Internationally renowned architect and motorcycle enthusiast Antoine Predock dies at 87

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Known for his ability to sense the spirit of any landscape and weave its characteristics into his designs, internationally renowned architect and avid motorcyclist Antoine Predock is remembered for his rare brand of creativity. being done. He died Saturday at his home in Albuquerque, according to longtime friends and colleagues. He was 87 years old.

Over six decades, Predock designed buildings around the world – from the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the College of Media and Communications in Qatar to public spaces that included the Padres baseball stadium in San Diego, the Arizona Science Center, and the University of Chicago. City Hall of Phoenix and Austin.

Their projects will begin with sketches and collages, a method that friends and colleagues say has helped inspire a younger generation of architects as they learn how to integrate buildings into communities and such. Create spaces that make visitors feel as if they are on a journey.

That was Predock’s inspiration – when people came to his buildings they were impressed.

He said during a 2018 interview with The Associated Press that his designs were choreographic. He said that some of his inspiration for the choreography came from the sensations he got while riding one of his many motorcycles – some of which were on display in his studio.

“It’s not like you have to follow a certain path. It’s open-ended and you can choose your own path through it,” he said of one design. “I don’t like one-line buildings where you walk in and you get everything at once. It should be more of an accumulation of events, experiences and perceptions.”

Eulogies and condolences were shared on Predock’s social media pages shortly after his death following a slowly progressing illness. He was known for sharing his sketches as well as photographs from his home’s vantage point overlooking the Rio Grande Valley and memories of his motorcycle adventures.

Robert Gonzalez, dean of the University of New Mexico School of Architecture and Planning, met Predock while attending the University of Texas at Austin. While visiting the university, Predock challenged Gonzalez and her classmates to always think about the place they were designing for and to think about the bigger picture, not just the facade of a building.

“I think that’s one of the scars he left,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “He really wanted to integrate everything he did with the place in a more spiritual and meaningful way.”

Predock’s portfolio includes residences, hotels, offices, entertainment centers, and educational and research facilities around the world. He received the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects in 2006, as well as the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt Lifetime Achievement Award.

When nominating Predock for an award from the American Institute of Architects, then-committee chairman Thomas S. Howarth said: “Arguably, more than any other American architect of any time, Antoine Predock has emphasized with so much passion a personal and place-inspired vision of architecture. and the firm belief that his buildings have been universally accepted.”

Howarth described Predock’s buildings as “fearlessly expressive and honest, as well as complex and innocent”.

One of Predock’s proudest achievements was the Museum of Human Rights, which was later featured on the Canadian $10 bill – on the reverse. Viola DesmondA civil rights activist in that country.

Predock had a photocopy of the bill in his pocket – he was always ready to reveal it and start a conversation about the importance of Desmond and the museum project.

Born in Lebanon, Missouri on June 24, 1936, Predock studied engineering at the University of Missouri and then transferred to the University of New Mexico. He later received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Columbia University. In 2017, Predock donated his studio and archives to the University of New Mexico, where he was a professor for decades.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, who declared June 24, 2021, Antoine Predock Day, said Monday that Predock’s work uplifted the city.

“He leaves a monumental and personal mark on our city and around the world,” Keller said. “We are forever grateful for him, and he will be greatly missed.”

A post on Predock’s Instagram page said a memorial service would be held in Albuquerque on June 24.

One of Predock’s final projects included a rail trail in which he envisioned a series of stations that tell the story of the city and celebrate its residents in a 7-mile pedestrian parkway loop. He also designed local works such as the La Luz community and the UNM School of Architecture on the western side of the city.

The school has created the Predock Center to permanently house the architect’s collection. Gonzalez said this would be a way for Predock’s legacy to live on and for others to learn from him. He said a wall in the center lists the names of more than 300 people who once worked with Predock in the studio, including many who went on to become accomplished architects and professors.

Gonzalez said students who visit the center will be able to see all stages of the predoc process.

“In that place you feel it all, you feel all these catalytic moments along the way,” he said. “And that’s a gift he left for us. You can’t teach this in class. You have to experience it.”

Associated Press writer Lisa Bauman in Bellingham, Washington, contributed to this report.

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