Max Underwood

ASU President's Professor Max Underwood has been a faculty member in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at ASU since 1985. The focus of his research and scholarship intertwines the art of teaching with the realities of professional practice today. Beginning with his experience working for the famed designers Charles and Ray Eames, he has visited, researched and placed his former students in many of the leading architectural practices around the world.

In the undergraduate program, Professor Underwood teaches the school's largest lecture course, ALA 100 An Introduction to Environmental Design. This innovative freshman Design and Environment appreciation course includes a large enrollment of students from many other disciplines, in addition to the majors from the College of Design. His evolving methods for engaging his 485 students include: inside the designer's studio guests, community field studies, collaborative hands-on design exercises, and asking each student to use an array of emerging workforce digital tools to hone their designs. Combined with his extensive knowledge of arts, science and humanities, his approach makes for an exceptional course, as evidenced by his teaching evaluations at the highest level, a difficult achievement for any large freshman course. In 2000, he received the "Last Lecture Award for Teaching Excellence" at ASU.

Professor Underwood's design studios are considered some of the most inspiring among undergraduate and graduate students. Together Professor Underwood and his students are striving to not only master basic core professional knowledge and skills, but extend them in multiple collaborative visioning projects within the Arizona community. This enables students to educate actual clients to the potential of their projects, while involving these future architects in the bona fide issues of contemporary practice.

Given the success of many of these students, his influential impact has not gone unnoticed by peers and professionals at the local and national levels, where Professor Underwood is held in the highest esteem. In 1997 received the most meritorious honor for teaching that the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture has to offer, the National Distinguished Professor Award and Medal. In the past two decades, he has also received three teaching awards from the American Institute of Architects: two National Teaching Innovations Honor Awards (1993-94) and the Arizona Educator Honor Award (2001).

In 2007 he was designated as the first Master Teacher within the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. This moniker was created for faculty whose primary creative work is pedagogical and who demonstrate excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Professor Underwood's greatest gift as a teacher is his ability to inspire his students, peers and professionals without projecting his own design prejudices. His teaching method is conversational and tailored to the benefactor's own strengths and desires. As a life long student, his commitment to the art of teaching, the strategies of instruction, and his vast knowledge of both the history and contemporary conditions of architecture serve as a resource and model for all. He is a teacher's teacher.


Research and professional practice
"We work because it's a chain reaction, each subject leads to the next."
Charles Eames Elliot Norton Lectures in Poetry #5, Harvard University, March 29, 1971.

Exemplary professional practice grows out of individuals who are present and engaged fully in life. Through research and observation, one comes to really understand the passion at the core of their being for what they do and how they do it. Their work is an act of turning their insides out, of giving their essence voice. There are four interdependent aspects to my professional life as teacher, researcher and practitioner that give voice to my essence. They are as follows:

Collaborative visioning of future community commissions
I believe that taking an active and contributing role in ones community, assisting in the creation and maintenance of an environment that sustains and supports well being, is the responsibility of all professionals. For over 30 years as a teaching architect, my studios have under taken numerous collaborative visioning projects in the community that subsequently evolved into commissions for local professionals. Each research and design project has enabled the studio to educate the client, helping them to understand the rich potential of their project, while involving future "architects" in the real issues of contemporary practice within the local community. Highlights of our collaborative design work includes the Grand Canyon Heritage Education Campus, Phoenix Public Library, Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Kartchner Caverns State Park, Tucson City Hall, International Surfing Museum, and Desert Botanical Garden. In addition, my design-build studios have obtained funding to construct the digital orientation display in the lobby of Antoine Predock's ASU Art Museum and interactive toys for the ASU Child Development Lab.

Evolution of contemporary materials and tectonics
Growing up building things in our family's garage "workshop," and honing my skills in the Office of Charles and Ray Eames exploring new materials for furniture applications, it is no surprise that the second aspect of my research and professional life focuses on the investigation of new materials and tectonics. In recent years, one of the most influential and vital forces within architectural practice has been the global revolution of new materials, methods of fabrication, and innovative construction delivery systems. Highlights of my funded research include workshops, lectures, and publications such as "Innovation: Lessons from Japan and the United States on Challenging New Technologies" (with Dana Buntrock) and the collaborative design of the Logos textile collection (with DesignTex). In addition, students in my graduate construction seminar have become directly involved with many of today's great building practices (Ando, Gehry, Herzog & De Meuron, Holl, Joy, Meier, Morphosis, Piano, etc.) through a field detailing exercise which places them on the construction sites of these architects, contractors and owners negotiating similar problems that they struggle with daily and overcome with grace.

Great practice
The third aspect involves the investigation of exemplary professional practice. Our profession is marked by rare individuals whose prophetic vision, revolutionary ideas, and masterful buildings have enriched our world. Each of these conscious practitioners were and are focused, resilient, and skilled at honoring their talent and intuition. Careful and in depth study of their practice methodology has allowed them to become more fully alive for me, in turn enabling me to give them life and meaning to others. In particular, it is my hope that the presentation of these great practices in both academic and professional settings will constitute a model for achieving a personal and professional life that holds lasting meaning and value. Highlights of my funded research include seminars, international and national lectures, symposiums, exhibitions, films and publications on the great practices of Tadao Ando, Luis Barragán, Al Beadle, Louis Kahn, and the Office of Charles and Ray Eames.

Applied research - Professional Practice
Work in any recognized professional practice is intense and pricelessly rewarding. The projects undertaken are mentally and physically absorbing, challenging and demanding for everyone involved. Once under way, the level of excitement and motivation to explore the potential connections can be contagious and fuel the overall level of inquiry and production. The focus of my collaborative works in architecture, design and urban planning addresses a diversity of cultural voices, environments, and design, which supports and sustains both individual and collective well-being within our contemporary world. Highlights of my design work with Underwood+Crisp (1995-2006) includes, transforming healthcare environments (University of Arizona Program in Integrated Medicine, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center Healing Garden), transforming communities (ASU West Campus plan, Village of Rosa Vista), and providing spaces of introspection (John Cage Trust, Lewis Painting studio, Aravaipa Canyon residence). The overall quality of my practice is exemplified by the National NeoCon Gold Medal for Innovation (Logos textile collection), the National Center for Health Design Award (Good Samaritan Healing Garden), Orchid Award and two Valley Forward Awards for Environmental Excellence (Healing Garden and Sensory Garden).

"It doesn't matter what path we take, we have to remain curious and fearless. We have to look at the world and question what we see. We have to be unafraid to say no and change what is unacceptable. Each of us has the responsibility to do it."
Stephen Spielberg, Commencement address, University of Southern California (1994).

Silence

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"

Each of us has encountered moments in life that have taken our breath away. Perceptually overwhelmed, we have paused, became quiet, and allowed ourselves to be enveloped by a thickened atmosphere of emotions, distant memories and deep reflective thought. Only then could we enter a space of silence. My current 2009-2010 sabbatical will focus on my on-going research on Silence within architecture, landscape, the arts & literature. My research is twofold in scope: The primary focus of this sabbatical will be the writing my Silence manuscript. Based on my ongoing interviews and first hand experiences of these spaces, my writing will probe the essential questions, methods, elements and phenomena that combine to create a space of silence. Secondarily, I will return to Asia and Europe to interview architects, artists and writers interested in silence and to analyze and document their new works - including Tadao Ando, Alberto Campo Baeza, Ann Hamilton, Robert Irwin, Kengo Kuma, Juhani Pallasmaa, John Pawson, Alvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Jim Turrell and Peter Zumthor, who were previously interviewed and whom I remain in contact with. In addition, next year, I have been invited to lecture and organize an exhibit on this topic.

"How would the painter or poet express anything other than his encounter with the world."
Maurice Merleau-Ponty Signs 1961.

Practicing Architect AIA, NAAB, with Arizona licence

Academic Service
University University Promotion and Tenure Committee, Faculty Senate, Council for Research/Creative Activities,
Graduate Council, Regents Professor Nominating Committee, Provost's Task Force on Teaching Excellence,
City and Regional Planning Committee, International Programs Committee,
Career Services and Placement Committee, Campus Graphics and Signage Committee.

College President Faculty Assembly, Exhibitions Committee, Library Advisory Committee,
City of Phoenix/Urban Design Center Committee, Annual Retreat Planning Committee,
Affirmative Action Representative.

School National Architectural Accreditation Board Visitation Committee, School Executive Committee,
Curriculum Committee, Master of Architecture Oversight Committee, Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Oversight Committee, Lecture Committee, Director and Faculty Search Committees, AIAS + ACSA
Faculty Advisor and Professional Internship Coordinator.

Public Boards and Committee Service
2008 ACSA National Teacher's Conference Cranbrook, MI (Co-chair)
2005-present NAAB Accreditation Team Membership Washington DC (appointment by National nomination)
2004-present Art Museum Board Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
2000 Long Range Planning Advisory Committee Phoenix Zoo
1996-1998 Art Museum Advisory Board Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
1995-1997 NAAB Accreditation Review Task Force NAAB and ACSA, Washington DC
1992-1994 Rio Salado Arts Plan Committee Arts Commission, Tempe, Arizona
1992-2000 National Hyper-Media Project Committee American Institute of Architects, Washington DC
1992 Technology Conference Co-Chair ACSA, Tempe, Arizona
1991 Artists' Selection Committee Arts Commission, Phoenix, Arizona
1990 AIA Colorado Honors Award Jury American Institute of Architects, Denver, Colorado
1990 Architect's Selection Committee Arizona Science Center, Phoenix, Arizona
1989-2004 Heritage and Science Park Advisory Board City of Phoenix (appointed by three successive Mayors)
1989-present Elementary School Resource Speaker Phoenix and Scottsdale Public School Districts
1988-present Technology Conference, Reviewer/Moderator ACSA, Washington DC
1988-present National Annual meeting, Reviewer/Moderator ACSA, Washington DC
1986-present Regional Conference, Reviewer/Moderator ACSA, Western Region
1986 & 1992 Architects' Selection Committee Tempe Public School District

Major Design Studio's Community Design Research and Creative Projects
2008 Branch Public Library Gilbert, Arizona
2007 Arizona Bronze Atelier Mesa, Arizona
2006 Pacoima City Hall Pacoima, California
2005 Desert Learning Center Phoenix, Arizona
2004 Tempe Boathouse Tempe, Arizona
2001 Grand Canyon Heritage Education Center Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
2000 Tucson City Hall Tucson, Arizona
1998 Woodland Community Revitalization Phoenix, Arizona
1997 Josef and Anni Albers Foundation Bethany, Connecticut
1997 Philabaum Glass Studio Tucson, Arizona
1996 Tonto Natural Bridge State Park Payson, Arizona
1995-1996 Digital Orientation Display, Art Museum Arizona State University (built)
1995-1996 Toys, Child Development Lab Arizona State University (built)
1994 Hispanic Community Center Tempe, Arizona
1993 Arizona Visitor's Information Center Eherenberg, Arizona
1992 Arizona Museum of Natural History Phoenix, Arizona
1992 YMCA Chandler, Arizona
1992 Equestrian Residential Subdivision Phoenix, Arizona
1991 The Village of Rosa Vista: UD Charrette with Duany Plater-Zyberk, Mesa, Arizona (PA Award)
1991 Desert Botanical Garden Addition Phoenix, Arizona
1991 International Surfing Museum Huntington Beach, California
1990 Arizona Science Center Phoenix, Arizona
1989 Public Library Phoenix, Arizona
1989 Art Museum and Little Theater Addition Phoenix, Arizona
1989 Kartchner Caverns State Park Benson, Arizona
1987 Bishop School Campus and Theater Addition La Jolla, California
1987 Greene and Greene Gallery Huntington Museum, San Marino, California
1986 Saint-Gauden's National Park/Historic Site Cornish, New Hampshire