Meet the Associate Principals – Ben Bye
What is your favorite city? Why?
My favorite city in the world is Mexico City. I’ve visited four times over the past decade, and after every trip I find myself longing to return and already planning the next one. I love the incredible food, vibrant art, stunning architecture, and the warm, welcoming people. Some of my favorite experiences include touring the homes of Luis Barragán, getting lost in the Piranesian stacks of the Alberto Kalach-designed Biblioteca Vasconcelos, and wandering the romantic, tree-lined streets of Roma and Condesa. As a bonus, my wife speaks Spanish, which has opened many doors, helping us land hard-to-book architecture tours and discover amazing, off-the-beaten-path restaurants. Visiting Mexico City has also been a gateway for me, inspiring trips to other great cities in Mexico like Guadalajara, Puebla, and Mérida.
What are your hobbies?
When I’m not working, I love spending time outdoors—especially hiking, camping, biking, and running. I spend time each summer exploring the high-altitude trails in the Eastern Sierras, and some of my favorite hikes include Kearsarge Pass, Big Pine Lakes, Gem Lake, and Duck Lake. I recently added a folding kayak to my gear, and I am excited to start paddling through the glacier-fed alpine lakes in the area. When I’m in the city, I enjoy immersing myself in Los Angeles’s arts scene — attending gallery openings, watching classic films in historic theaters, touring mid-century modern architecture, and going to concerts.
Which project did you find the most rewarding to work on?
Every project is rewarding, but the renovation of Sedgwick Hall at Rockhurst University in Kansas City holds a special spot in my heart. Sedgwick Hall was the first building on Rockhurst’s campus, built in 1914. When we started the project, the building was half abandoned, with only two of the four floors being used, and it had fallen into a state of disrepair. It was an exciting endeavor to uncover the building’s rich architectural history and bring the century-old structure back to life as a state-of-the-art nursing and health sciences program. It was especially meaningful to me because my mother was a nurse and this was my first time working on a nursing school. I grew up visiting her at the hospital and hearing about the incredible impact nurses make, so it was deeply fulfilling to help design a space that trains the next generation of healthcare professionals.
What is something you learned in school that you still think about/use every day?
I studied architecture at the University of Oregon, and my education instilled a deep respect for context that drives my architectural values to this day. Our projects are rooted in a diverse context of the people and community they serve, the environmental conditions they inhabit, and the layered architectural heritage surrounding them. A successful building design is embedded in the context of the people, place, and environment that it inhabits.
