Alumni Spotlight:
Gregg Kalba (B.Arch. '93)

Name: Gregg Kalba
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Major: Bachelor of Architecture
Graduation Year: 1993
Employer: SmithGroup
Title: Principal, Senior Project Manager

Why did you choose the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design? What drew you to design?
I honestly did not know what I was getting into. My decision to pursue architecture was shaped by various interests. In high school, I was involved in visual arts and theatrical stagecraft. My dad was an architectural woodworking detailer for Brochstein’s in Houston, and I was fascinated by new buildings, such as the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Menil Museum.

I also went on a prospective student tour in the fall of 1986. They were building a full-scale replica of Donato Bramante's Tempietto right in the atrium – that hands-on work blew me away. Looking back, it seems like an impulsive choice, but I cannot imagine doing anything else.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time on campus? Was there a particular professor who influenced your education?
I had many great professors. The Hines College, being a major public university architecture program in one of the largest cities in the United States, provides access to incredible teachers, mentors, and practitioners. I have to give a nod to Burdette Keeland. He taught a required freshman survey course filled with stories from his world travels and his immense passion for the built environment. Keeland aimed to ignite our passion and inspire a lifelong pursuit of knowledge in this field, demonstrating that learning can come from experiences, not just the studio.

I bookended my undergraduate studies by taking Keeland’s fifth-year studio. It was not a popular choice. His end-of-semester jury reviews were notoriously brutal, and he gave us a lot of freedom in the studio, which could get you in big trouble. However, I survived, and I am so glad I did. I can see now how influential he was in shaping generations of students.

Tell us about a typical day in your job. Do you have a particular design or business philosophy?
Hectic. Ask any architect about their struggles, and you will hear about prioritization, demanding clients, tight deadlines, and work-life balance. As an architectural project manager at a large national firm, all of that is multiplied tenfold. However, the quality of our work stems from me orchestrating my team's talent to achieve our end goal.

Every architecture graduate is a problem-solver. The trick is to find the application that is best suited to you, and it might take some time to figure that out. For instance, I never saw myself as a designer. I have a fear of a blank sheet of paper, and I knew my peers were much better at it. However, I realized I was a great facilitator. Once a project is started, I can navigate the process all the way to completion.

What is one career accomplishment of which you are particularly proud? How do you feel the College prepared you for this?
I have had the privilege of managing the architectural and engineering teams for three projects for the University of Houston – the University of Houston-Downtown Girard Street Building, the University of Houston Gateway Garage, and the University of Houston at Sugar Land Academic Building 2.

I feel the pressure to deliver our best work on every project, but I push myself even harder for projects at my alma mater. It is a privilege to participate in the continued evolution of the campus. Unlike undergraduate studio projects, I am not alone in the design and documentation process. Our office is full of talented individuals with complementary skills, many of whom are also UH graduates.

The pressure is back on again as my firm was recently awarded the new College of Medicine Medical Research Building in the Health District on campus.

What is one valuable lesson you learned during your time at the Hines College?
Be authentic to yourself. The right solution is the one that feels right to you. While this attitude defied the pedagogy of my first two years of school, it served me well later on. In a final jury presentation, you get to tell the story of your project's development. Then, you listen. The feedback you receive will help you become a better version of yourself and will pay dividends down the road.

I imagine this is even tougher for current students. We only had Wright, Mies, and Corbu telling us we had much to learn. Today, you have the entire internet at your fingertips, filled with an infinite number of Instagram profiles showcasing endless, beautiful work.

What advice would you give to current architecture and design students?
Always Be Learnin' (ABL). It is a misconception that you can compartmentalize learning to school and practice to work. There is not a day that goes by that I do not actively engage in learning something new, picking up a new skill, or talking to people who know more about something than me.

I hope your journey is inspiring and rewarding. Stay in touch with your friends and classmates. The professional network in Houston is small, and you are likely to cross paths many times. Also, do not put all your chips on architecture alone. I have enjoyed family time, cycling, cooking, music, small home improvement projects, and travel. I am currently teaching myself to play the guitar, and although I am not great, I am enjoying the challenge.

Connect with Gregg
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