WE ARE MORE THAN JUST ARCHITECTURE.

Geoffrey S. Edwards joined Muñoz and Company in 1994 after gaining experience with residential projects in Austin. He is an alumnus of the Graduate Architecture Program at the University of Texas, Austin. As a company Principal and Chief Operating Officer, he directs the design studio of the firm. His projects include significant public buildings (e.g. libraries and educational institutions) and private facilities (e.g. health administrative offices, testing laboratories). Many of these have been recognized with state and local design awards and have been featured in professional journals (Architecture, Architectural Record and Texas Architect, among other publications). Dedicated to the cultural vitality of the San Antonio community, he has lectured on architectural history at Trinity University and has served on the boards of the Blue Star Contemporary Arts Center, the Carver Community Cultural Center and the San Antonio Museum of Art Contemporaries. He is an active member on the Board of the San Antonio Architecture Foundation.

GE: When my interest in design first came to the surface I decided to enter the graduate program of architecture at the University of Texas. All along I knew I had a talent for critical thinking, and at this higher level of scholarship my pragmatic and artistic sides came together naturally. My first professional degree was in Finance and this earlier area of study provided me with a unique and beneficial perspective to bring to my work.
In the Architecture Department I was strongly influenced by Chris Macdonald, whose work at the Architectural Association in London was well known. Through his insightful mentorship I began to think a lot more about the manner in which people use buildings. I suppose I became a “junior sociologist” of sorts who was very intrigued with the rituals and patterns of occupation/habitation.

Q: How has this training been reflected in your current work?

GE: I have a real love for the blending of modern and craft sensibilities and it is evident in my approach to design. In my work I find that I am always interested in ideas but I also want to connect with existent situations in a meaningful way. I’m much more concerned with the experiential over any formal philosophy. Things carry meaning, materials have associations for people and it’s important to respect that. The way that a design works with certain forms and materials so that it expresses a rich cultural context can determine how well people respond to the buildings and spaces which are a part of their lives.

Mr. Sterner joined the firm in 1981 and has been involved for many years with the architecture, master planning and programming on large projects. That scope of work encompasses major health care facilities, research centers that often include highly sensitive bioscience laboratories, and higher education architecture. In the role of Project Manager, he has been recognized with numerous professional awards, especially for his extensive knowledge of special building systems requirements on University of Texas facilities.

JS: One of the things I remember from childhood was that I really loved creating hybridized toys. The best part about this was that I was the one who was making these composite playthings by modifying existing objects and incorporating available pieces. I can see that this activity was a preview of my preference as a student and later as an adult for “doing something” rather than just learning about it. The hands-on approach came naturally to me – I probably picked it up from my extended family when I was growing up in Chicago. Various uncles worked as brick masons, welders and roofers. My father was an electrician.

When I was in the 4th grade, we excavated our home basement to create a habitable lower floor, a project undertaken by our small army of construction-savvy relatives. My observations at each step gave me early insights into the process of making architecture under real-life conditions. By this time I already understood that it is possible to create custom building elements if one knows how different stock pieces can be assembled.

Q: How did you build on these early experiences?

JS: The most expansive period in my training was the Architecture program at Notre Dame, in particular the year studying in Rome. This experience further shaped my deep appreciation for complexity, especially in the mixing of cultures. I was fortunate to be exposed to layered cultural phenomena at an impressionable time and I have to be thankful for the guidance of demanding instructors. Three professors, Jaime Bellalta, Norman Crowe and Steven Hurtt, were especially helpful mentors who gave me valuable insights into the process of making architecture and how important it is to consider the people who inhabit those designed environments.

Q: Where are you in your thinking now?

JS: I have come away from all of this with a clearer understanding of challenges and solutions that are unique to our profession. It’s important to hold on to the quality of the initial concept. Not surprisingly, the resolution to difficulties in achieving any measure of success usually comes from time-honored practices. The real world is the perfect laboratory to test and validate this approach.

Alice joined Muñoz and Company in 1985 after 15 years of previous experience as bookkeeper/office manager for large architecture and engineering firms in Laredo and San Antonio. During that period Ms. Ramirez acquired valuable organizational and analytical skills, which she developed further in the efficient financial management of our company. She has been chiefly responsible for Human Resource matters, project contract administration, maintenance of corporate records and complete bookkeeping records on joint ventures with other firms.

AR: My father was a Laredo businessman who, from my earliest memories, instilled in me positive attitudes about life and work. He owned and managed a cotton gin, a seasonal operation serving the South Texas region. In the summer, the plant ran continuously, 24 hours a day for weeks, yet my father always stayed on top of everything. Watching him conduct business, I learned the importance of good organization, dedication and fairness when dealing with employees and customers.

My first job outside the house was at Laredo’s KGNS radio station. I kept their books and had other assorted duties. It was a real adventure because, being live on-air, there was little room for error. Each day could be completely different from the one before so we were always on our toes. I started lining up and announcing our music programming, and on weekends I read the news – national and international, as well as local. This was a valuable eye-opener for me at that young age: getting a sense of the bigger world connected to my hometown.

Q: How did you go from this line of work into the world of architecture offices?

AR: It started when my neighbor, Paul Garza, asked me to help out in his office for a short period. He was Laredo’s city planner as well as a partner at Ashley, Garza & Humphries. In that one office they did architecture, planning and engineering. Well, that initial 2-week assignment turned into a 13-year hitch. And it set the precedent for me working in a large office with a highly active practice. By the time I moved to San Antonio and started working at Kell Muñoz, I was well prepared to take on major challenges and I was predisposed to handle a wide variety of tasks. It was my good fortune that Larry Hohlaus was my immediate supervisor in this new environment. He impressed on us by his example the importance of being thorough. Over the course of many projects he consistently produced complete and meticulous sets of drawings.

Mr. Hohlaus joined Muñoz and Company in 1979. He is the leading Project Managing Principal, with an extensive portfolio of complex and large-scale projects for governmental and stakeholder groups. Additionally, his experience includes educational projects at every level: primary, middle school, high school and university facilities. He is the Director of Technical Resources, Specifications Department Manager and Continuing Education for the firm. Mr. Hohlaus’ special interest in preserving open space is indicated by his work on developing urban greenways. In 1997 he was a key member of San Antonio’s “Living With Water” Design Charrette committee. He is a former president of the San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

RH: My father, Larry Hohlaus, was one of the architects at the outset of this company and had a lifelong association with it, so my connection with the firm predates my own professional life here. At a very young age I was introduced to the world of design when my father brought home project drawings from the office. Through his influence I was introduced to America’s postwar love affair with new forms and materials. A large part of my early awareness came directly from that exposure to many scientific innovations for modern living. It seemed inevitable that one day I would end up in architecture, engineering or aerospace. Some of my favorite high school memories are of building tetrahedral kites and hang gliders from commonly found materials. My early experiments with solar energy collection continued to develop during my collegiate studies in architecture.

Q: Just as in your life, throughout the history of architecture there is a recurring integration with science.

RH: Yes, it’s definitely a prominent feature of our modern consciousness. It was on the Texas A&M program when I was a student there, and today, with everyone interested in energy efficiency, it is once more a topical concern. I think that architecture that is technically oriented to work with natural forces is always going to be interesting and relevant. When the building’s aesthetic and engineering are integrated so that structure, function and associated systems are enhanced – that is particularly rewarding for everyone involved. As designers, our special challenge lies in dealing successfully with ever-larger contexts, natural as well as social and cultural. Taking a holistic approach, including the environment in mutually beneficial strategies, is one of the best ways that we can serve the public.

From the time he joined Muñoz and Company in 1988, Tillotson has been deeply concerned with the investigation of historical urban processes in San Antonio and South Texas cities. His original and unique research has mapped the geomorphology and historical development that define these unique and complex urban landscapes. He is an architect whose broad experience in architecture, historic preservation and planning has produced a wide variety of successful institutional, commercial and residential projects throughout the state. His depth of expertise informs his design and restoration projects, and has brought professional recognition with numerous awards. In addition to his extensive architectural practice, Tillotson is deeply involved in community design issues. As Chair of the AIASA Urban Affairs Committee, he worked closely with numerous community organizations and public agencies, and organized design assistance on their behalf.

ST:  My earliest memory is of me at the age of 2 at my grandmother’s farm in Iowa. There was a big red barn, and I noticed it immediately. I remember that I said, “I want to make that.” This primal fascination persisted over the years, and extended to include the farmhouse, a funky assemblage of detailed elements. These juxtaposed buildings, one basic in form and the other complex, left indelible impressions on my young psyche.

Throughout childhood my visual interests expanded. I grew up in a military family so at an early age I lived in several European countries and was exposed to the built environments of different cultures. What stayed with me most was how people lived in places continuously inhabited for many hundreds of years. It was living documentation of processes of habitation and adaptation.

To my benefit I also had books about architecture and I made lots of drawings.

Q: What about your college years?

ST:  Luckily I started at San Antonio College when Emil Golla was chairman of the Architecture Department. He had an optimistic worldview that he communicated with great enthusiasm to prepare us for success at larger universities. From this I developed a broader understanding of design that helped me think in abstract as well as concrete terms.

During this period I also opened up to a different kind of experience, outside what most would consider on a conventional path. Through my church I did volunteer work in Mississippi and this led to an intense personal engagement with extreme poverty. I learned firsthand that all people need a place where they can find fulfillment, and that it is very important to heal what has been damaged.

Clearly, this “sidetrack” provided a laboratory to assay life from an authentic viewpoint. When I completed my university education at the University of Texas at Austin, I looked at human settlements in much more realistic terms. I came to see urbanism as a process of causal events: beautiful, even eccentric, geometries are often the consequences of practical considerations. Discovering these hidden mysteries is a gratifying part of what I do.

From the time

Casey