It’s not like some narcissistic fuse goes off at 20 and its over, Mindel says.

Question: How have you evolved as an architect?

Lee Mindel: Well. I feel like the more architecture one gets to do, the more open ended it seems and in a way the more difficult it becomes because even though you have been exposed to things there are so many great architects. There are so much good work that you feel like you never get the chance to do your best work. You are always looking to the next project to hopefully have that be the thing and I really enjoyed the late Robert Altman’s comment when he received his lifetime achievement award when he said you are giving me a lifetime achievement award for 41 movies. I am still making the same movie and I think architecture is that way, it’s a process of continuing and the beauty of architecture is you don’t have a kind of narcissistic fuse that goes off in your 20s and its over. You hopefully get better and keep learning and the great architects didn’t reach their great work until they were getting on years and that’s hopeful to think that you don’t have an expiration date.

Recorded On: 6/1/07