Chuck Hardwick of Dancing Panda Marketing interviews Ray Willett of TBE Architecture
What is TBE short for? TBE is short for The Built Environment.
What was your background before you became an
architect? Before architecture, I worked as a graphic artist/designer. It was fascinating work; I learned the trade in the Air Force after they rejected my request for B-52 tail-gunner due to poor eyesight. Ironically I have nearly 20:20 vision now…
Was there any defining moment that led you to pursue your current path? After the Air Force, I worked at the Clark County School District as a Graphic Artist II. This was during a period of rapid transformation of the industry from analog to digital production and much of my work was focused on that technological transformation. Next, the internet exploded, and our physical products were soon being replaced by online versions. I was ready for a break from technology and Las Vegas, so I packed up and moved to Seattle in 1998.
In Seattle, I landed a gig as an apartment manager and was able to convince my boss that I could also do the renovation of the 38 unit, turn-of-the-century building. Two years later I was again on the road with all my belongings. This time to Savannah, GA to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where I graduated with an M.Arch in 2004.
Why did you choose to be an architect in Sonoma County,
CA? After SCAD I returned to my native California and to the Bay Area specifically. After 15 years of working in numerous notable firms from San Diego to Sonoma, I knew that it was time to work on my own. It was 2015 and I was in San Diego at the time of the decision, there were new opportunities in emerging markets in Sonoma that I had been tracking, and I knew Sonoma County better than anywhere else in the state. I was also in love with an amazing woman who lived in Sonoma. So here we are, and it is a wonderful life!
We work throughout California but mostly in the North Bay including Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Solano, Lake and Mendocino Counties. We work in the cities of Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Mill Valley, Larkspur, Tiburon, Vallejo, Petaluma, Belvedere, Benicia, Bolinas, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Fairfield, Forestville, Guerneville, Graton, Cloverdale and Healdsburg. Occasionally we also do work in San Francisco and as far South as San Jose.
What projects are you working on now? We are working with the new state laws, SB8 and SB9 to develop higher density residential projects. We continue to focus a high percentage of our residential work on new construction, remodels, and ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). We have a strong Commercial Practice as well, working with Businesses on Tennant Improvements and new facilities. We work with the Commercial Cannabis Industry quite a bit and have begun working in the Wine Industry more recently. These projects are not always super high profile but are rewarding in different ways.
We enjoy working with alternative building technologies. Recently we have been working with Compressed Earth Block (CEB) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) on separate projects.
What sets TBE apart from other Architects and Designers? Architecture is never really about the building. It is about the needs of people or groups of people. Those needs can be as basic as shelter or as complex as one can imagine. The building is the vehicle to satisfy that need. Some needs can’t be satisfied via architecture although some try… That is a different profession.
I describe our practice as an “evidence-based practice.” We gather evidence by formally and informally interviewing our clients to get to know them and their needs. We focus on finding solutions to our clients’ needs though providing them with the environment to support their wellbeing or in the case of business… to support the business in its activities.
I value philosophical idealism over materialism. As Carl Sagan put it “Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive and flourish is owed not just to ourselves but also to that cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring.
It is our fate to live during one of the most perilous, and one of the most hopeful, chapters in human history. Our science and our technology have posed us a profound question: Will we learn to use these tools with wisdom and foresight before it’s too late? Will we see our species safely through this difficult passage so that our children and grandchildren will continue the great journey of discovery still deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos? That same rocket and nuclear and computer technology that sends our ships past the farthest known planet can also be used to destroy our global civilization. Exactly the same technology can be used for good and for evil. It is as if there were a god who said to us: “I set before you two ways. You can use your technology to destroy yourselves or to carry you to the planets and the stars. It’s up to you.”
What are some of the challenges that you have faced and how do you face new challenges? Like many, we face life’s ups and downs. Keep your focus on where you want to go and you will naturally steer in that direction, focus too much on the side of the road and that is where you will end up.
What are you most proud of as an architect in Sonoma, CA? Architects are entrusted with the safety and often the sanity of the built environment which can get subjective. My first role is fire/life/safety, I take that seriously. To that end, our prime mission is to protect humanity and by extension the environment that humanity relies upon to nurture and sustain us.
