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Robert L. Faust

Robert Faust was born on March 15th, 1932 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was a great American architect that taught in the architecture school at Auburn University for more than 40 years.

Education

Robert attended the Architecture School of Tulane briefly before transferring to the University of Oklahoma. Faust was interested in an alternative to the traditional architecture education at that time. He was intrigued by Bruce Goff and was inspired to develop his own design ideas. he graduated from OU in 1956.

Early Career

After graduation, Faust served 2 years in the Navy. Soon after he was asked by Goff to work on a project in Biloxi, Mississippi. He worked with Bruce Goff from 1958-61, gaining as much experience as he could. This resulted in him being involved in the design and construction of the Gryder House and the Gutmann House. Faust was especially intrigued by the construction process and this had the biggest influence on his design philosophy.

Teaching & Built Projects

Faust left New Orleans in 1965, he taught at Iowa for 3 years then began teaching at Auburn in Alabama. He desired to continue his own work and began the project he called "Corrugated Alabama," which lasted over 20 years. He involved his students in the building of these town houses on the land he purchased himself. During his teaching years he also did a seminar called "The American School" that showed the theories and writings of Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff. Faust is greatly credited with being meticulous in the construction process, especially with elements that no one would ever see but contributes significantly to the overall quality of the end project. He taught these principles to his students and had high expectations for them.

Design Philosophy

Robert L Faust believed that architecture was for personal expression and creativity, but he personally demanded and appreciated precision and craft. He was known for using unusual materials in his buildings and did much of the work himself, which was unique at the time. Faust was innovative but especially known for his concern for precision and ethics. Faust worked with Albert C. Ledner in 1964-65 where he learned much about the AIA code of ethics and building residential products. He was more interested in residential designs than commercial. He retired from Auburn University in 2011.