Lasting legacies – mourning the loss of two wonderful Architects

Our condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the two great Architects we lost this week.

Locally, founder of SILLMAN (Architects), Larry Sillman passed away at the age of 76. I personally had the opportunity to collaborate with Larry and his team on a couple of projects and found Larry to be a kind, always upbeat & positive influence on those around him. He cared deeply about the people around him, culminating in SILLMAN being named PSMJ Resource Inc’s #1 Employer of Choice in 2021. That was the type of leader & mentor Larry was. You can read about Larry’s career in this SD News article about his retirement just months ago.

SILLMAN made this announcement on their Instagram account:

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dear friend and founding principal Larry Sillman.
Larry was a beloved member of the San Diego community and active player in shaping the Architectural landscape we call home. We can say, without a doubt, that his time with us left a lasting, positive impact that will continue to live on well beyond his years.
Thank you Larry for always offering a helping hand with kindness, patience, and insightful understanding.
We’ll miss you.”

Also this week we lost one of the international giants of modern, tech-influenced architecture & Pritzker Price awardee – Sir Richard Rogers. He was best known for designing the Pompidou Center in Paris (in partnership with Renzo Piano) and the Lloyd’s Building in London, but Rogers influence stretched all around the world. Trying to write about the influence Rogers has had on so many architects is simply overwhelming – I mean, the words ‘industry giant’ don’t even seem to cut it when thinking about his work. He’s been an active example of the power of design, the belief in sustainability & technologies and an advocate for regionalistic architecture for longer than I’ve been alive.  I’ll simple encourage you to read more about Rogers in this New York Times article.

Our built environment is better for both of their contributions, and we thank them for it.

Pauly