039 – Myles Alexander of Form & Function Architecture on Doing “Okay-ish” in Asheville
When most people think of architects, they think of rich, white old men in fancy highrise buildings. But Myles Alexander, the founder of Form & Function Architecture, has a slightly different story.
January 21, 2020
You just gotta keep doing it —if that’s what you feel called to do as a person and that’s what you want to do in the world We all got rent, we all got mortgages, and we all gotta eat, so at some point, you gotta monetize it, but that can’t be the reason you’re doing it. ‘Cause you’ll stop doing it and you’ll go find something else.”
—Myles Alexander
In this episode, we interview Myles Alexander, the founder of Form & Function Architecture in Asheville, NC.
From a young age, Myles knew he wanted to be an architect. He chose to start his own firm, Form & Function, here in Asheville because he loves helping people to solve design problems.
Over the last 10 years or so, he’s worked on just about everything. He’s built restaurants out of shipping containers, helped a family build their own home, and worked on a number of Buncombe County schools and public facilities.
But it hasn’t always been easy. In fact, this is the first year that Myles would go so far as to say he thinks he’s “doin’ okay-ish in Asheville.” You’ll hear him say that he wishes he had just become a “pediatric orthodontist.” According to him, it would have been easier and he would have made a lot more money.
Although he jokingly says, he wishes he was “the first billionaire architect,” you can tell that Myles is happy with what he has and what he’s built.
We don’t want to spoil the entire episode, but what we will say is this. Be warned: Myles Alexander is one funny guy. You’re guaranteed to giggle a lot during this episode.
Here’s What You’ll Learn
Myles’ journey to becoming an architect and starting his own firm in Asheville
A behind-the-scenes glimpse of Smoky Park Supper Club’s architectural design completed by Myles
Insight on what it’s like to work with an architect
Inputs vs. outputs
Doing what you love versus what other people love
Tips for smoking meat
Myles’ favorite places to eat in and around Asheville
Vin-Yet Architecture is a collaborative studio that specializes in commercial and residential architecture throughout the Carolinas.
Sand Hill Kitchen – Restaurant in a gas station on Sand Hill Road that “has a bangin’ fried chicken sandwich”
Philip Johnson Quote – “Architects are pretty much high-class whores. We can turn down projects the way they can turn down some clients, but we’ve both got to say yes to someone if we want to stay in business.”
Smoky Park Supper Club is a restaurant and event space in the River Arts District. Form & Function designed their space from a shipping container.
Architect things referenced during the episode:
Falling Water is a house built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania. It was designed by the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. “It’s beautiful, but leaks like hell,” says Myles.
Good, Fast, Cheap Triangle:You can’t have it all. You can have it good and fast, but it won’t be cheap. You can have it good and cheap, but it won’t be fast. You have it fast and cheap, but it won’t be good.
Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.
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