Q&A

Q: What reasons are you pursuing architecture, and could you explain your passion and aspirations for your future in the profession?

A: In high school, I realized that architecture was my dream profession. Since I don’t come from a family of architects, as many of the other students in Munich do, I decided to study architecture after quite a lot of consideration. And I am very happy to have taken this step. It truly is my passion, and something I feel deeply about pursuing for the rest of my life.

Above all, I want to give something back in my life, perhaps make the lives of others a bit better or help them through architecture and the built environment. That is my main goal as I approach the remainder of undergraduate studies and eventually graduate studies.

Q: Why did you choose to study at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana?

A: For the mandatory year abroad at my home university, we can choose to study at more than 80 universities in over 35 countries. Having travelled to the United States several years ago, I knew that I wanted to spend some more time exploring the States and experiencing different cultures and societies.

Thus I chose the University of Illinois Architecture Program. More importantly, the close contact and dynamic with the professors in the studios appealed to me. The courses in Munich are structured quite differently. Additionally, I am really interested in campus life, because there’s no such thing in Germany.

Q: How is Chicago studio proving beneficial for your work and your first semester here in the states?

A: The Chicago Studio is an extremely unique opportunity. I’ve never had a studio that had as much real-world material and dynamic as the Chicago studio. You work very closely with so many companies and authorities, which is really beneficial. Especially in order to better know and understand the American culture, which is very different from the German culture in many respects, the Chicago studio taught me a lot.

Particularly from this point of view, it was the perfect decision to choose the studio. Professor Hinders, and the students I have been lucky enough to work along side with and get to know, have all made my experience in Chicago/Illinois that much better.

Q: What are the differences between your college studies in Germany, versus in Illinois?

A: Of course, this question can only reflect my experiences in Chicago. In Munich, similar to here, there is always a studio and minor subjects. The studio takes up most of the time. However, you don’t have close contact with the professor, as you do here, but work with so-called assistants. With the assistants, you can usually review your design work once a week. The rest of the study program is very similar.

Q: What has been the highlights of your time in Chicago thus far?

A: The most predominant highlight is getting to know so many really incredible people. The hospitality in the USA is simply breathtaking. There is nothing better than to have friendships from all over the world. Also the American college life, which is more of a cliché from a German point of view, is really great and enjoyable on all facets. Otherwise, of course, the possibilities Chicago offers, with its many different regions offers so many upsides and highlights.

Additionally, trips I have been able to make so far this semester outside of Illinois have been another main highlight. My trips have including Florida and Washington D.C. Driving around to various places such as Plano, IL to see the Farnsworth House with other graduate students was also incredibly fun. All in all, my time here has been everything I could’ve imagined, and more.

Max B. with three other University of Illinois Architecture students attending a home football game against Penn State.

Sketches, Photography, and Design Alumni, Professional, and Student Artwork

Gedeon L. Trias, AIA, NCARB Director of Design | Larson & Darby Group

Education

Master of Architecture

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Licenses

Illinois, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, North Carolina, Wyoming

Affiliations

American Institute of Architects (AIA)

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)

Ged is a firm principal and serves as the director of design for Larson & Darby Group (LDG). In that role he is responsible for the development of design direction for projects at LDG and the execution of that direction by the design staff. Ged has been involved in a wide array of project types, serving as project designer and design principal on large, medium and small-scale academic, commercial, corporate/industrial, liturgical, medical, municipal, and residential projects. A number of these projects have received both local and national recognition for design excellence.

Ged has also been the recipient of a number of other awards including the Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship, the Long Travelling Fellowship, and was twice selected as First Alternate for the prestigious Francis J. Plym Travelling Fellowship from the University of Illinois. His competition design work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, and internationally in Australia and Japan. His work has also been included in a national travelling exhibition and exhibited at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.

Ged’s broad skillset also includes a mastery of current design technology including AutoCAD, Revit, & 3D Studio software packages, among many others. His expertise has been featured in a variety of media from print to internet. This expertise has also allowed Ged the opportunity to consult with software developers on future product direction as well as present on the subject at national user conferences.

Exline

Designing a City on Mars

The Mars work was the result of an interesting competition sponsored by Hewlett Packard and the Launch Forth group (www.launchforth.io) . The competition brief was to design a city of 1 million people on Mars, which is something I don’t get to do everyday in my regular practice. I’d long had an interest in the conceptual proposition, so I relished the opportunity to wrap my head around the problem. Some of the lessons learned in the City renderings were brought to bear in this project, so much so that I named the project “Exline” in a not so subtle nod to Gerry. As with a lot of work, when it’s done, all you can see are the mistakes, but the entries I’d made ended up being finalists in each of the competitions that I’d entered, but did not receive any of the main prizes, however it did open up some other unexpected opportunities that may bear fruit in the future.

FUTURE CITY ITERATIVE RENDERS City Renderings

The City renderings came to be after an opportunity to meet Gerry Exline last year at Illinois. I’d followed Gerry’s work and others who had followed in his footsteps such as Lebbeus Woods for many years starting as an undergraduate student, and the opportunity to meet Gerry at a workshop and view an exhibition of his work was something I could not miss. I’d enjoyed learning more about his process and it inspired me to explore those methods in translation with the 3d tools of todays practice. Gerry’s renderings had always invited a world of exploration in the space of a few deftly placed lines, and the 3d models created in my explorations offered similar opportunities. I’ve enjoyed finding the hidden vistas within the context of these 3d sketch models. I’ve even taken the opportunity to explore these renderings in VR, giving me a hint of what it might look like to walk through a Piranesi or Lebbeus Woods rendering.

The City renderings came to be after an opportunity to meet Gerry Exline last year at Illinois. I’d followed Gerry’s work and others who had followed in his footsteps such as Lebbeus Woods for many years starting as an undergraduate student, and the opportunity to meet Gerry at a workshop and view an exhibition of his work was something I could not miss. I’d enjoyed learning more about his process and it inspired me to explore those methods in translation with the 3d tools of todays practice. Gerry’s renderings had always invited a world of exploration in the space of a few deftly placed lines, and the 3d models created in my explorations offered similar opportunities. I’ve enjoyed finding the hidden vistas within the context of these 3d sketch models. I’ve even taken the opportunity to explore these renderings in VR, giving me a hint of what it might look like to walk through a Piranesi or Lebbeus Woods rendering.