach pottery, the quote still affects me greatly. Therefore, one of my philosophies is to embrace the clay's nature and its qualities. I design my pieces to be quite simple yet sophisticated, testing the clay's quality and letting it show through.