Name: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jason Logan
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Major: Bachelor of Architecture
Graduation Year: 2000
Employer: University of Houston / Logan and Johnson Architecture (LOJO)
Title: Associate Professor and Director of the Burdette Keeland, Jr. Design Exploration Laboratory / Design Partner

Why did you choose the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, and what drew you to design?
I have always appreciated the diversity of our student body in all aspects - cultural, social, and economic – and the variety of different creative experiences each student brings to the program. I was drawn to architecture through my art background from high school, which more closely aligned with the design studio than I initially expected. I immediately felt at home in the design studio and enjoyed spending all my time there (and sometimes getting my work done!).

What is one of your favorite memories from your time on campus? Was there a particular professor who influenced your education?
It is difficult to pick one favorite memory, but they all come from the late nights at the Hines College, with the lifelong friends I made as a student. It is equally difficult to isolate one of my professors. So many of them impacted my development in different ways, and I cannot thank them enough for their positive influence on my life – Duke Fleshman, Robert Griffin, Dietmar Froehlich, Ronnie Self, Bruce Webb, Nora Laos, John Zemanek, David Thaddeus, and many others.

What does a typical day look like in your job? Do you have a particular design or business philosophy?
My days are shared between teaching design at the Hines College and my practice LOJO with Matthew Johnson. I enjoy having a foot in both worlds of academia and practice. They work reciprocally, each helping to invigorate the other. As a designer, I am personally interested in hybridity, but that is a very "architect" answer. In general, I believe we should leave (or return) the site of our work better than we found it, and I believe in design's ability to improve our lives. Of course, it can do the opposite, so we must be conscious of our work's impact on the immediate context and broader environment at many scales - from the site to the community and our contribution to a sustainable and ecological practice.

What is one career accomplishment of which you are particularly proud? How do you feel that Hines College prepared you for this?
I would say that, professionally, our recently completed project, the XO House, which just received a 2023 Texas Society of Architects (TxA) Design Award, is a significant accomplishment. Academically, I just accepted a new role as associate professor and director of the Keeland Lab, which is a tremendous honor. I am excited to take on this new challenge. The Hines College helped me to develop my design process through making. In my mind, design and making are reciprocal. It is why I have always felt the need to teach and practice, think and make, design and build. They are all inseparable, and this reality was fostered here at the Hines College.

What is one valuable lesson you learned at the Hines College?
I learned that an iterative design practice is open to testing many ideas and concepts with the flexibility to adapt as we learn from the process. As an early designer, I was more singular and stubborn, and my work was often filled with preconceived ideas. The design studio helped me to develop process-based design methods and an appreciation for the work emerging from practice.

What advice would you give to current architecture and design students?
Embrace and develop a love for the process of design because it will enrich the outcome of your work.

LOJO website: https://loganandjohnson.com
Instagram: @logan.jason @lojo_arch