It is easy, even natural, to see a beautiful building or house and admire it. But, unlike the majestic mountain ranges that grace our region or the winding waters that flow through the land, built structures are neither created by nature nor by chance. Creating structures requires much forethought and extensive amounts of planning. And, it doesn’t stop there. It also requires someone with extreme talent and skill and, most amazingly, the ability to envision someone else’s thoughts and even expound on them to make them better. In many ways, it’s almost as though the true talent of the architect can’t be accurately measured simply by viewing a completed project. The actual measure of success seems to lie more in their ability to understand and capture someone’s thought - something which is entirely abstract and impalpable - so thoroughly that in turn they are able to transform it into something tangible.

A long road lies between conception and fruition and yet, for the architect, it is on this road where he is most in his element. Ventanas magazine sat down with Edward McCormick of McCormick Architecture to see if we could walk a little on that road with him. Maybe having done so, we can better understand the process behind the buildings that we enter each day and appreciate on a whole new level the homes in which we find shelter.

We asked Edward to take us through the design process of the El Paso Community College (EPCC) Performing Arts Complex. It started, as all projects do, with listening. The intake of as much information as possible can’t be emphasized enough when faced with the task of grasping someone else’s vision and then creating it. After being commissioned by EPCC’s president, Dr. Richard Rhodes, Edward began consulting with local historian Myles Miller as well as people involved with EPCC and the arts, such as Lucy Scarbrough, Dean Claude Mathis and Hector Serrano. He visited theatres, including the Spencer Theater in Alto, New Mexico, to help him “conceptualize volume, depth and seating.” He then began carefully considering culture and geography – two aspects he gives great thought to in all of his projects.

When contemplating the design of the complex, Edward made great efforts to incorporate the regional elements of the surrounding area. In the design, there is a Pueblo influence that stems from area missions and neighborhood homes just south of the campus. The Lake Nichols copper refinery (now Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold) affected the El Paso region dramatically by drawing engineers and metallurgists to the area. Because of this, Edward created a structure symbolizing the refinery on the campus’ north side. Another design element was taken from the Amado M. Peña mural “Ladders to Success,” which is displayed in the administrative offices of the college. The vision taken from the mural is the college’s impact on past, current and future students.

At that stage, an architect enters the “schematic design phase.” Edward begins sketching (to scale) his DFR, or diagram of functional relationships. These are a series of early schematics (sometimes called bubble diagrams) that can be placed together to determine space so that square footage may be accurately integrated into the plan. Four distinct theatres make up the complex: the Drama Hall, the Music/Recital Hall, the Black Box (used for improvisational and experimental theatre) and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Once schematics are approved by the client (in this case, EPCC) the project enters the next phase, which is essentially the step that takes it from conceptualization to the beginning relative components required to transition it from a thought into an actual structure. To aid in thorough understanding through visualization, models and renderings are created which give the client a three-dimensional perspective and, in this case, an impressive virtual tour of the model has been created that visually ties together the exterior elements of this massive complex.

The design development phase is a huge undertaking, involving a vast collaboration of industry professionals such as electrical, mechanical, structural and civil engineers, interior designers, and if acoustics are involved (as on this project,) technical experts. Based on all the new information, design development documents are prepared which include drawings, site plans and building plans. Many other elements like schedule, budget and other details set forth by the client are thoroughly considered at this phase. “We try to answer most of the questions at this stage,” says Edward.

The next phase is the construction documents phase, when there is much collaboration between architect and client. The construction documents are necessary to illustrate and describe any further development in design documents and detail the quality levels of materials and systems and other requirements pertaining to construction. Estimates to cost are updated, and a number of contractual obligations come into play and are agreed upon. Bidding or negotiating follows, in which the architect facilitates the client by providing a list of prospective contractors. He also assists in obtaining bids for the work, negotiating proposals and even awarding and preparing contracts for construction.

Next is the construction phase. The architect conducts site visits during varying stages of construction and generally acts as a liaison between the client and the general contractor.

It is a long, arduous process, with each project having its own unique challenge. If the reward for the architect is the completed structure, then it’s good that Edward is a very patient man. The plans for the El Paso Community College Valle Verde Campus Performing Arts Complex are thoughtful, detailed and nothing short of brilliant. However, the project has not been funded, leaving these incredible plans collecting a bit of dust and the remarkable model of the complex the only physical manifestation of this architect’s ability to understand EPCC’s vision and transform it into something marvelous.