Green Architect: Rob Vagniernes, Jr.

This post is similar to one on my other blog, Haptic Arts, where I include information from interviews with Chicago artists, architects and people in the 'museum world'. The broad and lofty aim of it is to make the art world more transparent/approachable.

Also on Haptic Arts, I posted a portrait of Rob V.

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Now, on to the post.

Present tense: Robert Vagnieres, Jr. sits with a large white legal pad in front of him. My legal pad is small and yellow. Perhaps the juxtaposition of these two items is trivial—but perhaps not. They are, to me, indicative of our relative positions for the conversation.

Now past tense: Let’s back up for perspective: we are sitting in Rob’s home on the south side of Chicago. Rob is an established Architect and has been practicing or on his own for 23 years. He worked with Solomon, Cordwell and Buenz for 5 years total, but set out on his own quite early. His full-service architectural firm was founded in 1985.

The “office politics” of the mega-firm were not for him. He found the small practice far more appealing. In the smaller firm, (a working definition: from 2 to 20), you are able to see the project through from start to finish and have multiple levels of involvement. Architects have been called late bloomers, but Vagnieres would chalk that up to the lack of experience that larger firms give the individual.

Valuing this individualistic, multifaceted approach is perhaps from Vagnieres’ experience in Paris. He studied there for a year during his fourth year of undergrad. He and I found common ground first on the topic of studying abroad. I studied in Florence and London, and I would recommend living/studying abroad to anyone who has the desire to do so.


After a couple hours of conversation, we reached a point of discussion which ran more deep for us both. This, I could not have imagined. We are both so passionate about green architecture that we hold the policies by the USGBC and others to very high standards. Vagnieres and I spoke about Design Tex, The Academy of Global Citizenship, Green Festival, and about being a co-chair on COTE (Committee on the Environment) for the AIA. My meeting with Vagnieres was a powerful reminder about the importance of dialog for renewing my passion for sustainability. Conversations beget more conversations.

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Philosophy (from Vagnieres' site): We strive to form an alliance between People, Architecture, and the Environment. We are a full service architectural firm founded in 1985, currently concentrating on projects that coincide with our own personal philosophies and beliefs of creating environmentally and ecologically responsible projects. Over the last 20 years we have been responsible for over 80 million dollars worth of hospitality, commercial, and renovation projects in Chicago and the U.S. The firm’s principal, Robert C. Vagnieres, Jr., A.I.A., NCARB, has experience since 1976 in all phases of design, construction, project management and consultation. We dedicate ourselves to our basic business philosophy of developing long term client relationships through prompt and efficient professional service with personal involvement in the specific challenges of each project.