Mayne, Thom

▪ 2006

 Iconoclastic American architect Thom Mayne received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in May 2005. He was the first American in 14 years to win the award, which honoured a living architect for lifetime achievement. Mayne, who led the Santa Monica, Calif.-based design firm Morphosis, had often been described as a “maverick” and a “bad boy” of American architecture. His bold and unconventional works were noted for their offset angular forms, layered exterior walls, incorporation of giant letter and number graphics, and emphasis on natural light. In its citation the Pritzker jury acknowledged the “audacious character” and originality of Mayne's designs and praised him as “a product of the turbulent '60s who has carried that rebellious attitude and fervent desire for change into his practice.”

      Mayne was born on Jan. 19, 1944, in Waterbury, Conn., and grew up in Gary, Ind., and near Whittier, Calif. After earning a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1968, he had a brief career in urban planning, working under noted civic planner Victor Gruen. In 1972 Mayne and fellow architect Michael Rotondi launched Morphosis, taking the firm's name from the Greek word meaning “to be in formation” or “taking shape.” That same year Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture, which became a leading school in experimental design. In 1978 he completed a one-year master's degree program in architectural studies at Harvard University. He then returned to California, where he and Rotondi took projects that ranged from private residences to restaurants to a cancer centre in Los Angeles.

      After Rotondi left Morphosis in 1991, Mayne achieved what was considered his breakthrough design—the Diamond Ranch High School, near Pomona, Calif. Built on a hillside, the school featured two rows of oddly angled buildings sheltering a canyonlike interior walkway. The design was widely praised and brought Mayne his first major international recognition.

      Mayne celebrated the completion of a large project in Los Angeles in 2004: the Caltrans District 7 Building, which served as a regional headquarters for the California Department of Transportation. Though massive, the Caltrans building had a streetscape sensitivity and was characterized by an enormous perforated aluminum shell programmed to shift throughout the day, filtering out sunlight or letting it in. In 2005 Mayne was working on another large project, a student centre at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and on government-commissioned projects in San Francisco, Eugene, Ore., and near Washington, D.C., as well as on an academic building at Cooper Union in New York City. Internationally he was focused on projects in Austria, South Korea, Spain, and Taiwan.

Tom Michael

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▪ American architect

born Jan. 19, 1944, Waterbury, Conn., U.S.

 

 American architect, whose bold and unconventional works were noted for their offset angular forms, layered exterior walls, incorporation of giant letter and number graphics, and emphasis on natural light. He was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2005.

      After earning a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1968, Mayne had a brief career in urban planning, working under noted civic planner Victor Gruen (Gruen, Victor). In 1972 Mayne and fellow architect Michael Rotondi launched the Santa Monica, Calif.-based design firm Morphosis, taking the firm's name from the Greek word meaning “to be in formation” or “taking shape.” That same year Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC), which became a leading school in experimental design. In 1978 he completed a one-year master's degree program in architectural studies at Harvard University. He then returned to California, where he and Rotondi took projects that ranged from private residences to restaurants to a cancer centre in Los Angeles. His original solutions to many architectural questions made him a maverick and earned him a reputation as the “bad boy” of American architecture.

      Rotondi left Morphosis in 1991, and in 1992 Mayne became a professor of architecture and urban design at the University of California at Los Angeles. Thereafter Mayne achieved what was considered his breakthrough design—the Diamond Ranch High School (1999–2000), near Pomona, Calif. Built on a hillside, the school features two rows of unusually angled buildings sheltering a canyonlike interior walkway. The design was widely praised and brought Mayne his first major international recognition. In 2004 Mayne completed his design for the Caltrans District 7 Headquarters building in Los Angeles, which served as a regional headquarters for the California Department of Transportation. Though massive, the Caltrans building is sensitive to the streetscape. Its exterior is an enormous perforated aluminum shell programmed to shift throughout the day, filtering out sunlight or letting it in. His later works include a student centre (2006) at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and several government-commissioned projects, including the San Francisco Federal Building (2007). In 2007 Mayne unveiled plans for a tower in Paris that would feature moveable structures to capture sunlight.

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