Rick Joy

Rick Joy (born 1958 Maine, USA) is an American architect.

Early life

Joy was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. He studied music at the University of Maine from 1977 to 1984 before studying architecture at the University of Arizona, graduating in 1990 and establishing his own practice in 1993.

Career and Recognition

Rick Joy is Principal of Rick Joy Architects, a 12 person innovative architecture and planning firm established in 1993 in Tucson, Arizona. From the beginning, each of RJA’s works have been exhibited and published extensively and have won numerous awards. Joy received the 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture and in 2004 won the prestigious National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institute/Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He periodically serves as a visiting professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rice University and M.I.T. and he lectures extensively on the firm’s work throughout the world. In 2002, Joy’s first monograph was published entitled Rick Joy: Desert Works, the first in the Princeton Architectural Press/Graham Foundation invited New Voices in Architecture series.

Working largely on private houses, typically in desert regions of the United States, Joy frequently employs rammed earth in his designs. In addition, He has realized architectural works throughout North America with extensive experience with lifestyle based projects from numerous single family residences to an ultra-lux resort and large scale master-plans.

In 2008, Joy was chosen as one of the international architects that will be part of the development of the Pan-American Villa in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico around the Morelos Park for 2011 Pan American Games . According to the architect his building will be strongly influenced by the traditional arches of the old buildings in the downtown of the city but with a slight twist, according to him arches and shadows will be the base of his project. Rick Joy will be the only non-Spanish speaker involved on the project, between the team of architects that will work on this project we can find the Spaniard Carme Pinos and Chilean Mathias Klotz

Major Works

• 2009 Woodstock Farm, Woodstock, Vermont, USA
• 2007 Amagiri Resort, Utah, USA
• 2006 Ventana Canyon Residence, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• 2005 Adobe Canyon Residence, Patagonia, Arizona, USA
• 2005 Desert Nomad House, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• 2001 Tucson Mountain House, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• 2000 Tubac Residence, Tubac, Arizona, USA
• 1999 400 South Rubio Studio, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• 1998 Catalina Mountain Residence, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• 1998 Convent Avenue Studios, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Awards

• 2009 Mario Pani Award, Universidad de Anahuac, Mexico DF, Mexico
• 2008 American Architecture Award for AvraVerde project with exhibitions in the United States, Italy and Greece
• 2005 Record Houses Award for Desert Nomad House
• 2004 National Design Award Winner, Cooper-Hewitt – Smithsonian Institute
• 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters, Academy Award in Architecture
• 2001 Record House Award for Tubac Residence

Sources

Holl, Steven (Introduction); Joy, Rick (Author); Pallasmaa, Juhani (Introduction) (2002). Rick Joy: Desert Works. Princeton Architectural Press. 176 pages. ISBN 1568983360