Yann Weymouth at work

Today I have the honor to bring to you some lesser known facts about one of HOK’s most world renowned architects.  A senior vice president in HOK’s Tampa office, Yann Weymouth is capable of supernova design – he worked with I.M. Pei on the famous Louvre glass pyramid in Paris, among other high-profile museum projects, including the entirely new, waterfront building for the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Chances are, you have experienced one of the places that he designed and now, once you read this interview, you will be one step closer in your six degrees of separation from one of the generation’s finest designers.

You have led an extraordinary life as an architect with projects at the Louvre and National Gallery under your belt.  What has been the most meaningful project you have completed and why? 
That is like asking me which one of my 3 children I love most. My projects are like my children and I love each for different reasons. While no two of the projects on which I have led the design look the same, each contributes its own innovations, and its own character. I avoid repeating past formulas or symbols or personal expressions of vanity. I hope each completed project is a compelling design of lasting architecture that works well, fulfills its mission, exceeds our client’s expectations and gives back by delighting a wider audience.

Having traveled all over the world, what city inspires you the most?
I have been fortunate to live and work in some of the world’s greatest and most interesting cities: Boston, Washington DC, New York, Miami, LA, Paris, London, Hong Kong, Istanbul and others. I try to make the most of my time wherever I find myself and draw inspiration from hidden gems. Each of these great places is centered on a great river or ocean. I am a Navy brat. I grew up moving around constantly, but always near water. I was taught sailing very young. This close contact with the wind, sea and sky made me very aware of physics, light, energy flows and the actions and reactions of certain materials to these key elements. To this day these influence my design.

Interior shot of "enigma edge" from new Salvador Dali Museum

Who is the most interesting person you have had the opportunity to meet?
Buckminster Fuller. I met him in Greece when I was a student. I was chosen to be the scribe for a seminar of fascinating luminaries like Arnold Toynbee, Siegfried Gideon, and Margaret Mead. This was the 1960’s, but Bucky was already talking about biodiversity. The thing that was inspiring about him was his infectious enthusiasm and his conviction that any problem could be solved, and that design was more about discovery than about invention.

I.M. Pei and Yann in 1988 at the Louvre pyramid under construction

What is your best kept secret?
That my mantra comes from Philip Johnson. He often quoted his doctor, saying, “He told me if I ever stopped working, I’ll die, so I’ll never stop working.” Philip was still working when he died at age 99. My great mentor, I.M. Pei, who just turned 93, winning commissions, and giving back to our profession. I very much hope to follow in their footsteps, continuing in some way what I love to do.

Lately, on the drive to preschool, I’ve been subjecting the Coolest Girl in the World to the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense on the car stereo. I still remember being blown away by Jonathan Demme’s concert film of the same name. She tells me to turn it up and I think, 25 years later, it sounds better than ever. But I still wonder: Why the big suit?

I recently learned that Talking Heads co-founder and bassist Tina Weymouth (watch her shine here) is the sister of Yann Weymouth, a design director in HOK in Florida who worked on the Louvre in Paris and the East Wing of the National Gallery under I.M. Pei. His impressive HOK design portfolio includes the Frost Art Museum in Miami and the new Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Yann’s daughter, Katharine Weymouth, is the publisher of the Washington Post. His father is a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral. So much success and talent in one family…does that make sense?

Yesterday Jason Kottke was musing on sports interview cliches and how people get really good at something. What do you think: Is genius born or made?

When a debilitating spine disease forced Andrew Reach to retire from the architectural career he loved in 2005, he feared his contributions to the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum in Miami might be his final creation ever.

Thankfully, he was wrong.

The fruits of Andrew’s new artistic journey are showcased in an exhibition as part of the museum’s grand opening. Titled “Full Circle,” the exhibition features intricate digital paintings Andrew creates using a mouse as his paintbrush and Photoshop as his palette.

To call it a dream come true would be an understatement.

“I’m so humbled and so honored to be featured in the building I helped create,” he says. “It’s a homecoming of sorts for me. I’ve definitely come full circle – from being an architect to giving art back to people who will visit the building. The whole thing is very overwhelming and very special to me.”

Andrew’s journey definitely hasn’t been easy.

Two surgeries, mobility limitations and constant pain initially plunged the former HOK Miami project architect into a deep depression.

“I felt like my profession had been pulled away from me,” he remembers. “It was a very difficult period, and I had way too much time to indulge in feeling sorry for myself.”

He credits his long-time partner and caretaker, Bruce, for helping him emerge from this darkness.

After setting up a “studio” in their living room, Bruce encouraged Andrew to work on materials from Bruce’s paper ephemera business. Andrew taught himself Photoshop and began tinkering. It was his creation of a Valentine’s Day card that unleashed an “explosion of creativity” that launched his artistic journey.   

“It brought me out of the depression, which was great, but then it also became my therapy,” he says. “The pieces mesmerize me, for brief moments, allowing me to get outside myself – and those brief moments are worth gold.”

His diverse inspirations range from Buddhism to the healing process to Islamic architecture to “whimsies” (carefree and unencumbered beings free of the constraints of gravity). Occasionally, his pieces incorporate political themes, but they’re always approached with humor.

“I have so many things in my mind and a backlog of ideas – an internal rolodex in my brain,” he says. “For the most part, it’s all about freedom, breaking free and transcending,” he says, “which, of course, has been my story.”

Exhibiting Andrew’s work at the Frost also has been a dream of Design Principal Yann Weymouth, who worked closely with Andrew during the design process and has become one of his biggest fans.

“Andrew’s talent as an architect contributed to the quality our team was able to embed in the design,” Yann says. “After being stricken further by his progressively worsening spine disease, he refused to accept his life as a tragedy, continuing to express his talents now as a digital painter. The recognition of his work in the museum he helped create is a very bright moment for him, his partner and all of us at HOK.”

Soon, Andrew will be expanding into the healing arts realm, showcasing his artwork at hospitals in Cleveland (where he now lives) and organizations in Washington, D.C. His long-term aspirations are to engage in much larger public art: 3-D sculptures. He also plans to help develop healing arts programs that incorporate computers as tools to promote mental and physical healing in healthcare.

“My goal is to inspire others and bring attention to the power of art – not only to enrich our lives, but to heal them as well.”

The Full Circle exhibition continues through April 4.