During his induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer, coach-turned-announcer John Madden theorized that once all the lights are turned off in the building's Enshrinement Gallery, the bronze busts carry on conversations with one another, about football, life, whatever. While Builder's Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence may not cast bronze replicas of its inductees (or make them wear mustard-yellow sports coats), the idea that the recognized giants of architecture might reminisce among themselves about their exploits in the field of housing design is as attractive to them as it would be to anyone in the industry.
“The guys inducted last year are my idols,” says architect Mark Scheurer, a 2006 honoree, referring to 2005 inductees Barry Berkus, Rodney Friedman, David Furman, Walt Richardson, and Jefferson Riley. “I just tried to do as [well] as they did, or better.” He, along with architect Mark McInturff and the collective North American work of Taylor Woodrow Homes, has certainly met that standard over the years, with landmark projects, new housing prototypes, and an unwavering commitment to thoughtful and fully executed design amid competitive, economic, and regulatory challenges.
“We always remember that this is a business of visceral reactions and feelings” balanced against a commercial venture, says Mike Forsum, Western regional president of Taylor Woodrow. “Does the design speak to the heart or not?”
