A TRIBUTE Bill Caudill , with fellow professor John M. Rowlett , founded a firm in 1946 that was to grow into CRS Group, now CRS/Sirrine , Inc . , an international architecture , engineering, project management, and construction firm. He gained national prominence for his contributions to design , research , practice, and education . A presentation of Bill Caudill's life and major accomplishments follows.
THE PERSON He was a leader of people - caring and determined to educate and nurture to the fullest the capabilities of those working with him. Thus the team concept, without pretentious posturing and the prima donna image; thus the warmth and strength which dominated his professional and personal life . Some people believe that he was an ordinary person who dared to think and do things that were out of the ordinary. It is plain that he had professional audacity while remaining personally unpretentious. And becaus~ he gave the impression of being a self-mockmg, ordinary person while succeeding as a man and as an architect, he became a role model for many younger architects. He believed that people were more important than buildings - that architecture is for people to enjoy; that a good building properly designed to human needs helps the learner to learn , the sick to recover, the worker to work, the shopper to shop; that great buildings stretch human potential through inspiration. He believed that composing space and form artistically into meaningful architecture requires
great skill. He had great compositional skills. He loved diversity, different ideas, different cultures , different conditions - and he had the capacity to adapt to change . He was a theoretical and practical man . His books, especially Architecture and You, ordered and systematized knowledge for lay persons to appreciate architecture. His research in energy efficiency and environmental controls sought practical applications for revised theories. ''There must be a balance between practice and theory. All theory and no practice won't do. All practice without theoretical reasoning is worse'' . He was a great reductionist. He could reduce complex information to simple terms . He could clarify and simplify an issue and tackle it specificially. He could get right to the heart of a problem and identify a concept as the solution which established him as a conceptual thinker. He believed in looking forward- seldom looking back - measuring ideas in terms of the future - planning for, rather than reacting to change.
THE EARLY YEARS Bill's parents were Walter W. Caudill ( 1880-1965) and Josephine Moores Caudill (1890-1974). He was born in Hobart, Oklahoma. "My Dad and his dad before him had grocery stores./ worked in grocery stores on Saturdays and summers while in junior high school, high school, and part of my college days. I was sick of the grocery business . Yet our first offices in Austin and in College Station were over grocery stores(!)" - W.W.C. Bill 's mother Josephine (later Kaneski) was a manager and buyer for a women's hat department in an Oklahoma City store for many years and was a major influence on Bill's character and attitudes toward people and the world of work. Bill had the photo on the far left tacked to his bulletin board with the question: " Which is the real Bill Caudill?" The answer is: the one on the far right with the beanie is Bill. Caudill attended Central High School in Oklahoma City and played trombone in the marching band . He was elected president of his senior class in 1932 . At Oklahoma State University he was the young man named as Outstanding Graduate in 1937 . Bill won a scholarship in 1938 and graduated from MIT with a Masters Degree in Architecture. At MIT, Caudill and fellow student Lois Worley collaborated and won a national design competition .
Bill served two years in the Navy (1944-1945) as a carpenter' s mate in the Pacific . Color-blindness and a speech impediment kept him out of the Officers ' Candidate School.
Bill met Edith Woodman of Elk City, Oklahoma while attending Oklahoma State University. They were married in 1939 while Caudill was teaching design at Texas A&M University. They had two children: Susan and Bill, Jr.
This photo recorded the first day at work: March 1, 1946. The firm of Caudill and Rowlett at Austin, Texas soon moved to College Station so both partners could teach full-time and practice part-time.
Initially Bill leamedJo fly the firm's small plane to service clients in Texas cities not easily reached from Colle,ge Station through commercial airlines at tha1 time, i.e. San Angelo, Tyler, Mesquite . Later he bought his own plane and found flying a relaxing hobby. He flew for more I than 25 years and sold his last airplane only three years ago. ''I've sold the duck . .. what a wonderful bird. Just like having two airplanes at once - a sea plane and a land plane. . .
Bill was working for the university architect at Oklahoma State University when he first met Aleen Plumer Harrison of Perry, Oklahoma who was attending school there. In 1974, both having been widowed, they married.
"Flying an amphibian is like practicing architecture. We architects are amphibians. We practice on the beach where the world of science and engineering overlaps with the world of arts and humanities. Our danger lies in becoming too obsessed with only one world, forgetting how to operate in the others. But so much for philosophy. Back to flying.
"Flying has been important to me . It's fed my ego. Offered relaxation. Gave me a social life outside of my profession. Some of the nicest and most interesting people fly. Provided unusual vacations for my family ; however, my young son (who thought the Caudills were underprivileged) once said, 'Dad, why can't we go on vacations in cars like other people ?' " W.W.C. Dec . 1979 TIB
DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS Many people remember his creative leadership, his astuteness , his ability as a designer, as an architect. But most people who knew him well remember his accessibility, his humanity, his good humor, his good will . He was an incredibly warm and human person, not a cold and distant guru . While each person who sketched him perceived him differently, each knew that his sketch would be well received .
CREATIVE ARCJIITECT Caudill referred to himself as a " hard-nosed" practitioner, yet he' was known as an innovator in design - both as a process and a product. He pioneered a poogramming method and the "squatters" techl}ique - both of which intended to solve communication problems . He was known as a creative school designer in the 1950's and the 1960's. He was often asked by organizations and publications to project new hypothetical school models into the future: 1954
" New Schools , Economy Too" , LIFE
1957
"A School for Tomorrow ", The School Executive
1957
" Schools of the Future", a research project sponsored by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association
1958
"Johnny Goes to High School", Systems for Educators
1959
"The Case of the Busted Box ", New Schools for New Education, Educational Facilities Laboratory
1964
" In Education , the Most Important Number is One'', American Association of School Administrators (Revised below)
1977
From Infancy to Infinity, published jointly by CRS and Herman Miller, Inc.
The "Squatters"
"The CRS squatters was invented to solve a communication problem . "It came early. We were working on our first school project - two elementary schools for Blackwell, Oklahoma, 525 miles away from our office over the grocery store in College Station, Texas . We were having a most difficult time getting the preliminary plans approved. It seemed that we made at least four round trips trying to get the board to say "yes". It was always "no". Patience, enthusiasm, and money were running short. Finally I said (at least /' ll take credit for it) to Wallie Scott, " Wallie, we are going to lose our shirts if we don't do something quick . How about you and me loading the drafting boards in your car (my car was so old it wouldn't stand the trip), driving to Blackwell, and squatting like Steinbeck's Okies in the board room until we get the damn plans approved?" So we did. The main thing that happened was this: In trying to find a way to lick the distance problem, we happened upon a truth that should have lbeen obvious to us all the time - the client/users want to get into the act of planning, and when they do there is no reason to get approval because then that is automatic. The communication problem is solved." W.W.C. Architecture by Team
Programming In 1950 Caudill wrote in the first section of a report, "Programming School Building Needs" : "What is programming? It is simply finding out the problem . You cannot solve a problem unless you know what it is . In one meaning architecture design is solving problems. Programming is determining them. " With this statement Caudill established the theory of programming at CRS. He was later to develop the "analysis card" technique as a means of communication between the client and the architect - a useful technique in both programming and design .
First Schools
The LIFE School .
The Blackwell schools were published in an article in Colliers magazine in 1950 written by a young architectural editor, Walter McQuade (who is now a member of the Board of Editors for Fortune magazine). For the next 20 years Caudill would be known as a school architect with design commissions for schools, colleges, and universities- in the 1950's in Oklahoma and Texas and in the 1960's nationally and internationally, in 26 states and 8 foreign countries . In 1955 Edward R. Murrow interviewed him on "See it Now"- a report on education. In 1970 he was selected as "Planner of the Year" by the Council of Educational Facilities Planners at Columbus, Ohio .
In 1954 Caudill designed for LIFE magazine an elementary school of quadruplex units (fourclassroom units) which contained a bank of ideas that were later incorporated separately into actual designs. CRS designed various models of the quadruplex unit . In the state of Washington some 200 classrooms in quadruplex units were submitted that year for state approval.
''Behind the grill are the 'outdoor toilets'. We told the school board that if we could use outdoor corridors, we could give them two extra classrooms. They needed the space . Legally this was a Caudill Rowlett school because Texas and Oklahoma architectural registration boards were fussing - but both Scott and Pena played very strong parts in designing this school. Scott and I made up the first squatters where we 'lived in the school board room for a week'. Design was started in 1948. Philip A. Wilber was the associate architect, our first ." W. W.C. Architecture by Team
Mears Photo
In 1955 Caudill incorporated the split-level classroom idea from the LIFE school into the design of the Peter Pan School in Andrews, Texas: tiled flooring on the upper level and carpet on the lower level. . . making these the first carpeted classrooms in America.
Creative School Designs A&M Consolidated High School, College Station , Texas. Designed in 1953 this school had movable partitions and storage units but no doors. "Into this school the designers have for the first time transplanted one of the root ideas of the twentieth century architecture, the open interior plan. ' ' Architectural Forum , April 1955
Roland Chatham
Moore Junior High School, Tyler, Texas (1954). "Note the extensive use of the interior glass . We wanted the children to have no feeling of confinement . We wanted the teachers to feel they were in a family of teachers . This school is transitional between the self-contained classroom and the open plan school with team teaching" . W.W.C. Architecture by Team
Central High School, San Angelo, Texas (1955) . Designed as an eleven-building campus, this school was one of the first specificially designed for air-conditioning. "Classroom buildings have relatively little glazing on the exterior. This keeps the heat gain down and ,makes airconditioning more economic. Care was taken also to keep glass shaded frorp the sun.' ' Architectural Forum, Novem,ber 1958 Phillip H. Hiss
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"The last drawing suggests a new kind of learning space, at least new to the public schools, but certainly familiar to boys and girls who have a nook in their attic, garage, or barn which they can call their own and in which they can pursue creative learning activities. It advocates the use of an enormous barn ; good, cheap space that provides a large number of nooks, crannies, and cubicles for independent research projects . In essence, this barn for learning is a place in which to exercise creativity." w.w.c . 1959
The Dome School An Open Plan for Team Teaching In 1957 Caudill first wondered if a large columnfree dome would be a good solution to the need for convertibility to allow teaching activities to flow forth in a desired direction . In 1960 he lead a team in the design of a Dome School for about 150 children and a team of six teachers . Because a bond issue failed, Port Arthur (Texas) abandoned plans for the building; however, it was built in 1963 as P.S. 219 in Flushing, New York - a demonstration school for Queens College.
'' The plan is intended to permit teachers the greatest freedom in arrangiflg student groups of varying sizes and to permit free circulation flow in the three-level open space. So as not to interrupt the space, utilities are at three perimeter points. " Architectural Forum , May 1961
John Bintliff
The Olin Hall of Science,
Cypress College,
Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado (1961)
Cypress, California (1970)
••••I• Caudill worked with 30 of the scientists who would use the building to come up with the con,cept of a perimeter chase wall. ' 'The laboratory wing of this science building achieves a high degreee of flexibility by wrapping mechanical services around interior spaces. .. it is a "grasshopper" chase wall - an exoskeleton architecture, with load-bearing brick walls and post-stressed concrete beams- providing column-free, convertible space . .. careful but limited use of pierced windows simplified mechanical problems and helped give the building an indigenous quality both in keeping with the region and with the older buildings on the campus." Architectural Record, January 1965
Because he realized that this was a commuter college, Caudill visualized huge parking lots surrounding the college buildings much as in a shopping center. He also realized that each building would require truck service access . Caudill 's concept for the college was a bi-level campus. Pedestrian and vehicular traffic are separated by a raised plaza which connects all major buildings. Each building is serviced by trucks from the street level.
CRS Office Building
United States Embassy
Houston, Texas (1968)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1981)
"The deceptively simple building is purposely, and admirably, restrained, due in large part to certain physical and psychological program requirements . With directness and a sensitive com~ mitment to its site , the building is exactly what It was intended to be, without timidity and without loss of its own integrity. It is essentially a onestory, open glass box reinforced with concrete frames. Not only is no prime space given over to executives in the spacious loft space, but there are no enclosed offices at all. Instead , there are multiwork stations where constant interaction and team work are encouraged among the entire staff I . . -from directors to mail clerl<s , from engmeers to graphic designers - in one of the largest installations of the "office land~cape " concept in the country. The easily movable furniture system can be arranged into new configurations as need for new spaces and faciliti~ arises. The need for privacy was taken into account by providing 14 small conference rooms that are enclosed to prevent noise from disturbing the neighboring work areas." Progressive Architecture, 1970
Below are quotes by the Embassy staff concerning the architectural image the new Embassy should portray: - "Everything has to function efficiently". - "Speak softly and carry a big stick - architecturally." - "The Saudis appreciate the subtleties of architecture". - "It should have a feeling of permanency." - " We want to impress both the Saudis and our people. It should convey solidity, strength, and power - in a quiet way." - "The Embassy should look American impress , not intimidate." The next two statements were expressed by Saudi Arabian officials: - "The Embassy should be magnificent." - "To a certain degree, the Embassy should be both American and Saudi. But make sure the visitor knows he's in Riyadh." W.W.C. PROBES, Reconnaissance for the American Embassy , 1979
THE AUTHOR, THE SPEAKER Prolific Author He became an expert communicator of ideas with his speeches , drawings, and writings . He wrote 12 books and over 80 articles and research reports. He developed a very personal style. He wrote as he spoke and vice versa . There was much flavor to his one or two liners . Perhaps the student, who had difficulty putting a complete sentence together when he entered the university, learned early to condense his thoughts to clear, concise prose. Popular Speaker For the first half of his life, Bill Caudill stuttered very badly. He said that he first became interested in architecture because he wanted to communicate only through drawings - preferably staying at the rear of some drafting room. He gradually overcame this early handicap. Because of his speech impediment Bill no doubt resorted to plain talk, rather than using esoteric words, which together with his clear thinking, frankness, and good humor eventually made him a favorite speaker among educators, design professionals , and students . He spoke at numerous professional meetings and universities delivering over 200 speeches .
Architecture By Team - New Concept for the Practice of Architecture Van Nostrand Reinhold 1971
Excerpts from the Foreword '' The end of the modem revolution in architectural design had just about been reached by the time of the mid-forties , and the era of the modem revolution in architectural practice had begun . Few realized what was happening at the time . All of the great modem masters, Mies, Wright, Gropius, Corbusier were alive and well and active. But architects, generally, were illprepared for coping with the great demands and necessities of the post-war building boom. " Of the prophets of the time, one of the earliest was Bill Caudill. He would readily admit that his vision of the future certainly did not encompass all that eventually came to pass , but he knew things were going to happen in architecture, and he expected to master them. The controversy, the change, the philosophy of Bill Caudill and CRS, as well as the concept and practice by team, are the subjects of this book" . William Dudley Hunt , Jr. , FAIA Washington, D. C. February 1971
"The day of the prima donna approach to designing buildings has passed. The new way is by team . Almost any team can produce mere shelter, but to produce buildings which possess architecture takes a new kind of team - one sensitive to human needs and values. The idea of architecture by team has three underlying secondary ideas: (1) the team is a genius, (2) the client user is a member of the team, and (3) the team is an ever-expanding unit, not limited to the design profession ." W.W.C. Preface
Architecture and You -How to Experience and Enjoy Buildings Whitney Library of Design 1978
Architecture is a personal, enjoyable, necessary experience. Buildings are for people to enjoy. The most important thing any specific building can do is respond to human needs -physical, emotional, and intellectual.
The historical styles warrant study. Remember, there is a great diff! rence between real historical styles and the labels found in real estate ads. It's the difference betWeen style and "style". Style mirrors the culturl? when it was built. "Style" mocks. A building has a ,time quality. Knowledgeable observers can tell how old a building is . The search for eye-pleasing proportion is never ending. Technology helps determine what seems right. So does scale. The language of architects, critics, and historians includes scores of different scales. Each will fall into one of three categories -physical, associative, and effectual.
A ~uilding is made up of space and form . There are two kinds of space - static and dynamic. And three kinds of form- plastic, pia~- nar, skeletal.
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History tells much about what buildings do, how successfully they have functioned .
Composing space and form artistically into meaningful and beautiful totaljorm requires great skill. Architects are not all alike. Some have greater compositional skills than others. Their buildings show it.
Buildings relate to societal needs . Buildings are the fullfilment of these needs. A nation's buildings reflect social goals.
Excellent buildings must have the architect's love and tender care from the mass to the smallest detail.
In the psychological sense, buildings help or hinder.
If the design of the small connections is skillfully handled, there's a good chance that the building will be a good one. Details reveal architects' competence as much as anything.
The rules of color relate to the experience and perception of the person who experiences the color. Light is the architect's medium as much as brick and steel. Great buildings have a sustaining quality. How a building grows and develops is a strong consideration because most buildings grow. If not, certainly they are refitted for change of function and efficiency. There can be no new forms and greater spaces unless technology permits .
There has always been symbolism. Some build-, ings are themselves symbols. Architects search for simple, clear expressions in space and form, although at times complexity and ambiguity have been admired and designed into buildings either consciously or subconsciously. Energy conservation is a design determinant . It may be the new formgiver.
A successful building achieves a successful balance of function, form, economy, and time. You are the final judge as to whether a specific building possesses architecture. In the case of a building having design excellence, the more you know about the building the more intense will be your architecture experience. With more knowledge there is deeper appreciation which provides more enjoyment.
The ground and sky connections - where building meets earth and sky - are the most important connections.
The Course Of Architecture in a Decade of Discontinuity This was the formal dissertation by Caudill on the occasion of his receiving an honorary doctorate degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Guadalajara , Mexico on May 18, 1979. Brief excerpts follow below:
Some people are bird watchers. Some people are girl watchers . I am a river watcher. My favorite river is the Brazos river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles southwest of Houston. The Brazos has such erratic behavior. It is continually trying to change its course . And often does . I fly my little airplane every few weeks to observe the wandering Brazos and to trace old courses by the location and number of isolated curved lakes it has created. These curved lakes are called oxbows. The name comes from the U-shaped frame forming a collar about an ox's neck. In my time , I have seen three oxbows created by that lively river. Like the Brazos river, we architects are lively and erratic . We are never sure where we want to go. The course of architecture in this century has taken on the same character of indecisiveness as my favorite river. When we architects change directions , we often leave oxbows.* One , for example , is the isolated, out of the main stream, philosophical teachings and techniques of Frank Lloyd Wright. Another is what were the internationally accepted beliefs of Le Corbusier.
*Although the river has passed by, oxbows make for good fishing . Architects love to go back in history and fish out of these philosophical oxbows .
A new oxbow is beginning to take form. The philosophy and formulas of Mies van der Rohe are forcefully being cut off from the main stream of thought by a group called the Post Modernists who are dedicated to changing the course of architecture. This change makes good press.
"machine aesthetics." Not contrived ironic humor of the current mannerism. Not playful historicism. Not being witty. Design excellence will be achieved by serious architects rationally solving serious human problems. We are still endowed with intellect.
The 70's is a difficult period to understand. For one thing, there is no agreement as to precisely where architecture is going . Like the Brazos river, architecture is changing its course, forming a new oxbow. The fact is: Architecture is taking several courses simultaneously.
2. By remembering that architecture is for people. Helping to solve their total problems relating to life enrichment, improved work environments, health care, inflation, environmental concerns, and energy, among others. That is what architectural practice is all about. It is not the self-expression of an artist.
Post Modern architects encourage creativity. They challenge designers to provide more, specifically for psychic needs through scale, variety, familiar form, and ornamentation. They are a bit naive about the real world of architectural practice, but are sincere. They are very frustrated. Some were trapped in the Mies box. They are trying to break out with beautiful words, if not with inspirational buildings. But they are trying. Frankly, I love this exciting decade. As a practitioner, I am grateful to the Post Modernists for shaking our complacency and getting us out of the rut. It's been a decade of disturbing discontinuity, but architects will be the better for it. More important, the users of their buildings will benefit. How can we architects reach a higher plateau of design excellence during the next decade? Here is the way my colleagues and I think it can be done: I. By maintaining a rational design approach. Not the "rational expression" of Mies' buildings; they were not rational. Not superficial
3. By having a balanced design approach. The singular, formalistic approach advocated by most Post Modernists is too lopsided. Function, form, economy and time are inseparable ; a four-in-one situation. In the design process, or in the critique of design, the four must be considered simultaneously, not just form alone. One final thought: In my career, there has never been a better time to design. What a wonderful decade to be an architect! The Mies box is busted. Dogmas of Wright, Corbusier, and Gropius ahve merged into a state of symbiosis. If the modern movement is dead, I'll not cry. It served its purpose. It leaves with us the residual belief that in the design process, the major, history sustaining design principle is that function, form, economy, and time are indivisible. I believe this may be the one design principle that will never end up in an oxbow.
THE EDUCATOR
Caudill taught design at Texas A&M University for a total of six years before and after World War II . He was the Director of the School of Architecture at Rice University between 1961 and 1969 and held a Chair of Architecture there for another two years. At Rjce he introduced a Preceptorship Program jn which students work in professional offices and a Design Fete, a variation of the squatters team, in which leading professionals come to the school to work with students on a project for an intensive two weeks. He wanted to make the School more like his office and his office more like the School. He thrived on his exposure to students and new ideas, but he was highly critical of programs which minimized the teaching of design. He visited four or five universities a year. He was a visiting critic or lecturer at over 35 universities.
Architectural Education In Architecture by Team Caudill discussed seven paradoxes in architectural education. Here are four of them:
1. THINK AND DO â&#x20AC;˘ Should the student be taught to rely on the broad bases of the, intellectual , interdisciplinary rationale, but risking to know "little about a lot of thi~gs?" Or should the student be taught marketable skills in a competitive profession, but ri'sking a " trade school" education which may stifle professional growth ? 2. MASTER TEACHER OR TEAM TEACHING Should the student have a master teacher for a deep understanding of one philosophy, but risking a narrowness and an exclusion of other philosophies? Or should the student have many strong teachers and understand many philosophies to formulate his own , but risking overexposure and confusion ? 3. GENERALIST OR SPECIALIST Should students be given a general education to deal with broad scope and become aware of interrelationships, but risking to have no depth in an aspect? Or should students specialize to achieve depth needed to contribute, but risking to become too specialized, approaching problems with too limited points of view? 4 . INTEGRATED CURRICULUM VS . UNLIMITED CAFETERIA CURRICULUM Should the curriculum be integrated to unify the various subjects into one general course , but risking the imposition of limits on individual courses students may take ? Or should the curriculum offer an unlimited variety of options to fulfill individual needs, but risking a pursuit in so many different directions that they provide "too many loose ends" and disconnected education ?
From Infancy to Infinity CRS and Herman Miller, Inc ., 1977
"Education has no age limits . Six-month old children learn to swim. Forty-year old professionals change careers . Sixty-year student pilots solo. Seventy-year old skilled mechanics go back to college." "EDUCATION PROCEEDS FROM INFANCY TO INFINITY" "Education concerns selfjulfillment and life enrichment. Education provides a volution of experiences - some deliberate, some fortuitous. -1 As the growth spirals increase, so does the momentum. It is this educative momentum that produces the vital person ."
In 1964 Bill Caudill addressed the Annual Convention of the American Association of School Administrators with a slide presentation entitled "In Education the Most Important Number is I". His fellow professor at Rice University, Charles Schorre, provided graphic illustration . His Educational Consultant was Dr. Archibald B. Shaw- Editor of OVERVIEW magazine . Thirteen years later in 1977 Bill Caudill and Charles Schorre took another look at education and the individual and came up with FROM INFANCY TO INFINITY publisbed jointly by CRS and Herman Miller, Inc . "What is education? It is a prpcess . Sometimes continuous, sometimes contin11al - but neverending. Learning is the essence of education. Learning is generated withi!J a person. Learning flows outward, ever expanding as if it were following the spiral configuration of a conch shell. Learning reaches beyond the person , but always returns . So, education is personal. It fosters the individual."
"A well-educated person is an intellectually dynamic person with a large achievement radius - self-motivated, self-actuated, moved by an inner centrifugal force. The greater the radius, the greater the momentum . The large radius portrays intellectual penetration . Penetration connotes specialization and highly developed skills in certain fields." "A nation cannot survive, certainly not thrive, unless a large number of its people are welleducated and specialized. A nation needs individuals who are specialists - doctors, lawyers, artists, engineers, scientists, architects, and paraprofessionals. Building trade specialists, machine operators, machine mechanics, electronic repair specialists, hair stylists, sales people, and chefs. It's back to the individual. Everyone must have a specialty and do it well. As someone said, 'Better to be a competent plumber than an incompetent philosopher' . To excel is self-satisfying." W.W.C.
THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHER The Antinomies of Architecture Let's delve into the antinomies of architecture those contradictions between two equally valid principles . In doing so , we prepare for the future. By acknowledging these contradictions, we have a better understanding of our own confusion, if nothing else . We learn that architecture operates on the beach where arts and science overlap together with many other disciplines. Practicing on the beach in this post-modern period of philosophical multiplicity, we architects become full of bias, as well as bull. We choose sides. Often the wrong ones, but that's not so bad.
5 . An architect must be practical. But also shouldn't the architect be abreast and committed to new theory to keep up with the times? 6. The more the architect spends designing, the better the design quality. On the other hand, time isn't necessarlly a factor. The more talent and experience, the better the design . 7. Great buildings respond to human needs with simple elegance and clarity. On the other hand, great buildings have enrichment from ornamentation and intellectual excitement from ambiguity, complexity, (and I should hasten to add) historic allusion - the favorite words of post modernists . In summary, design imperatives are:
I. Some architects believe that solving the total problem is too much of a compromise; so they choose to solve only those problems they can handle best -problems of form, function , economy, structure, construction, energy, life cycleyou name it. The other side is this: architectural programming is problem definition; design is problem solving. So many architects pursue the notion of a total solution to a total problem .
I. That we recognize architecture as a personal experience.
2. Design excellence can best be judged by professional architectural critics . But in the final analysis, isn't the user the real judge?
4 . That design excellence is achievable if architects and engineers find better ways to define the total problem; then advance their design solution that can be built economically with speed.
3. The first consideration of architecture is aesthetics. Another way of putting it is: Architecture is an art. On the other side of the coin: Architecture is a business .
5. That , most importantly, to achieve design excellence we must believe in an evolving architecture, not be seduced by current fads , nor be overly influenced by the architectural theologians who fail to acknowledge technological , political, social, and economic change . W.W.C . A speech given at the I st Design Symposium at the Air Force Academy, 22 June 1982.
4 . Design excellence can best be achieved by a talented, creative individual. On the other hand, the team is the new design genius.
2. That we learn how to achieve a balanced practice where these worlds meet: in the overlap of arts, humanities, science, and engineering . 3. That we acknowledge that there will always be conflicting forces which cause disagreement and confusion among us.
THE POPULIST Caudill relied on his experience as an educator and as an architect to focus on his populist beliefs: that people are more important than buildings and that architecture is for people. Here are excerpts from two articles in the Texas Architect.
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4 . Finally, we come to the schoolhouse in the hierarchy of values. Fourth place. Low? No. The schoolhouse is very, very important to the student. It is the generic place of learning. The largest, most expensive educational tool. Often more 'home' than real home. The physical learning environment. The schoolhouse, as a functional and beautiful space, can promote education efficiency, inspire, and serve the student in the pursuit of knowledge, skills, and wisdom. This would be ideal - a good student with a fine teacher involved in a unique curriculum housed in a superbly designed school . I + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 W. W. C. "That Precious Tomato", Texas Architect, Sept ./Oct. 1978
"There is a hierarchy of values relating to education. Mr. Neutra clearly understood his hierarchy as it relates to the schoolhouse. I . The student always comes first. Better to have a good student than a good teacher. The student will make it, even with a mediocre teacher. 2. The good teacher comes next. How nice to have a good student with a good teacher working together - with the right chemistry, the good teacher can stretch the good student to become an excellent student. Better a good teacher than a clever curriculum.
3. Next comes the curriculum. A good student with a good teacher in a unique program can optimize the development of that student even in a barn, if it doesn ' t get in the way of learning .
"Not many of us reach the last stage of development- professional maturity. It should be our goal. More important than drawings, more important than photographs, more important than experiencing new buildings, this stage carries the architect to a higher humanistic level - the personal commitment that architecture is for people (not for architects), that buildings are to be used, that architecture must transcend art to fulfill human needs physically, emotionally, and intellectually." - William Caudill, F AlA, in Texas Architect, May/June 1983.
THE THEORIST Caudill kept a working file of loose analysis cards under the title "Basics of Design". These cards depicted principles and generalizations derived from his practice. Sample cards are shown below .
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Quality Evaluation In 1960 Caudill began to develop a method of quality evaluation. The method evolved through persistent application. If Function, Form, Economy, and Time were to be major considerations in both programming and design, Caudill reasoned that these could be used as criteria to evaluate all products - buildings to feasibility reports- using individual question sets. Each of the five questions for each of the four factors is evaluated on a scale from one to 10. The final value for each factor is the numerical average of the reponses to the five questions.
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"We Quantified Quality "Like it or not, everyone gives grades. Everyone gets them . School children get them. I take them home every month in the form of money; my salary is my grade. The amount is determined by people who judge the quality of my performance. These is nothing new about assigning numbers to quality of performance.
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"We decided to grade projects which come through the juries. In doing so, we could compare one project with another and the work of one task team with that of another task team. Such a grade, we agreed, must relate to the theory of product and must reflect both the magnitude and balance of function, form, economy, and time at every stage of development all the way to the finished product.'' W. W. C. Architecture by Team
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THE HUMANIST Caudill wrote the first TIB on April 2, 1964. He had decided to put his thoughts down on paper -under the heading of "This I Believe" and shared them with his partners and associates at CRS once a week. He thought ''This I Believe'' was a bit too pretentious so he referred to these one or two-page memos by using the acronym TIBs . For almost 20 years he wrote on numerous subjects within two dozen categories centered on architecture but expanded to cover general interests. His TIBs (over 1000) stand as a testament to a sensitive human being who possessed humor and compassion - and who was first and foremost a humanist.
HISTORY- New Ideas WWC April 1964 History has a terrible habit of completely deflating one. I don't think I have ever had an idea or thought in my life that I didn 't find later on that sorrieone else had had it first - and expressed it more clearly. The joy, however, of doing something "new" is when it is new to you - not necessarily new to the world.
PERSONAL May 1982
Work Ethic
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I love to work because I was bred, educated, and trained to do so. It was my mother who did this dastardly thing to me - gave me the work ethic. She was some kind of woman. I don't know exactly what kind, but I loved her. Taught me that if I loafed, I
would grow up to be like those Kentucky Caudill brothers who sat ar01l nd the pot-bellied stove while their mother brought in the wood. I should have been a natural loafer. One of those brothers was my Dad .
CRS-
Swimming
September 1982
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Despite my swimming I /2 + mile every day I'm in town, I'm not a very good swimmer. I suppose I should have started earlier. As it was, I didn't learn until I hit that power line with my seaplane. It was the following Monday that I started taking lessons at the " Y". I couldn't swim a stroke at the time . I would panic when my nose was submerged. I still get nervous when my head gets wet. But I manage. For several years now I've swum over 100 miles annually. I' ve mastered three styles, two of them my own creation, and I'm working on the fourth.
I. 2. 3. 4.
Caudill's Cardiac Crawl Bastard Backstroke Standard Breaststroke Standard Crawl
THE HUMORIST Caudill's strong sense of humor surfaced in his TIBs - those little memos which brightened many days with pressing deadlines.
PERSONAL- Pressure April 1983
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Read the newspapers; watch TV; go to the office - all we read and hear about these days are the pressures foisted upon us . Take CRS, for example: Pressure caused by impossible deadlines, disgruntled clients, bitchy bosses, diarrheacausing lettings, cliff-hanger proposals, and by nerve-wracking interviews. You name it- we got it. I've had every one of them. None has had the devastating effect of playing in a high school marching band. That's where the pressure presses. I still suffer from the damage to my nervous system from when I played second trombone in the Central High band, Oklahoma City. We probably had the best marching band in the state. When we marched, the trombones made up the front row . I was right pivot- a hell of a re-
sponsibility. What if the drum major signaled to turn left and I got the wrong sign? While the band marched east, I marched west. It happened twice. Now that's pressure!- Real honest to goodness pressure - every time you made a turn . We made lots of turns in three years. Marched all over Oklahoma- literally.That band exacted still worse pressure -playing in an outfit that wouldn't allow you to bring your music. If you haven' t done it, try it . It's difficult , to read music while you march , and it looks tacky. So I had to memorize 32 marches. Now anyone who knows me, knows that my memory is awful. Perhaps it was the band experience that gave me brain damage. Trombones tattle. You ! can't fake it. Either you are playing the notes or you are not. Most anyone can, if you aren' t "out of step" with the black dots. What pressure though. Finally, if you know your marches, you know that at the end of the piece there is a " button" or there isn't. A button is a singular closing note . It's the one that " buttons up the piece" . Now when the march doesn't have a button, but you give it one, it's embarrassing as hell. Band competitions can be lost . You can be ostracized by your peers. The band director can delay, if not cancel promotions. And that's why I never made first chair: I soloed many times with that last unwanted note - winning the unpopularity contest every time. The terrible pressure that builds up in the middle of a march when your mind goes blank: Is there a button or isn't there? It's enough to make one go mad. These days when people tell me about the pressure they're under, I'm not impressed; I played in a high school marching band.
THE RESEARCHER Caudill founded the Architectural Division of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station at Texas A&M University and led a research team (19461949) in basic studies of natural ventilation and natural lighting of school buildings. He summed up this research in his book Toward Better School Design (1953). He firmly believed that research could be the fountainhead for innovation, for new solutions to problems in school design. During the energy crisis in 1974 researchers again turned to these studies , but this time, for architectural solutions to the energy problem . Caudill also turned to these studies and now with 25 years of practice to implement them, co-authored A Bucket of Oil- The Humanistic Approach to Building Design For Energy Conservation . How air and light behave in a classroom. WWC, Toward better school design, 1953
"Light from the sun is free. Light from the power plant must be paid for. For economy, the ar,chitect should design schools to make use of natural light as much as possible. The use of natural ventilation is the most economical means of providing air supply to school children, and also natural ventilation is efficient. Most mechanical ventilation systems cannot provide as many air changes as can be provided by natural breezes. Natural growth also can be used to an economical advantage. Proper placement of trees will cut fuel cost in the cold months and will aid ventilation in the warm months ." WWC, 1941 Space for Teaching
Characteristically a frank and open person , Caudill transferred the practice of publishing research studies from the academic world to his professional field. His firm published a total of 4 2 research reports between 1950 and 197 5 . More recently, as Director of CRS/Sirrine Research, Caudill inititated yet another series of research reports for the 1980's.
We can learn how to save energy - how best to use a bucket of oil. We have the technology. Can we learn to fulfill the needs of the human being at the same time? WWC 1974, Bucket of Oil
THE TRAVELER/ARTIST Caudill considered himself fortunate to be included on study tours with U.S. delegations to foreign countries. The rest of us were fortunate to share in his travel experiences through his daily memos accompanied by sketches - later published in booklet form: An Architect's View of West Germany 1958 Impression of post-war planning/ construction 1969
Memos From Russia, A study - industrialization of the building process in Russia and England
1975
Memos From Egypt, Joint U.S. -Egyptian study group on building materials and building technology
1983
Memos From Indonesia, Pleasure/Enlightenment trip
Similarly he would sketch incessantly during offhours when he traveled as a consultant: 1960 American International School, New Delhi, India 1963
Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
1965
Community Facilities Program, Santiago, Chile
1965
University of Bariloche, Bariloche, Argentina
1977
University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
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Educational endowments announced in memory of William Wayne Caudill The life and work of William Wayne Caudill, FAIA, Founder of Caudill Rowlett Scott, Architects, now part of CRS Sirrine Inc., will be memorialized through educational endowments to be established at the architectural schools of three major universities: The William Wayne Caudill Student Research Fellowship at Texas A&M; The William Wayne Caudill Student Traveling Fellowship at Oklahoma State; and the William Wayne Caudill Lecture Series for Students at Rice . Each endowment in the amount of $100 ,000 will be funded by contributions from friends and colleagues of Bill Caudill. Tax deductible checks may be addressed to: Texas A&M University Development Foundation Address: 610 Sterling Evans Library College Station, Texas 77843 (Note on check) William Wayne Caudill Student Research Fellowship Rice University The William W. Caudill Memorial Fund Address: School of Architecture Rice University P.O . Box 1892 Houston, Texas 77001 (Note on check) Student Lecture Series OSU Foundation Address: School of Architecture Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078 (Note on check) William Wayne Caudill Student Traveling Fellowship