CRAN Symposium 2019: Interview with Vern Swaback, FAIA

Vern and I in the courtyard at his studio

Nothing is better than being a Chair of a Committee and telling people to turn in their powerpoints for a presentation for a deadline and then being told to turn in your powerpoint for another Symposium and being late to do it.

The trials and tribulations of being a contributing active member of the AIA.

Round and round
With love we'll find a way just give it time
Round and round
What comes around goes around
I'll tell you why

RATT

So that was a few days before the Symposium

The day that I was supposed to leave to go to the Symposium, a contractor wanted me to come and stake out an ADU
For his own house
And i had to say after he cancelled the meeting,

"I have to go somewhere...."

How many times do we not tell people what we are doing because we know that people will tell us

"Oh, are you going somewhere?"

Yes, I am and it's not on a vacation to Europe, so don't think that you are spending sooo much money on your architect that they can be taking vacations on a whim.
No, this is a conference that is part of a Knowledge Community that I am the chair of in my city and we get to go for free!!! (well there is still the hotel but even then, the networking dinners and all of the food, it is a great opportunity!!!  Be the Chair of you local CRAN!!! And I was going to the center of the earth's core: Scottsdale, Arizona.
I have to make jokes about Arizona because every time I speak to someone from Arizona, they make jokes about California and I don't always reply with

"And that's why we see half of the cars with Arizona license plates in San Diego in August.  There are only two reasons why we see so many gold, green mountain (where are these burgundy mountains and green sky?) on the back of huge gas-guzzling vehicles is for two reasons:

1) It's 110 degrees in your home state
2) The car won't pass emissions in California

I can make fun of the places where the CRAN Symposium is being held because...

I really don't want to have it in our city unless I get a lot more help from the rest of the CRAN Architects in San Diego and Palomar!!!

So, I will tell you the honest truth:

I like going to these things.

Nichiha and their adult metal sippy cup
and tote bag!!!  Thank you!!!

I got in at around 5pm and then had my archifriend Tim Martin, AIA be our representative for the afternoon cocktail party and I was ready for the networking dinner for that night which was with Nichiha at the Arrogant Butcher in a private dining room and they are the greatest hosts, and they get the best swag of the show award from me :)  More about Nichiha and their presentation at the Biltmore later.

The Nichiha Team

Nichiha Siding

Vern Swaback standing next to Frank Lloyd Wright 

So, I knew that I was going to be in Scottsdale, AZ so I called the office of an architect who I met a few years ago when I was here with a friend who was visiting their office for a project and I got to tag along for a few hours with Vern Swaback of Swaback Partners.  Now for those who don't know who Vern is, let me tell you of an architect who you might know, and that would be Frank Lloyd Wright.  Vern Swaback was the youngest intern at Taliesin and Taliesin West, as he is one of the people who can still tell the stories of being an apprentice at the studio.  I just love to listen to the stories that he tells of Wright but also he speaks of Buckminster Fuller and just of his life and his philosophy which is just appreciation of creativity and life and it is just the most positive experience being there in his studio and being among his work and books and out in the courtyard that he shares with his daughter's adjacent interiors studio.

Vern Swaback

Two of Vern Swaback's books that he gave to me and signed,
available on Amazon

Vern Swaback Interview, Click here


SWABACK PARTNERS


Now, the blog is out of time sequence as far as the Symposium itinerary, but I wanted this interview to coincide with the night at Taliesin West, that was on Friday and also the 19th birthday of my youngest son, Griffin. So there are a lot of photos that I took from that night and the view of Taliesin West with my boys, sponsored by George of Pella Windows and Doors, who always do a great job of hosting a party for CRAN.

PELLA WINDOWS AND DOORS

Good night!  more of CRAN Symposium to come in the days ahead!!!