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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Internationally renowned architect and avid motorcyclist Antoine Predock is known for his ability to tap into the spirit of any landscape and incorporate its character into his Well-known among designers, he is remembered for his rare creativity. He died Saturday at his home in Albuquerque, according to longtime friends and colleagues. He is 87 years old.
For sixty years, Predock has built buildings around the world—from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the School of Media and Communication in Qatar to the Padres Ballpark in San Diego, California Arizona Science Center and other public spaces. Phoenix and Austin City Halls.
His project will begin with sketches and collages, an approach that friends and colleagues say will help inspire a younger generation of architects as they learn how to integrate buildings into communities and create spaces where visitors feel as if they are on a journey. .
That was Predock’s motivation – to have people be moved when they walked into his buildings.
He told The Associated Press in a 2018 interview that his design was carefully planned. He says some of the inspiration for his choreography comes from the feelings he gets from riding his many motorcycles – some of which are on display in his studio.
“It’s not that you have to follow a specific path. It’s open-ended and you can choose your own route,” he said of one of the designs. “I don’t like single-line buildings. You walk in and see everything at once. It should be more of an accumulation of events, experiences and opinions.”
Appreciation and condolences poured in on Predock’s social media pages shortly after he died after suffering a slowly deteriorating condition. He is known for sharing his sketches, photos of his home’s vantage point overlooking the Rio Grande Valley, and memories of motorcycle adventures.
Robert Gonzalez, dean of the University of New Mexico’s School of Architecture and Planning, met Predock when they were students at the University of Texas at Austin. When visiting colleges, Predock challenged Gonzalez and his classmates to always think about the places they were designing and the bigger picture, not just the appearance of the building.
“I think that’s one of the things he left behind,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “He wanted to really connect everything he was doing to place in a more spiritual and meaningful way.”
Predock’s portfolio includes residences, hotels, offices, entertainment centers and educational and research facilities around the world. In 2006, he received the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Lifetime Achievement Award.
In nominating Predock for the AIA Prize, Thomas S. Howorth, then-chairman of the committee, said: “It can be said that Antoine Predock is, more than anyone of any time, No American architect could advocate a personal and place-inspired architectural vision with such fervor.” and is convinced that his buildings have become universally popular. “
Haworth describes Predock’s architecture as “fearlessly expressive and sincere, yet simultaneously complex and earthy.”
One of Predock’s proudest achievements was the Human Rights Museum, which later appeared on Canada’s $10 bill – opposite that country’s civil rights activist Viola Desmond.
Predock had a copy of the bill in his pocket—ready to unfold it and initiate a conversation about Desmond and the importance of the museum’s project.
Predock was born in Lebanon, Missouri, on June 24, 1936. He studied engineering at the University of Missouri and later transferred to the University of New Mexico. He later graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. In 2017, Predock donated his studio and archives to the University of New Mexico, where he was a professor for decades.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller proclaimed Antoine Predock Day on June 24, 2021, and said on Monday that Predock’s work has elevated the city.
“He left an enduring personal mark on our city and around the world. We are forever grateful to him and he will be deeply missed,” Keller said.
A post on Predock’s Instagram page stated that a memorial service will be held on June 24 in Albuquerque.
One of Predock’s final projects involved a rail line, and he envisioned a series of stations that would tell the city’s story and honor its residents on a seven-mile pedestrian boulevard loop. He also designed local works such as the La Luz neighborhood on the city’s west side and the University of New Mexico School of Architecture.
The school created the Predock Center to permanently house the architect’s collection. Gonzalez said this will be a way for Predock’s legacy to live on and others to learn from him. He noted that one wall in the center lists the names of more than 300 people who have worked at Predock’s studio, including many who went on to become accomplished architects and professors.
Gonzalez said students who visit the center will be able to see all steps of the Predock process.
“You feel it all in that space, and you feel all these catalytic moments along the way,” he said. “This is his gift to us. You can’t teach this in a classroom. You have to experience it.”
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Associated Press writer Lisa Bowman in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.
Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press
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