John Grable's architecture celebrates life. By connecting to history and expressing a deep love of craft and material, his work articulates purity and simplicity, and exalts the relationship between man and nature.
John's work is distinguished by a commitment to architecture's expression of the human experience. Each project is infused with the fundamental themes that consistently guide his work.
History:
A passion for the stories of people's lives and the role of buildings in them drives John's design. By building on existing traditions and historic vernacular, his work not only contributes to the continuum of the human experience, but also keeps the history of a place alive and evolving.
Community:
John's keen understanding of community as a living and changing organism has led him to focus on projects that enhance the communal experience and expand the role of architecture in public life.
Restraint:
His designs resonate a quiet strength that results from a controlled hand and disciplined eye. A taut yet gentle interaction between expression and subtraction is a recurring theme in his work.
Materials:
He engages his acute understanding of materials and their potential. He strives to use each material - whether natural or man-made - in the best way possible, both in craft and detail.
Reclamation and Continuity:
Coming full circle and connecting physically to what came before, John feels an obligation to re-use and recycle materials. His work is enlivened by a creative blend of old materials often playfully adapted to new applications. By embracing time-tested building techniques that complement nature and taking care to rehabilitate materials whenever possible, his work is a joyous convergence of past and present.
John Grable is also an inspiring teacher and mentor, generous colleague and community leader. He is co-founder of and former teacher at the Lake|Flato Graduate Design Studio at the University of Texas San Antonio and has lectured and served on design juries throughout the country. Inspiring the next generation of architects is integral to his own work.
