Lawrence W. Speck FAIA
Senior Principal
Biography
Larry Speck is well known equally for his diverse portfolio of award-winning architecture and his distinguished career as an inspiring educator. As a prolific author and influential critic, Larry also has contributed significantly to the development of ideas that have broadened the general public’s understanding of the impact that buildings have on their communities and the way they live, work and play.
His all-consuming passion for thoughtful design is best described by Larry himself: “Although it may sound clichéd, I live, eat and breathe architecture. I deeply love the process of design and have had opportunities to lead significant projects including the Austin Convention Center, the architecture of Discovery Green Park in Houston and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. My teaching and writing are aimed at educating people on the importance of great architecture in contemporary American culture.”
Larry’s work has been profiled in popular publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Texas Monthly; in American architectural publications such as Architectural Record, Architecture, Architectural Digest, Architect, and Progressive Architecture; and in international architectural journals such as The Architectural Review (England), OFX (Italy), Design Community (China), Baumeister (Germany), Projeto (Brazil), Ottagano (Italy), Nikkei Construction (Japan) and Architectural Design (England).
From 1992 to 2001 Larry served as Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1975. More recently, he has been a potent agent for change within the larger University of Texas community, which includes helping the university design its future.
He also has served on advisory boards for architectural schools at M.I.T., the University of Michigan, Tulane University, LSU, Cranbrook and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
Larry has received most of the major teaching awards given university-wide at the University of Texas, including the President's Award, Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, Chancellor’s Council Teaching Award, the Friar’s Centennial Teaching Fellowship, the William Blunk Professorship, the Amoco Award and membership in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. In 2015, he was one of four professors in the entire university system to be inducted in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
In 2011 he was recognized with the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education, the highest honor given to an architectural educator from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The medal honors an individual who has made outstanding contributions to architectural education for a decade or more.
Concurrent with his career as an educator, Larry’s practice flourished as he completed complex urban projects, often in joint ventures with Page. In 1999 Larry joined Page, then known as PageSoutherlandPage, as a principal. He has had a significant influence on the architects at every Page office through his collaborative work with multiple teams on numerous projects. In fact, Larry’s design work has won more than 30 national awards, over 20 state or regional awards and nearly 70 local awards.
Larry is also the author or co-author of three books, Landmarks of Texas Architecture (1986) Technology, Sustainability and Cultural Identity (2007) and The University of Texas: A Campus Guide (2012). In addition, he has edited or co-edited four publications, has contributed chapters in eleven books by others and has written over 50 articles for professional journals, including Architecture, Urban Land, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, and Architecture Australia.
Larry is a fellow in the American Institute of Architects and served as chair of the jury to select AIA Fellows in 2005. He has also served on the Architectural Advisory Board for the U.S. State Department Overseas Building Operations, as a National Peer Reviewer for the U. S. General Services Administration Design Excellence Program and on the boards of national environmental groups such as Greenguard Environmental Institute and Air Quality Sciences.
After growing up in a small town on the Gulf Coast of Texas, Larry studied at M.I.T. and earned two undergraduate degrees, one in Art and Design from the School of Architecture and one in Management from the Sloan School, and a Master of Architecture.
www.larryspeck.com
Past Made Perfect: A Radical Redo of a 1970s Texas House Fulfills a Dream (Architectural Digest, November 2006)
Speck: Architecture influences lifestyle (Austin Business Journal, October 27, 2011)
Newsmaker: Lawrence W. Speck (Architectural Record, November 2008)
An Interview with Lawrence Speck, FAIA (AIA Dallas Columns Magazine, Fall 2013)
Living in Downtown Austin - Video Interview with Lawrence Speck (YouTube)
UT Press announces Texas book series (Austin American Statesman, August 14, 2013)
Wikipedia: Larry Speck
LinkedIn: Lawrence W. Speck
Representative Projects
- 200 West 6th Street
- 2400 Nueces Student Housing
- 2400 Nueces Student Housing Amenities
- 2nd Street District Master Plan
- 44 East Avenue
- 70 Rainey
- ABIA Terminal East Infill
- AMLI on 2nd
- Architecture of Buffalo Bayou Park
- Architecture of Discovery Green
- Austin City Lofts
- Austin Community College
- Austin Convention Center and Expansion
- Austin State Hospital Brain Health Campus Master Plan
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Barbara Jordan Terminal
- Chickasaw Nation Medical Center
- Christ Church Cathedral Mixed-Use Project
- CSC Financial Services Group Headquarters
- Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin
- Driscoll Children’s Specialty Clinics
- East Avenue Master Plan
- Fountain Place Residences
- GSA Field Office Commissioning
- GSA Office Building – Southwest Region
- GSA Regional Field Office – Houston
- House on Turtle Creek
- Magnolia Montessori For All
- Page Austin Office
- Rough Creek Lodge
- Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Seton Medical Center Surgery Center Expansion
- TDECU Football Stadium at the University of Houston
- Texas Capitol Complex Master Architect & Master Engineer
- Texas Facilities Commission 2016 Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan
- The Cistern at Buffalo Bayou Park
- The Grove at Discovery Green
- The University of Texas at Austin Medical District Master Plan
- The University of Texas at Dallas Brain Performance Institute
- The University of Texas at San Antonio Campus Master Plan
- The University of Texas at San Antonio North Paseo Building
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Academic Performing Arts Complex
- Torcasso Residence
- Travis County District Attorney's Office
- Trinity Episcopal School
- Trinity University Master Plan
- U.S. Courthouse - Austin
- U.S. Courthouse – Alpine
- University of Texas School of Architecture Renovation
- Waterstone
- Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Office Building
Awards
Discovery Green Park, Houston Texas
World Architecture News Effectiveness Award - 2011
Top Green Project - Interior Design Magazine - 2011
Good Green Design Award
Austin Chapter AIA Design Merit Award - 2010
Houston Chapter AIA Public Service Exhibition
Business Week/Architectural Record Award of Excellence
Society of American Registered Architects Design Award
Texas Downtown Association – Best Public Improvement Category
AIA Houston Chapter Design Award for Architecture
AIA Austin Chapter Design Award
Uli-Houston Development of Distinction Award - 2009
AIA Houston Design Award for Architecture - 2009
USGBC-Houston Outstanding Environmental Project - 2008
Iida TX/Ok Chapter Hospitality Design Excellence Award - 2008
Gulf Coast Chapter, ASID. Best of Hospitality Award - 2008
Gulf Coast Chapter, ASID Best in Show - Commercial - 2008
Society of American Registered Architects design award - 2008
GSA Regional Field Office, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards Residential Shortlist
Houston Chapter AIA Design Award for Architecture
Texas Society of Architects Design Award
U.S. District Courthouse, Alpine, Texas
Texas Society of Architects Design Award - 2008
Austin Chapter AIA Award - 2008
AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Community
(AAJ) Justice Facility Review Citation Award - 2008
Society of American Registered Architects - 2008
GSA Design Award - 2008
AMLI Block 22 Mixed-Use Development, Austin, Texas
Glass Magazine, “Most Innovative Energy-Efficient Glass Project”
Crystal Achievement Award
Texas Society of Architects Design Award - 2008
Society of American Registered Architects - 2008
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, Ada, Oklahoma
Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Merit Award For Healthcare
World Architecture News (WAN) Healthcare Award - Longlist
Seton Medical Center Renovation & Expansion, Austin, Texas
Texas Society of Architects Design Award - 2008
Austin Chapter AIA Honor Award – 2005
Modern Healthcare Design Award – 2005
Society of American Registered Architects Design Award – 2005
Mixed-use Project for Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, Texas
Texas Society of Architects Design Award - 2007
Society of American Registered Architects Design Award – 2007
Design Honor Award, Faith and Form – 2007
Austin Chapter AIA Honor Award – 2007
Houston Chapter AIA Design Award – 2007
Houston Business Journal Landmark Award - 2007
Austin City Lofts
Texas Society of Architects Design Award – 2006
Austin Chapter AIA Honor Award – 2006
Austin Commercial Real Estate Award – 2006
Austin Convention Center Expansion
Crystal Achievement Award, Most Innovative Curtainwall – 2006
House on Turtle Creek
AIA Austin Citation of Honor
Building Stone Institute, Tucker Stone Award
Society of American Registered Architects Design Award of Honor
Texas Society of Architects Honorable Mention
OSU Alumni Center
Design Award, Oklahoma AIA – 2005
Publications & News
- A Park in The Sky
- UTSA Master Plan Honored With National Award
- A District Built For Health
- How Green Space Can Spur Economic Development
- Making A Place in History
- Elevating Education Through Design
- Impacting Our Local Communities
- Seeing The World Through An Architect's Eyes
- Signed Into Law: New University of Houston Medical School
- Making Montessori Education More Accessible For All
