JOHN M. GAY
JAQ Corp int, PC
SAY IT LOUD - North Carolina Exhibitor
North Carolina Based Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Music, Relationships & design challenges that are cultivated & resolved, respectfully through seamless syncopation. Initially, I was inspired architecturally by Corbusier & musically by Thelonius Monk.
JOHN M. GAY
Bio:
The great architect , John M. Gay, AIA, NOMA is founding principal of JAQ Corp, a national boutique design firm delivering designs with a rhythmic aesthetic, utilizing jazz form, syncopation, and improvisation. My quest is to allow jazz to shape space by analyzing the rhythm, structure and tambour of music selected by the client inspiring the architectural design. I earned my BSAS from the University of Illinois, MARCH from the University of Michigan and completed the MARCH at the Technical University of Vienna.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I first really learned about architecture when my Mom saw an interesting development under construction & she said, "let's take a drive over to Historic Beverly, Chicago & take a look."
What do you do?
I'm the creative principal, leading a band of architects in a Studio Vibe, creating the interlude between academia & the profession, allowing jazz to create space. Currently, I'm developing our vocabulary w/ Wynton, Regina, Terri, Tia & Stefon.
What excites you in the work you do?
The development of the design through the maturation of the client relationship & the design process to complete the project. When we get to the end, the client tells us, "The space looks like the renderings."
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Music, Relationships & design challenges that are cultivated & resolved, respectfully through seamless syncopation. Initially, I was inspired architecturally by Corbusier & musically by Thelonius Monk.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
1. Securing our first Aviation Contract at RDU.
2. Beating a national firm for the Quinn Chapel AME contract.
3. Penny Pritzker wrote my former boss a letter, stating "We could not have built this Hi-Rise without you."
Important articles:
Featured Project Name:
RDU Concessions
Featured Project Location:
NC
Featured Project Completion Date:
MAR 2020
Role in Featured Project:
AOR
Featured Project Description:
In 2019 we called 13 Restaurateurs. We were hired, by 2, to provide Concept Design, Confirm Concourse Capacity & Concession Financial Analysis. In less than 30 days, during the Christmas season, we worked closely with two distinctly different clients to deliver their concepts to RDU for the Concessions RFP. Later in 2020, we learned that our 2 clients had both been short-listed. We flew to RDU for the interviews and COVID-19 suspended the project. This experience introduced us to RDU staff.
