Andrew Skurman
Quick Facts
Biography
Andrew Skurman (March 17, 1953) is an American architect. He is currently principal architect at Andrew Skurman Architects.
Early life and education
Skurman was born in Oceanside, New York in 1953. Skurman received his bachelor of architecture in 1976 from Cooper Union in New York. Skurman credits a visit as a teenager to Philip Johnson's office in the Seagram Building on Park Avenue as the deciding moment he wanted to become an architect. Skurman has cited Andrea Palladio, Juan Gris, Le Corbusier as influences and I.M. Pei and John Hejduk as early mentors.Diane Lewis writes, "For Skurman the project--each project--comes to fruition almost at once. Lines of light defining space. A collage he once made, inspired by Violon et Guitare by Juan Gris, folded and cut simply of only white paper, sliced in the manner in which he draws, was and remains the opening salvo of his style."
Career
After graduating from Cooper Union, Skurman worked as a designer for I.M. Pei in 1976 where he assisted on the design of the Louvre Pyramid. In 1980, Skurman worked in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and, in 1987, joined Gensler & Associates before founding Andrew Skurman Architects in 1992.
In 2010, Skurman received the honor of being named a Chevalier of Arts and Letters by the Minister of Culture of France. He is a founder of the Northern California chapter of The Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and was that chapter's president in 2013-2014. Skurman is on the Board of Directors for the National Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. He was Creative Director of the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, the oldest continuously operating international antiques show on the West Coast, from 2008-2013.
Skurman received two Julia Morgan Awards for his residential designs in 2014.
Work
Notable Architectural Projects
Major Projects of Andrew Skurman and his architectural office Andrew Skurman Architects include:
• Salon Dore, California Palace of the Legion of Honor -- San Francisco
• Wattis Room, Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall -- San Francisco
• Resort at Pelican Hill -- Newport Beach
Books
• Contemporary Classical: The Architecture of Andrew Skurman (2012)
Awards
• Julia Morgan Award, Best Residential Architecture, New (Over 5,000 sq. ft.) (2014)
• Julia Morgan Award, Best Residential Architecture, Renovation or Addition (2014)
• Chevalier of Arts & Letters by the French Minister of Culture (2010)