. Pretty rammed earth. Good stuff.

Rick Joy is excellent. I've been trying his website for about 3 years now and it still does not work. Will Bruder. Rick Joy actually started out working for Bruder.

The Central Library by Bruder is the best piece of architecture in Phoenix.

Other architects to look at are:

Jones Studio
Architekton
Michael Johnson
Wendell Burnette
Merz Project
Studio Ma
Gould Evans
Patry Building Co
Marwan Al-Sayed
Debartolo Architects
Circle West
Richard + Bauer
Construction Zone

Tuscon architects:

Ibbara Rosano
Rob Paulus
Rick Joy

you might also want to try hu bing international in scottsdale. they are a very successful firm with projects both in asia and in america.

geez louise degulan you are fully entrenched in the asu world of architecture. seriously though, marwan and bruder are the best on the list. most of the rest just screw around with forms. the good thing about it is most of them pay well, probably with the exception of wendell and johnson.

Yeah, there are a ton of firms here in Phoenix sicne it is one of the largest cities in the states. It is also growing at a very rapid pace. In the magazine Desert Living they just had a section of 100 desert architects that produce good work. I gave a more concise list. Some are associated with ASU and some aren't. It's about half and half. The nice thing about Phoenix firms is that they aren't picky about where people went to school. They are very open to bringing outsiders in. Unlike LA or NY. There is also a lot of opportunity to do good design work.

I have been working for a landscape architect and have had the chance to do work with most of these guys. Its great for connections and gives you a chance to see different architectural plans.

i graduated from asu three years ago. my point was that i think you'll have a much better and more intellectually challenging experience at rice. since you are going there, i assume that you were in catherine's studio which is good, but the general consensus among myself and my fellow graduates is that architecture culture in phx tends to revolve around the 'cool.' people i know have gone to rice, risd, penn, umich, yale, etc etc, and everybody feels as though they were shocked, even unprepared, for the intellectual climate at these schools [known as the 'thinking thing.'] i think asu is a great school, and phx is a great place, but i look forward to hearing your opinions on rice as i feel you will find the climate there to be very different and more rewarding. good luck.

Le Bossman,

I think you nailed it on the head with the benefits of going to Rice or an equivalent when it comes to the theory side. It is very easy to get through ASU arch without much thinking. There is plenty of room for it if you find the right teacher, but a lot of students get by. That is why I wanted to go to a smaller school. ASU's new dean will be pushing ASU further which is nice and it is improving, but I felt that there were too many students that just wanted to get their degree so they can work for a big firm and produce crappy architecture, rather than really think about what they were doing. Also, "cool" architecture only goes so far, but their is lots of room to do something better in the unique environment that is AZ. I want to base my career here in Phoenix, but that is only after gaining perspective in a new city.

say hello to my mom in mesa.

I like Michael Johnson's work. It's hard and bold... suites the desert without resorting to adobe cliches.

There is also Taliesin West in Scottsdale.