Thom Mayne Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne speaking at the USC School of Architecture in 2023
Born	(1944-01-19) January 19, 1944 (age 81) Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
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.

Mayne also leads his own architecture company called Morphosis Architects. This company has offices in Culver City, California and New York City. In 2005, Thom Mayne won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. This is one of the highest awards an architect can receive.

Early Life and Education
Thom Mayne's Career in Architecture
- Starting Morphosis Architects
- Growing the Firm and Big Projects
Teaching and Academics
Major Completed Projects
Awards and Honors
Images for kids
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Early Life and Education

The University of Toronto Graduate House, finished in 2000

Thom Mayne was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California and finished in 1968. Later, in 1978, he also studied at Harvard University. He was interested in how cities are planned and how buildings can help people.

In 1972, Mayne and five other students and teachers started a new school. They called it the Southern California Institute of Architecture, or SCI-Arc. They wanted to teach architecture in a new way. Their goal was to make sure architects thought about how their buildings affected society. They wanted to bring new ideas to Los Angeles, like those taught in New York and London.

Thom Mayne's Career in Architecture

Starting Morphosis Architects

In 1972, Thom Mayne and some friends started their own architecture firm called Morphosis Architects. Michael Rotondi joined them in 1975. Their goal was to create buildings that were different from traditional styles. They wanted their designs to have a deeper meaning. They hoped their buildings would fit well with the culture of the place they were built.

At first, they worked on small projects that were not always about architecture. Their first big project was a school in Pasadena, California. Thom Mayne's son went to this school. After this project, they started getting more jobs designing homes. Mayne described their early days like a "garage band." They spent their free time trying out new ideas for their clients. Many of their first clients were friends or parents of students.

Growing the Firm and Big Projects

Thom 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. The company grew and started designing buildings all over the world.

The United States government chose Thom Mayne to design many federal buildings. Some of his important projects include:

Graduate housing at the University of Toronto.
The San Francisco Federal Building.
The Student Recreation Center at the University of Cincinnati.
The Science Center School in Los Angeles.
Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California.
The Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon.

Morphosis buildings often look like they have many layers. They also have interesting, sculptural shapes. Today, computers help them design these complex and unique buildings.

Teaching and Academics

Thom Mayne has taught architecture at many famous universities. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University. He also taught at the Berlage Institute in the Netherlands and the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. For a long time, he was a professor at the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture. He is currently a faculty member at SCI-Arc and the University of Pennsylvania.

Major Completed Projects

Here are some of the important 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)
Caltrans District 7 Headquarters 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)
Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, California (2022)

Awards and Honors

Thom Mayne has received many important awards during his career.

He won the Rome Prize Fellowship in 1987.
He received the Pritzker Prize in 2005, which is like the Nobel Prize for architecture.
In 2009, he became a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
He was elected to the board of trustees for SCI-Arc in 2011.
In 2013, he received the AIA Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects. This is another very high honor.

Here is a list of some of his awards:

Rome Prize, American Academy in Rome, Italy (1987)
Brunner Prize or Award in Architecture, American Academy of Arts and Letters (1992)
Los Angeles Gold Medal, American Institute of Architects (2000)
Chrysler Design Award of Excellence (2001)
Pritzker Prize (2005)
Top Ten Green Project Award, American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (2007)
The Edward MacDowell Medal (2008)
Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence (2011)
American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (2013)