SUE ANN PEMBERTON
Mainstreet Architects Inc.
SAY IT LOUD - TEXAS Exhibitor
Texas Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Studying great details inspires me. Especially in old buildings. They have a story to tell and I get to peel back the layers to discover the stories and hidden gems.
SUE ANN PEMBERTON
Bio:
The great designer, Sue Ann Pemberton, FAIA, FAPT, holds a Master of Architecture Degree and Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M. She is a Professor in Practice at the University of Texas at San Antonio and principal of Mainstreet Architects. Her focus of practice and teaching includes design, material research and technology, inner-city development, and historic preservation. Sue Ann leads by example, involving students in community projects. She teaches what she does and does what she teaches.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I always loved math and art and was always creating something. After taking an aptitude test in junior high, the school counselor mentioned that I would be well-suited to be an architect. Now I had a name for what I wanted to be.
What do you do?
I am an architect, a teacher of architecture, and a consultant for the built environment. I study buildings and materials to learn from their detail of construction and aging process, and then I breath new life into them.
What excites you in the work you do?
In working with the already built environment, I get to study and discover, piecing together clues, like solving a puzzle. I think of it as "crime scene investigator" for buildings and neighborhoods.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Studying great details inspires me, especially in old buildings. They have a story to tell and I get to peel back the layers to discover the stories and hidden gems.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
It is great bringing a building back to life is a great professional accomplishment. But when I can share that with students and they say "I get it now. Thank you." When they send you photos of a great brick detail years later, then I'm proud.
Featured Project Name:
Courand House Restoration
Featured Project Location:
San Antonio, Texas
Featured Project Completion Date:
February 2019
Role in Featured Project:
Principal Architect
Featured Project Description:
The historic Courand House had many lives during its 110+ year history. Many changes, additions and alterations negatively impacted the original Dielmann design. This project removed many layers of non-original appendages and returned key features back to the original design intent while meeting current code. Additions at Porte Cochere and rear porches had consumed building and obliterated the original design and detail. These layers were peeled away and these features were reconstructed
