Profile | Bryce Weigand, FAIA

Bryce Weigand, FAIA, was raised a farm boy in Northwest Oklahoma. He obtained his architecture degree from Oklahoma State University and then moved to Atlanta for five years to work for Thompson, Ventulett & Stainback. He was recruited to Dallas by Jack Corgan in 1976 and stayed at Corgan for 17 years. After that, he joined Good Fulton & Farrell for 19 more years before he retired. After retiring from GFF, Bryce decided to open his own firm in 2013, Weigand Art & Architecture. Named Young Architect of the Year in Dallas in 1980, he has a long list of leadership positions, including AIA Dallas chapter president, Texas Society of Architects president, and Texas regional director on the AIA national Board of Directors. Bryce is an active member of the community and has a strong focus on his family.

What do you do now that you are "retired"?

Paint, enjoy time with grandkids, travel, golf, volunteer, read, freelance projects, and help friends. The challenge is making sure you have a schedule, and making sure you have something meaningful to do that day, and then get on with it.

What community activities do you participate in?

I'm president of the Dallas Center for Architecture Foundation, a volunteer at First Presbyterian Church, vice president of the Texas Architectural Foundation, and am following up with the 508 Park project at GFF. I've also gotten back into the Southwestern Watercolor Society and I'm trying to get my feet back on the ground in regard to painting.

Where do you find inspiration?

The unbounded charm of nature, the never-ending cycles of nature, the never-failing re-generation of nature, cycles of renewing nature, the creativity of children, and through music and books.

Do you prefer pen or pencil?

Pen for sketchbooks and pencil for sketching before painting.

What is your favorite city to visit?

The next one.

What is your favorite food and why?

My wife's pecan pie.

Which architects do you admire most?

Renzo Piano for the rigor that he puts into a project. Louis Kahn because his works are hugely inspirational. Edward Larrabee Barnes for his constraint and sensibility. H.H. Richardson for a historical perspective.

Professionally, if you could do something over again, what would it be?

I would get engaged in a particular building type sooner than I did. In my case, I'd focus on university and college architecture and put serious vigor into that.

What is your most treasured possession?

My sketchbooks. They are a good log of my travels near and far; and [there's the] the sentimental aspect of my boys drawing in them. Now my grandson is drawing in them.

What books are you currently reading?

Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough; Dubliners by James Joyce; 1812: The War That Forged a Nation by Walter Borneman.

What type of music do you listen to?

I listen to classical music while I paint. It is highly inspirational, but all music is good.

What challenges do you face on a day-to-day basis now?

Which interest to pursue each day and to schedule my time to make it meaningful.

If you were not an architect, what other profession would you have pursued?

Archeologist, geologist, or a forester.

What advice do you have for young architects just starting in the profession?

No matter the task, do it with all vigor. Research, read, and understand.

Interviewed by Laura Eder, AIA, an architect with Good Fulton & Farrell.