Dossier: Chuck Parker, AIA

Name: Chuck Parker
Firm: Stantec Architecture and Engineering LLC (Philadelphia office)
Family: Wife – Paula; 2 daughters – Dulcinea (28) and Kendra (25)
Years in practice: 44
Education: BArch from CMU (Went back for my Doctorate a few years ago but it didn’t work out)
Your first job: Cutting neighborhood lawns (age 9).
Project you’re proudest of: Magee-Womens Hospital 4800 / 5800 ICU / Med Surg Expansion. It was a 2-story addition in a very difficult area to expand vertically and was a collaborative project delivery between Stantec, AES, FMRW, PJ Dick, and UPMC which was also LEED Silver and won the 2013 MBA Building Excellence Award in its category.
What have you always wanted to tell your clients? Good, Fast, Cheap: You Can Only Pick Two!
What’s the most annoying thing architects do? Fail to listen.
Favorite tool (can be digital, drafting, physical,…): Google
Favorite building: Kentuck Knob
Favorite outdoor space: Grandview Avenue and the overlook decks
Architect you’d like to have a drink with: Antoni Gaudí
Best gift to give an architect: More hours in the day
If you hadn’t become an architect, what would you have been? A minister
If you could live anywhere in the world, where? Seattle
What’s on your iPod/Pandora/Spotify? British Art Rock, Jazz, Folk, Classic Rock, ….
The secret to my success: Great coworkers
Advice to young architects: Find something you love to do within the profession, become an expert in it, and make yourself indispensable.
Architectural quote to practice by:“When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. But when I’ve finished, if the solution is not beautiful I know it’s wrong.” – Buckminster Fuller