Stantec’s Andrew Burnett Featured In South Florida Business & Wealth

Architect and Stantec Miami’s Senior Principal Andrew Burnett, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB, was recently interviewed by South Florida Business & Wealth for their Leaders in Design section.

In his interview, Andrew shared insight into when he knew he wanted to be a designer, architects and designers who inspire him, and how COVID-19 has influenced clients’ demands, among other topics.

What was the moment in childhood or early adulthood when you knew you’d be a designer?
I’m not sure there was a singular moment – like asking a musician when he became a musician – you become one slowly, over time, with discipline – it becomes part of how you see and contribute to the world. I find architecture to be both rigorous and wondrous.

Tell me about one (or 2 or 3) of your design or architecture idols.
Samuel Mockbee’s influence always stands out in my mind – he taught about merging everyday life, metaphors, art and the irrational with architecture, spaces, and science. While making everyday moments seem like a fable – you reveal meaning in simple things. Sambo showed me how to allow your pen to fly loosely – make the first move, even imperfect, and build on it. Robert Venturi’s book – Complexity & Contradiction – made me appreciate finding a simplicity of architecture through the inclusiveness of things rather than a forced minimalism of exclusion. It helped me recognize the layers of concerns which are designed well when a complex design appears simple. The great architects seemed to merge this sensibility with the poetry and metaphors Mockbee found.

Read the full interview in South Florida Business & Wealth.