Profile: Tom Karlhuber
Name: Tom Karlhuber
Job title and company: Architect at Machado Silvetti Associates (MSA)
Degree(s): BS in architecture from the University of Virginia and a MArch from Harvard GSD
Professional interests: Green products and innovation, building, design-build
What are you working on now?
At MSA, a nine-building, two-block residential development is heading into construction. This week I spent a two-day charrette designing a chapel door. So, I have had my hands in a pretty wide range of scales lately. I enjoy working that way.
How do you explain to your mom what you do for a living?
I helped my parents with the design of their home recently. They are very happy with their home, but we never really connected aesthetically [about it/about its design]. For Christmas this year I gave my mom a copy of The Fountainhead, hoping to express the more passionate and emotive side of design.
What inspired you today?
It snowed over a foot today, again. The snowy winter has really fueled my soul.
When you’re working, do you discuss or exchange ideas with your colleagues?
I enjoy sharing ideas and feel that design improves with cooperation. Design thinking evolves with dialogue. I have found the atmosphere at MSA very, and maybe even surprisingly, collaborative.
What are you reading?
We the Living, by Ayn Rand. Her writing inspires me again and again.
Do you sketch by hand or digitally?
I do both. Just this week I made a point of pulling out my sketchbook, realizing that I had been relying on the computer a little too much of late. It was a healthy decision.
Has your career taken you anywhere you didn’t expect?
Hiking with a team of biologists on an island in the Caribbean was an amazing job requirement a couple of years ago. I consider myself a country boy at heart so am surprised to be living and working in the city.
Can design save the world?
I’m not sure design can save anything, but I do feel strongly that design can improve people’s lives. I think that is a pretty big deal and responsibility.
Who or what deserves credit for your success?
I am not sure it has resulted in success, but growing up in Vermont really molded my view on the environment and the relationship of design to the land. I can only go so long without spending time in the woods. My disposition and design thinking suffer with too much urban living.
If you could give the you of 10 years ago advice, what would it be?
An appropriate question, as 10 years ago I was heading into a job that I would hold for about nine years. I would tell myself not to get too comfortable in my work—to always remember my personal goals. I’ve learned it’s important to challenge myself and my environment, to protect against getting overinvested in other people’s goals.
Your favorite Boston-area structure?
Since starting at MSA about a year ago, I walk near the [John] Hancock Tower daily, beginning at its broad side and continuing around to its very slender profile. My appreciation for it grows almost daily as I observe its continual transformation as it reflects varying atmospheric conditions. It’s truly amazing some days.
If you were on a late-night TV show, what would your 30-second plug be?
Architecture is for everyone. No home project is too small to benefit from design. At a very small premium, families can have a home embedded with a unique design tailored to the local environment and personality of the family.
