Student Profile John Costello (MArch ‘17) Carpenter brings passion for making and eco-conscious design to architecture studies by Angelina Bruno Architecture student and on-the-side carpenter John Costello arrived from a jobsite in paintsplattered t-shirt and shorts, a sharpened pencil in hand. It was clear from his constant spatial descriptions and gesturing that he was resisting the urge to draw. When he began to describe the foreclosure house he just purchased on Buffalo’s West Side, he could resist no longer. He quickly sketched the three-story frame, and then added wavy lines to indicate where he will replace the front façade with a 20-foot glass curtain wall for passive solar heating. A thermal covering for the glass – extended and retracted via a manually operated wheel – will protect it from the extreme winter cold. A hinged attic floor will create magnificent loft space while supporting heat transfer from the glass façade. Costello also intends to complete the project by repurposing or upcycling materials from the waste stream. While the endeavor may seem overly ambitious, it’s business as usual for Costello, who has entered the Master of Architecture program after just completing his undergraduate studies at age 38. The self-taught carpenter who once drove 11 days straight to Costa Rica to surf and re-engineered his Volkswagen to run on vegetable oil has always been comfortable pushing his limits, working with his hands and questioning the status quo when it comes to the environment. / ABOVE John Costello assembles a new roofing system for his home on Buffalo’s West Side. Costello says his energy-conscious restoration is a “playful” and awareness-raising architectural response to the climate crisis. Photo by Mahan Mehrvarz (MArch ‘16)
Costello, who has just received UB’s prestigious Arthur A. Schomberg Fellowship, plans to fold the home rehab into his academic exploration of ecological practices and material culture at the Buffalo School. It’s also in line with his plans to build a residential-based practice focused on sustainable design, building and living. “Instead of dealing with [the climate crisis] like it’s a problem, I’m interested in architectural responses that can both raise awareness about what’s happening and playfully give solutions.” says Costello. Referring to the interactive nature of his glass façade concept, he adds: “You may want to live in the house just to turn the wheel.”
While Costello is certainly at home as an architect, his path to the profession has been anything but direct. The Western New York native struggled academically in high school, moving to North Carolina after graduation to work for his mother’s paint contracting business. He later worked for a building contractor, developing his skillset in carpentry. After picking up surfing, he set his sights on warmer weather and water.