Saxon's Studio

My studio is the ship's cabin of my worklife.  At 12' x 18', I have it crammed with just the right amount of stuff for my sole practitioner architect life. It is just two miles from my home; the perfect distance to feel the work/home separation and still be able to get home for a mid day siesta.  The best feature is the natural light on the north and east.  I try to project a lively creative image with the space, both for me and my clients who come to visit.  Also, even though I am a bit of a hermit architect, I keep my door to the upstairs lobby open quite alot in order to feel a bit connected to the rest of humankind.

I get a tremendous feeling of well being when I open the door each morning.  As I look in and see things all in order and my selection of images greeting me, I am filled with energy to charge into the day.  I try to change the images on the walls every so often and I often have books out on the printer, open to differant pages that can be perused during the low energy moments of the day. 

In some ways my library is the mental life blood of the office.   I love to contemplate and sometimes write about the ideas of architecture beyond the realm of my day to day practice.  I keep my books close at hand and was delighted when my wife came and organized it by subject last summer.  Trying to categorize architecture books is quite a mind expanding process.  

My favorite objects in the space are the drawings and photographs.  Architecture is a physical, visual medium and the images we can see on the walls and hold in our hands are the vessels of the ideas we pursue and explore each day.

Saxon Sigerson is an Architect, Educator and cyclist based in Fair Oaks, CA
http://saxonsangles.wordpress.com/

My Professor's Workspace

In 1986, while attending architecture school at U.S.C., I took a design studio from Panos Koulermos..  He scared the heck out of me in a nice, "you must strive to do better", way for 16 weeks.  I have a deep affection for him and the passion instilled in me by that time we spent together.  Sadly, he passed away a few years ago.  While attending his memorial, I saw this photo of him in his workspace.  I love the simplicity of his table with Mayline parallel rule and one lamp.  What kills me is that I have never been able to find a copy of that super cool map of Rome by Piranesi on his wall to hang over my desk.