The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) has announced the recent passing of influential longtime faculty member Robert Mangurian in Los Angeles at the age of 82.
Mangurian originally hailed form Baltimore. After moving to the Bay Area to study at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford, respectively, he moved to NYC to practice, and soon after relocated to Los Angeles where he joined the Los Angeles-based practice Studio Works Architects in 1969, originally founded by Craig Hodgetts, Keith Godard, and Peter DeBretteville.
Mangurian lectured at Yale, Rice, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia in addition to his decades-long tenure at the SCI-Arc, which ended in 2018. He was awarded the prestigious Chrysler Design Award in 2001 and was later inducted into the American Academy in Rome along with his practice partner and fellow SCI-Arc faculty member, Mary-Ann Ray.
“Robert was a giant, both as an architect and in the formation of SCI-Arc into what it has become,” SCI-Arc Director Hernán Díaz Alonso said in an online statement. “His influence in the architectural landscape in Los Angeles, Southern California, and the world at large has been massive, as well as his talent and generosity as an educator. He will be deeply missed.”
Outside of academia, Mangurian also collaborated with contemporaries like James Turrell and Vito Acconci and was, along with Ray, the co-founder of B.A.S.E. Beijing in 2012. An archive of his past lectures can be found here via SCI-Arc.
*Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article credited Mangurian as founding Studio Works, as SCI-Arc's announcement and a few other sources mention as well, but Craig Hodgetts reached out to us to confirm that Mangurian had joined the already established firm after Studio Works had already found success.
6 Comments
Rest in peace Robert and much love to Mary-Ann Ray.
A real loss for the architectural community. He and his stories will be missed.
Robert had a lot of depth in him and around him. He wasn’t someone I was in close contact but we both knew we were connected. I’m sorry I didn’t sit down with Bob and write about it even though we talked about it more than once. It would have been a good conversation piece. Robert, Michael Rotondi, and I reviewed Mitchell De Jarnett’s students a couple of years ago at Cal Poly Pomona. It was one of the most enjoyable reviews I’ve participated in. The conversation kept switching to different and beautiful vignettes of architectural imagination and reading.
ANCA Glendale, CA. Robert Mangurian and Mary-Ann Ray, Studio Works.
Photo by OA ©
Was just looking at this, seems like they removed the trellis/screen recently. Shame.
He came to Clemson w/ M Ray for Professor Green way back in 2000-1 ish. They spoke about the Museum of Jurassic Technology and how the history of knowledge could be didactic. After moving to LA , we had to go and see this place. I would suggest to any future LA architect. The place used to take donations for paying its rent. The program for MOJT has to be most fascinating place in LA. The interior is a hermetic capsule that allows any user to be tranced into the moment. As we learn more about the office they ran, we see the special uniqueness and synergy they prompted and manifested. The architecture blurs into the micro while the exhibits take front stage. The Place is a Must SEE , if it is still open to the general public.
http://mjt.org
Very Sad to hear -- May peace from above come to all who visit him.
I had the pleasure of his assistance for Mary-Ann Ray’s studio I took back in 2012(?) at the University of Michigan. Still one of my favorite studios, and easily the most memorable project I got out of school according to anyone who’s looked at my portfolio since. It’s a shame I moved to LA after school but never actually talked to him again. He had such clear and compelling feedback on things. This is really sad to hear.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.