The SRJC community was treated to a lecture about the illustrious career of famed Bay Area architect Bernard Maybeck as SRJC instructor Mark Wilson presented “Bernard Maybeck: Pioneer in Green Design” on Jan. 30 to a packed Newman Auditorium.
Maybeck was a prominent Bay Area architect during the early part of the 20th century and is most famously known for designing of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Originally constructed for the World’s Fair, the Palace of Fine Arts is currently home to the Exploratorium and is one of the most defining structures of the city.
Wilson displayed Maybeck’s architecture throughout his career and highlighted Maybeck’s use of the principles of green design.
“Most people believe that green design is a modern movement,” Wilson said. “However Maybeck demonstrated a clear intent for green design in his works, some of which are over a century old.”
Throughout the lecture, Wilson pointed out instances which Maybeck used reclaimed wood and locally available materials to build his houses. Maybeck designed large windows, which allow natural light to permeate his open floor plan rooms, reducing the need for electricity and ventilation.
Many of Maybeck’s houses were showcased during the lecture. Wilson punctuated each slide with a story or anecdote from his time visiting each house. Over the years, Wilson has cultivated a friendship with the Maybeck family allowing him extraordinary access to several of the remaining Maybeck houses and exclusive photos from the family’s archives.
Wilson often compared Maybeck’s work favorably to his more well known contemporary Frank Loyd Wright. Through demonstrating the similarities and differences in their accomplishments and styles, Wilson laid out a case for the preservation of Maybeck’s legacy.
Wilson’s engaging style made the lecture entertaining and informative. Students in attendance thoroughly enjoyed the lecture like Kaite Hewitt who heard about the lecture from friends or Jenny Schultz who attended because she knows people who are interested in green design.
This lecture corresponded with the book release by Mark Wilson about the architect. After the lecture, Wilson answered additional questions from audience members and signed copies of his new book as well as his previous books on Maybeck and architect Julia Morgan.
Wilson’s love for Maybeck’s designs began when he was completing his undergraduate degree at UC Berkley. Wilson lived in an apartment over looking the First Church of Christ, Scientist, a Maybeck design. Wilson, an architectural historian, has written and lectured about Maybeck for more than 35 years. He holds a Master’s in history and media from Cal State University East Bay. In addition to teaching at SRJC, he also created a course focusing on the architecture of Maybeck for UC Berkeley Extension.
