Antoine Predoc, an internationally renowned architect and avid motorcyclist known for his ability to harness the spirit of any landscape and weave its features into his designs, is remembered for his rare creativity. He died Saturday at his home in Albuquerque, according to his longtime friends and colleagues. He was 87 years old.
For more than 60 years, Predock has constructed buildings around the world, from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the University of Media and Communication in Qatar, to public spaces such as the Padres Baseball Stadium in San Diego and the Arizona Science Center. Phoenix and Austin city halls.
His projects begin with sketches and collages, and friends and colleagues say the technique has inspired a younger generation of architects to learn how to incorporate buildings into communities and create spaces that feel like a journey for visitors. He says it helps give him inspiration.
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That was Predock’s motivation – to be moved when people walk into his building.
He said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press that his designs are choreographed. He said that part of the inspiration for his choreography came from the sensations he got while riding the many motorcycles that were on display at the studio.
“You don’t have to follow a certain path. The options are unlimited and you can choose your own route through it,” he said of one design. “I don’t like monotonous buildings where you can see everything at once when you walk in. A building should be more of an accumulation of events, experiences, and perceptions.”
Tributes and condolences were shared on Mr Predock’s social media pages shortly after he passed away after a slowly progressing illness. He was known for sharing his sketches, along with photos of the vantage point of his home overlooking the Rio Grande Valley and memories of his motorcycle adventures.
Robert Gonzalez, dean of the University of New Mexico’s School of Architecture and Planning, met Predock while attending the University of Texas at Austin. During his visit to the university, Predock challenged Gonzalez and his classmates to always think about the place and big picture they were designing, not just the facade of the building.
“I think that was one of the marks he left behind,” Gonzalez said Tuesday. “He really wanted to integrate everything he did with the place in a more spiritual and meaningful way.”
Architect Antoine Predoc and a model of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in his studio. Mr. Predock passed away on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at his home in Albuquerque at the age of 87. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Predock’s portfolio includes residential properties, hotels, offices, entertainment centers, and educational and research facilities around the world. He received the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
In nominating Predock for the American Institute of Architects’ award, then-chairman Thomas S. He has insisted on a personal and place-inspired architectural vision, and is confident that his buildings will be widely accepted. ”
Howarth described Predock’s building as “unafraid, expressive and sincere, yet complex and innocent at the same time.”
One of Predock’s proudest accomplishments was the Human Rights Museum, which was later featured on Canada’s $10 bill, opposite the country’s civil rights activist Viola Desmond.
Predock had a copy of the bill in his pocket, ready to unfold it and strike up a conversation with Desmond about the importance of the museum project.
Born June 24, 1936 in Lebanon, Missouri, Predock studied engineering at the University of Missouri before transferring to the University of New Mexico. He then graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. In 2017, Predock donated his own studio and archives to the University of New Mexico, where he served as a professor for several decades.
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Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, who proclaimed June 24, 2021, Antoine Predock Day, said Monday that Predock’s efforts have elevated the city.
“He left a monumental and personal mark on our city and around the world,” Keller said. “We are forever grateful to him and will miss him greatly.”
A memorial service will be held in Albuquerque on June 24, according to a post on Predock’s Instagram page.
One of Predock’s final projects involved a rail trail, where he envisioned a series of stations throughout the seven-mile pedestrian parkway loop that would tell the city’s story and celebrate its residents. I was planning it. He also designed local works such as the Lars community on the city’s west side and his UNM School of Architecture.
The school established the Predock Center to house the architect’s collection in perpetuity. Gonzalez said this will be one way Predock’s legacy lives on and others can learn from him. He points out that the central wall lists the names of more than 300 people who once worked with Predock in the studio, including some who went on to become accomplished architects and professors. did.
Gonzalez said students who visit the center can see all stages of the predoc process.
“In that space, you feel all of it, all of the catalytic moments along the way,” he said. “That’s the gift he left us. It can’t be taught in a classroom. It has to be experienced.”
