Sustaining the New Mexico Style

New Mexico Business Journal, Sept, 2001 by Nancy Sagui

Visitors notice immediately that buildings here are, well, different. That's no accident, but it's sometimes tough to be traditional and modern at the same time.

WITH MORE THAN 2,000 architects, New Mexico boasts a higher population of architects per capita than most states. In our small state where the cost of living can be high, average salaries for architects can be low and the projects themselves are often smaller in scale than in bigger cities like Dallas and L.A., what attracts them? To hear them tell it, the answer is simple: Quality of life and plenty of work in a state with a style all its own.

A steady influx of new residents and new businesses is keeping New Mexico architects on their toes. To stay on top of their game, these architects are designing contemporary technologically advanced buildings while maintaining the "New Mexican" style that many clients demand.

The past several years have been busy. Steven Kells, principal at Kells + Craig Architects in Albuquerque, believes the industry is more diversified than 25 years ago. "The project range is wider," he says. "Our profession is more high profile than it used to be, and more complex."

Historically, an architect was referred to as a "master builder." In this role, the architect handled everything from design, engineering, planning, construction, supervision, etc. Today many of these tasks are relegated to the contracting industry in a growing trend called the design/build strategy.

Using the design/build strategy, architects and contractors work as team for a faster, more cost- effective end product. More and more New Mexico architects are adopting this strategy, to respond to the needs of their clients.

"Clients demand an integrated project delivery approach, and design/build is one of the ways of doing that," says Dale Dekker, a principal at Albuquerque's Dekker/Perich/Sabatini . "Design/build projects typically have aggressive delivery schedules and therefore have to have staff reserved to gear up in a hurry to do a project. It's more difficult for a small firm to do that."

Some firms, including FMSM Design Group, which is a large office, believe there is an advantage to the traditional type of architecture. FMSM President Jon Moore says that many clients prefer more attention to artistic and design detail to speed. "Design/build places the contractor as a team leader on projects, so aesthetic value often comes in second to cost and speed. Architects have lost some ground because we are no longer the master builders that we used to be.

Nevertheless, design/build is here to stay. Many architects involved in design/build report that there seems to be more mutual respect and sophistication between contractors and architects. "I see quite a few people on the contractor side of the business who actually are architects themselves, Moore says.

"Top contractors are aware of the importance of design and quality and actively promote that," says Marc Schiff, president and principal at Design Collaborative Southwest (DCSW).

New Mexico Style

Ask someone to describe New Mexico architecture and you'll probably notice a basic assumption--typical mud-covered pueblo style buildings with flat roofs, earth tones. Ask a New Mexico architect about New Mexico style, and you'll hear that there is a style of architecture that defines the state, but there is a richer historical basis to New Mexico architecture than pueblo houses adorned with ristras and wooden ladders.

"People have a misconception that New Mexico style is solely represented by the Santa Fe 'pueblo' look," Schiff says. "That's a shallow interpretation of what is the basis for a regional vernacular.' All architects who live here understand the tradition of architecture relates to the Mexican, Spanish, Anasazi and Native American influence, among others. The diverse culture in New Mexico's architectural style makes this a great place to be living and working in, Moore says.

Local architects agree that there isn't one style that defines New Mexico. Any community you look at, from Taos to Santa Fe, Roswell and Albuquerque, each area has a significant amount of historical architecture and it's own unique style. In northern New Mexico, for example, the look isn't the John Gaw Meem pueblo style you see in Santa Fe. Pitched roofs, which became popular during the railroad era, dot the landscape.

Many architects and planners believe the 'Southwest' look has become a cliche. There's a very different way of doing architecture in terms of process and money available, but clients still want the historical look of old New Mexico. Architects deal with the drivers behind what style is all about. They believe that perception is not based on the surface, but rather the way structures are organized-the use of natural light, orientation to the sun, use of courtyards and exterior space.

"New Mexico style is driven by climate, materials, color, energy and budget. It's an evolving thing." Schiff says. "For us, the process of design is an approach, not a style."