2024 West Region Conference – Cultural Crossroads in Education: Ruth Baleiko
To Dave Miller, knowledge is a resource meant to be shared, and in order to do so effectively, he believes one must be thorough in their approach — teaching its foundations, testing its limitations, demonstrating its impact. Throughout his career, Dave has honored this comprehensive philosophy, playing both educator and practitioner, and helping his students, colleagues, and the public at large understand the value of design excellence. To Dave, these dual actions come as naturally as breathing, and just as inhale is with exhale, one cannot function without the other.
As an educator, Dave has served in a range of positions, from visiting lecturer to professor to Department Chair. As a practitioner, he has grown a studio known for its heart and its respect for the planet and its people. As a designer, he has been and continues to be a guiding influence in the studio’s design direction, always pushing for bolder and better architecture, and emphasizing the importance of teaching to the reinvigoration of ideas and perspectives.
Shaped by his experience in the Peace Corps, Dave’s designs are honest expressions that reflect the unique soul of a place, a testament to his steadfast commitment to the surrounding environment and community. This devotion illustrates Dave’s dynamic approach that responds not only to the changing needs of society, but also to the evolving capabilities of the profession.
Considered the brains of the operation while co-founder and lifelong friend Bob Hull was said to be the heart, Dave was always the one asking, “What do you think?” while Bob would famously respond, “I don’t know, let’s try it.” The two – always inseparable – shared a relationship centered on the intersection of ideas, emotion, humor, and compassion; and their mutual approach of focusing on people rather than architectural objects lives on today in the practice.
A thoughtful, humble, and generous architect, Dave has balanced his career between praxis and theory, performance and craft, and has designed a language that speaks beautifully to every human, and every place.