SANJEEV J. PATEL
Duda|Paine Architects
SAY IT LOUD - North Carolina Exhibitor
North Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Architecture is a team sport and it’s very fulfilling to work with and learn from a team of professionals with the same goal. Like raising a child, it takes a village to design and build great architecture.
SANJEEV J. PATEL
Bio:
The Great designer, Sanjeev Patel is a Design Director and Principal at Duda|Paine Architects where he advances the firm’s culture through design leadership and advocacy for research and innovation. His expertise has facilitated a broad range of projects since he joined the firm over 20 years ago including Frost Bank Tower, RTI International Headquarters, Duke Faculty Club and UCF School of Performing Arts. Sanjeev’s work fully reflects a human-centered and ecological approach to architectural design.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
My high school art teacher first put the bug in my ear but it was not until college that being an architect occurred to me. In fact, I started out as an engineering student but it was the creativity that led me to design.
What do you do?
I help lead our firm while overseeing several projects, each in various phases of design and construction. Other routine activities include marketing, business development, mentoring and advancing sustainability and research goals within our firm.
What excites you in the work you do?
Using design to shape spaces that have a profound effect on society and the environment while helping to make the world a more meaningful place.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Architecture is a team sport and it’s very fulfilling to work with and learn from a team of professionals with the same goal. Like raising a child, it takes a village to design and build great architecture.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Seeing how your hard work has helped transform some one’s daily experience. One example of that was Frost Bank Tower in Austin, TX. After its completion, it started to appear on post cards and belt buckles becoming a source of local pride.
Featured Project Name:
Duke Faculty Club
Featured Project Location:
10 Faculty Club Dr, Durham, NC 27708
Featured Project Completion Date:
2017
Role in Featured Project:
Design Team Leader
Featured Project Description:
Duke’s new swim and tennis club replaces an older facility with a design that blends with its natural forest surroundings. A celebratory entry portal creates a sense of arrival and anchors a circulation spine for the spaces within. Vertical wood screening mimics the upright nature of the surrounding pines and filters light into the interior. Horizontal trellises along the south side frame outdoor spaces and allow the building to extend into the landscape.
Photography Credit:
Robert Benson
Featured Project Name:
Garden Pavilion
Featured Project Location:
Atlanta, Georgia
Featured Project Completion Date:
2014
Role in Featured Project:
Design Team Leader
Featured Project Description:
The Garden Pavilion unites an office campus serving multiple roles of foyer, family room and back porch. Two curved limestone walls anchor the pavilion to its site The walls and roof extend towards the south, providing shade for indoor and outdoor seating while framing views of the lawn and existing trees. The wood ceilings curvature and pattern of light and shadow lend softness and scale. A continuous clerestory allows the roof plane to float, striking a balance between enclosure and openness.
