Hirzel Resume

Paul Hirzel holds Bachelors degrees in Humanities from Washington State University, Art Education and Industrial Education from University of Washington, and Architecture from Cornell University. He earned his Master of Architecture with a minor in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University in 1984 winning both the Eschweiler Prize and Cornell Marshall Award for design excellence. A typological study of descriptive and metaphoric relationships between landscape and architecture was his thesis focus.

His professional experience includes private practice in Ithaca, New York, Louisville, Kentucky, and Bainbridge Island, Seattle, and Pullman, Washington where he has won regional, national and international recognition for projects involving interior design, landscape design and building design. Selected awards include an American Institute of Architects National Housing Award, an AIA-Sunset Western Home Award, and an AIA Seattle Honor Award. In addition to private practice, Hirzel has worked in both landscape architecture offices (The Berger Partnership in Seattle) and architecture offices (James Cutler, Architects, Bainbridge Island, Washington and SOM, Portland, Oregon). His work has been published in Architectural Record, Sunset Magazine, and Inland NW Homes and Lifestyles and was featured in a Rizzoli/Universe book publication by Linda Leigh Paul entitled: The Cabin Book.

His academic experience includes both secondary education where he was a high school art instructor on Bainbridge Island from 1973-1981 and higher education where he has taught architecture at Washington State University since 1989. He currently holds positions of Professor of Architecture in the College of Engineering and Architecture and is Master of Architecture Program Coordinator at Washington State University in Pullman.

Hirzel's academic emphasis at WSU has focused on the introduction of landscape significance into the architecture curriculum. An advocate for the inclusion/recognition of the "outside condition" in the building design solution, he has developed innovative strategies for site analysis and design. His site design course has won national awards from the American Institute of Architects: The AIA National Education Award (the professions most prestigious award to educators for teaching excellence) and the National Associated Collegiate Schools of Architecture: The ACSA Design Studio Award and has been featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Student work has been invited for exhibition at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington and at the AIA National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He has been a lecturer at Cranbrook Academy of Arts, the Interdisciplinary Design Institute in Spokane, Washington, Texas A&M, Gonzaga University, Cornell University, and the University of Washington.

Publications produced by his site design course include a trilogy of books on Eastern Washington: Pullman: A Book of Secrets, The Palouse: An Extra Terrestrial Feast, and Eastern Washington: Conditions and Aberrations; and the SR26 Gift Collection which includes two books: Motion Pictures: Stories of SR26 and 133.53 Miles: A Visual Travel guide for SR26, a postcard collection: SR26 Landart Series, and a music CD set: SR26 Rhythm of this Highway. Other publications include a portfolio of images and texts about yellowness in Pullman, Washington called The Yellowtown Collection and a book about water and architecture entitled Waterproofs: A Submission of Evidence at Carpenter Hall. Two of the above books won ACSA National Design awards. Click on Publications at our school website for further information www.arch.wsu.edu