Thom Mayne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thom Mayne
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Thom Mayne speaking at the USC School of Architecture in 2023
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| Born | January 19, 1944 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Southern California, Harvard University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | AIA Gold Medal Pritzker Prize Rome Prize |
| Practice | Morphosis |
| Buildings | Diamond Ranch High School, University of Toronto Graduate House, Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse, San Francisco Federal Building, New Academic Building at 41 Cooper Square, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Emerson College Los Angeles |
Thom Mayne (born January 19, 1944) is a famous American architect. He lives and works in Los Angeles. In 1972, Mayne helped start the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). He still teaches there and helps lead a special program about city design. He also taught at other universities like California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and University of California, Los Angeles.
Thom Mayne is the main architect at Morphosis Architects. This is a design company with offices in Culver City, California and New York City. In March 2005, he won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This is one of the highest awards an architect can receive.
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Becoming an Architect
Thom Mayne was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California in 1968. He also studied at Harvard University in 1978. There, he focused on how cities are planned and how design can help people.
After college, he worked as a city planner. But he soon realized he wanted to create more "tangible" things. He wanted to build actual buildings.
Starting SCI-Arc
In 1972, Mayne and five other students and teachers started the Southern California Institute of Architecture, or SCI-Arc. They wanted to create a new kind of architecture school. Their goal was to teach students to think about how buildings affect society. They wanted to bring new ideas about architecture to Los Angeles.
Building a Career
Morphosis Architects
Thom Mayne and others started Morphosis Architects in 1972. Their goal was to design buildings that were meaningful and unique. They wanted to create architecture that went beyond traditional shapes and forms.
At first, the company worked on small projects. Their first big job was designing a school in Pasadena, California. This project helped them get more work, including designing homes. Mayne described these early days as being like a "garage band." They experimented with new ideas for their clients.
Mayne took a year off to get his Master's degree from Harvard University in 1978. After that, he returned to Morphosis. He became the main architect and lead designer for all their projects.
Morphosis has grown into a well-known design company. They have completed projects all over the world. Thom Mayne has also become a key architect for government buildings in the United States.
Morphosis Design Style
The buildings designed by Morphosis often look like they have many layers. They also have interesting, sculptural shapes. In recent years, computers have helped them create these complex and unique designs more easily.
Teaching and Learning
Thom Mayne has taught at many famous universities. These include the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University. He was also a professor at the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. Today, he teaches at SCI-Arc and the University of Pennsylvania.
Important Buildings by Thom Mayne
Here are some of the major buildings Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects have completed:
- Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills, California (1986)
- Crawford Residence in Montecito, California (1990)
- Sun Tower in Seoul, Korea (1997)
- Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California (1999)
- University of Toronto Graduate House in Toronto, Canada (2000)
- Hypo Alpe-Adria Center in Klagenfurt, Austria (2002)
- Caltrans District 7 Headquarters in Los Angeles, California (2004)
- Science Center School in Los Angeles, California (2004)
- University of Cincinnati Student Recreation Center in Cincinnati, Ohio (2006)
- Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon (2006)
- San Francisco Federal Building in San Francisco, California (2006)
- Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California (2009)
- New Academic Building at 41 Cooper Square in New York City, New York (2009)
- Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas, Texas (2012)
- Bill and Melinda Gates Hall at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York (2013)
- Emerson College Los Angeles Center in Los Angeles, California (2014)
- Vialia Vigo in Vigo, Spain (2018)
- Casablanca Finance City Tower in Casablanca, Morocco (2019)
- Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, California (2022)
Awards and Recognition
Thom Mayne has received many important awards throughout his career.
- In 1987, he won the Rome Prize.
- In 2005, he received the Pritzker Prize, which is like the Nobel Prize for architecture.
- He was also part of the jury for the Holcim Awards, which recognize sustainable building projects.
- In 2009, he joined the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
- In 2013, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal.
The Ray Bradbury House
In June 2014, Thom Mayne bought the house where famous writer Ray Bradbury lived for 50 years. In January 2015, the house was planned to be taken down. This caused some discussion in the news.
Mayne explained that the Bradbury family did not want to keep the house. He bought it from a foundation that was not connected to the Bradbury family. The house was "deconstructed," meaning parts of it were carefully taken apart to be recycled. Some materials were even turned into special bookends.
Mayne planned to build a new house on the site. He said it would be a "garden" and a "prototype" for eco-friendly design in Los Angeles. He also planned to include a memorial wall to Ray Bradbury and his works. The new house was completed in 2017.
See also
In Spanish: Thom Mayne para niños
- Morphosis Architects
