Architect

Good architecture is art that works--a form of beauty with a function. And great architects manage to meld the two.
 

"For me, design is a mental process of discovery, followed by reaction and execution," says Brad Lee Patterson. "No two projects are ever the same. And any architect who really loves what he does will be constantly amazed by the end result of any project. You have filled a void, created something that is hopefully fitting and beautiful for its particular setting and location."

Patterson says he draws inspiration from "10,000 places."

"I have a good memory for buildings and design details, structures I have observed and studied during my travels here and abroad, " he says. "And of course I draw from the work of the masters of my profession, as we all do: Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Le Corbusier, Andrea Palladio, Alvar Aalto, Ararta Isozaki, I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson, Mies van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan, Walter Gropius. I admire them all, and each of them has what I think of as 'meat and potatoes' in their work that every architect can employ."

Patterson says his designs tend to be "intuitive."

"Over the years, you absorb all this information that you can apply to a project," he says. "There are many different styles for many different situations, but each project typically has one unique solution, like a crossword puzzle. I find that an organic solution--one that fits the particular setting and location--usually wins out in the end."

Patterson describes his design philosophy as "regionalistic, contextual and integrated." In other words, his designs are appropriate for their setting. Certain architects choose contrast--a white, boxy building set in the woods, for example. Patterson says his sensibilities are more aligned with architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, who specialized in blending his structures into their natural settings.

Patterson adds, though, that his firm makes it a priority is to listen to clients and make design decisions based upon their needs and desires.