Calvin standing next to a 5-foot 9-inch stack of over 19,000 architectural drawings reviewed for the DFW Airport projects with Gensler
Calvin Leung, RA, NCARB – QAQC Manager at Method Architecture, is retiring after 42 years in the architecture industry with a portfolio full of noteworthy design accolades.
Calvin grew up in a small farm community in southeast Arkansas with his six siblings and parents who ran a local general store that provided groceries and staple goods to the local farmhands and their families. Calvin had developed an artistic talent from a young age but didn’t find his medium in architecture and design until college. Calvin entered college as a pre-pharmacy student but quickly recognized in his first year that his creative side was calling and began taking technical drawing classes to validate his desire to pursue a career in architecture.
During his career, Calvin spent time working for top firms including Gensler, PBK, and Morris (now Huitt-Zollars) working on an impressive portfolio of projects across the country. In 2018, Calvin joined Method Architecture to establish the firm’s design quality department where he served as a resource to all teams in quality control, constructability, and code compliance.
“Calvin has been instrumental in helping elevate Method’s work product and quality of design over the past 3 years. We’re grateful for his contributions and hope Method provided a fulfilling last chapter in what is an impressive architectural career.” – Eric Hudson, Partner & Director of Design Services at Method Architecture.
During his career, Calvin was part of many large-scale developments that shaped the City of Houston and beyond. Here are a few of the projects Calvin has worked on over the years:
- Toyota Center
- Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
- Lakewood Church Center
- High School for the Performance and Visual Arts (HSPVA)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport
Hobby Center (Morris Architects)
This week, we sat down with Calvin for a stroll down memory lane and here were the highlights!
- First project you ever worked on: Brazoria County Animal Control Facility
- Largest project you ever worked on: Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program – $3 Billion over a 7-year period – Renovation of the 4 of the 5 airport terminals (Terminals A, B, C & E)
- Favorite project and why? Hobby Center of Performing Arts – This project involved various talented people from all over the Country to create a unique building for Broadway Performance Venues.
- Who had the biggest impact on your career and how did they inspire you?
I have worked with many Architects, but the one who had impressed on me, was William Vaughan (Morris Architects). He was a tuff and a seasoned Architect who taught the fundamentals & importance of the design process, and the Do’s & Don’t. William encouraged me to accept challenging projects to grow my knowledge and my skill set. The projects I have had the privilege to work on are extensive. - What will you miss most? The challenges and the everyday problem-solving issues but mostly the people. Growing and learning from your peers have taught me more about how I can improve myself as an Architect
Photograph of Antelope Canyon taken by Calvin
Looking towards this next chapter…
- What are you most excited about in retirement? Not having to redline another set of drawings. (I hope) Learning to take life easier and getaway from the daily stress and grind.
- What are your plans for retirement? Finish the new house at Palo Duro Canyon this year. Spend more time with my granddaughter, restart my woodworking & furniture building projects and do more with my photography work.
All of us at Method Architecture deeply appreciate Calvin’s contributions to the firm and his meticulous attention to detail! Calvin has helped our teams level up our standard of design and create foundations for Method’s quality and design support teams to grow! We wish Calvin the very best as he embarks on this next adventure as well as the healthiest and happiest of retirements as he prepares to spend more time with friends, family, traveling and working on his hobbies.
