For architects, it is always special to visit buildings we've worked on, especially those that are built remotely or far away from you. This is the case with the Halbert Walling Research Center that I had the pleasure to help design while with Perkins & Will. Honestly, someone else started the design, and I joined the team later. Still, I have vivid memories of sketching it on tracing paper, 3D modeling it, and following up with the team building it.
Since it's located in Abilene, TX, far away from where I live, I've never had the chance to visit the site during construction. When finished, I saw it in photographs, but never live.
Last December, for reasons that are foreign to this story, I needed to go to Abilene. Afraid of defrauding my expectations and with a camera in hand, I went to pay a visit to this old friend. While walking around it, memories of the numerous meetings we had, people adding ideas, teams collaborating came to mind. It always amazes me the amount of effort that so many people dedicate to a project, all pursuing the same goal.
This is why I love what I do.
It is not only the building as the final product or experiencing its spaces. But the process, the passion, and care the design team pours into it. It is a long and arduous labor of love, an immensely gratifying labor of love.
Seeing it in person for the first time felt good. It has a strong presence, sits nicely on the campus, and knows how to pose for the camera. What do you think?
