Lawrence Speck
Larry Speck is well known equally for his diverse portfolio of award-winning architecture
and his distinguished career as an inspiring educator. As a prolific author and influential
critic, Larry also has contributed significantly to the development of ideas that have
broadened the general public’s understanding of the impact that buildings have on their
communities and the way they live, work and play.
His all-consuming passion for thoughtful design is best described by Larry himself:
“Although it may sound clichéd, I live, eat and breathe architecture. I deeply love the
process of design and have had opportunities to lead significant projects including the
Austin Convention Center, the architecture of Discovery Green Park in Houston and the
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. My teaching and writing are aimed at educating
people on the importance of great architecture in contemporary American culture.”
Larry’s work has been profiled in popular publications such as The Atlantic, The New
York Times, and Texas Monthly; in American architectural publications such as
Architectural Record, Architecture, Architectural Digest, Architect, and Progressive
Architecture; and in international architectural journals such as The Architectural Review
(England), OFX (Italy), Design Community (China), Baumeister (Germany), Projeto
(Brazil), Ottagano (Italy), Nikkei Construction (Japan) and Architectural Design
(England).
From 1992 to 2001 Larry served as Dean of the School of Architecture at the University
of Texas at Austin, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1975. More
recently, he has been a potent agent for change within the larger University of Texas
community, which includes helping the university design its future.
He also has served on advisory boards for architectural schools at M.I.T., the University
of Michigan, Tulane University, LSU, Cranbrook and the University of Nevada at Las
Vegas.
Larry has received most of the major teaching awards given university-wide at the
University of Texas, including the President's Award, Regents’ Outstanding Teaching
Award, Chancellor’s Council Teaching Award, the Friar’s Centennial Teaching
Fellowship, the William Blunk Professorship, the Amoco Award and membership in the
Academy of Distinguished Teachers. In 2015, he was one of four professors in the
entire university system to be inducted in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
In 2011 he was recognized with the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in
Architectural Education, the highest honor given to an architectural educator from the
American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of
Architecture (ACSA). The medal honors an individual who has made outstanding
contributions to architectural education for a decade or more.
Concurrent with his career as an educator, Larry’s practice flourished as he completed
complex urban projects, often in joint ventures with Page. In 1999 Larry joined Page,
then known as PageSoutherlandPage, as a principal. He has had a significant influence
on the architects at every Page office through his collaborative work with multiple teams
on numerous projects. In fact, Larry’s design work has won more than 30 national
awards, over 20 state or regional awards and nearly 70 local awards.
Larry is also the author or co-author of three books, Landmarks of Texas Architecture
(1986) Technology, Sustainability and Cultural Identity (2007) and The University of
Texas: A Campus Guide (2012). In addition, he has edited or co-edited four
publications, has contributed chapters in eleven books by others and has written over
50 articles for professional journals, including Architecture, Urban Land, L’Architecture
d’Aujourd’hui, and Architecture Australia.
Larry is a fellow in the American Institute of Architects and served as chair of the jury to
select AIA Fellows in 2005. He has also served on the Architectural Advisory Board for
the U.S. State Department Overseas Building Operations, as a National Peer Reviewer
for the U. S. General Services Administration Design Excellence Program and on the
boards of national environmental groups such as Greenguard Environmental Institute
and Air Quality Sciences.
After growing up in a small town on the Gulf Coast of Texas, Larry studied at M.I.T. and
earned two undergraduate degrees, one in Art and Design from the School of
Architecture and one in Management from the Sloan School, and a Master of
Architecture.
PAGE
Senior Principal
