An interview with Jeff Lee in the June, 2008 edition of Real Life magazine. For more information on Real Life Magazine and the Turks and Caicos, please visit their site at http://www.reallife.ky
ARCHITECT
PROFILE
Jeff
Lee
Jeff Lee is a senior partner at Lee & Astwood Architects. Located in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, the firm’s projects range from high-end condominiums, luxury resorts and homes to airports and historical restoration projects for clients throughout the Caribbean and globally. Their services include architectural consultation, design, construction, document production, project and construction management, and interior design. Mr. Lee sat down recently with RealLife’s staff writer Lisa Boushy to answer some questions.
L.B. What are your biggest inspirations when designing?
J.L. Of course, our client’s dreams and needs are our biggest inspiration; however, the site is a major source of inspiration and architectural direction for me. The site in and of itself – the elevation, orientation and view, etc set the scene for every project. The architectural direction for each project is then further affected by the nature of wind, which is usually easterly in Turks and Caicos, and the angle and impact of the sun during the day and across the seasons.
L.B. Who is your most cherished architect or designer?
J.L. The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto is my favourite designer – he had a great sense of space and utilized curves extensively.
L.B. How would you describe your design sense?
J.L. Eclectic and site specific. Each project presents unique and different challenges. That means that “style” reflects conditions and changes accordingly. For example, I would not propose a Grand Turk Bermudian style house in Providenciales, nor would I propose a modern, glass-fronted residence for the western shore of Grand Turk. I attempt to bring a sense of connection and fit between each site and each client’s goals to my designs. When these two aspects are in sync and are able to be mutually supporting then you know you will have a good result. I have completed everything from modern to historically accurate projects and pretty much everything in between.
L.B. Do you have a favourite building in the Turks & Caicos Islands?
J.L. I would say two: the first being the Royal West Indies resort, an example of a Caribbean seaside resort experience. It is also an example of what can be accomplished within severe site constraints – the resort is a 120-room facility built on an extremely narrow site and contains only 167 feet of beach frontage. Also the beachfront residences on Duke Street in Grand Turk – the Simons House and the Roberts House – are examples of what can be accomplished in the vein of historical architecture when one has a knowledgeable and exacting client. The first house was built from scratch but is referred to in the press as “a recently renovated 200-year-old Grand Turk house,” and the Roberts House is a completely re-built historical home. The project was achieved through the innovative idea of knocking down much of the termite-infested wood structure and replacing it with a wood- clad concrete structure, as well as a close working relationship and enlightened support from the Turks and Caicos Planning Department.
L.B. What makes the Turks and Caicos Islands unique from an architectural and design standpoint?
J.L. The trade winds are, of course, the primary element but additionally the sun and moon create many interesting opportunities as there is quite a bit of variation in how they move across the seasons. One particularly interesting opportunity is when a site has sufficient elevation and orientation to predict a spot where a full moon rise can be viewed. These events can be especially spectacular over water – with a bright orange moon rising full over the horizon.
L.B. Do you have any design regrets?
J.L. The unfortunate circumstances that occur when a really wonderful design gets modified or altered to the point where we view the final product as sub-standard or far less than the objective. This is without a doubt the most frustrating aspect of the design process.
L.B. What projects are you currently working on?
J.L. Our current major projects are the Ambergris Cay Spa and the Veranda Resort. Both are exciting opportunities that afford us the chance to affect the architectural landscape of both Providenciales and Ambergris Cay.
L.B. If you had a dinner party, name four people dead or alive whom you would love to entertain.
J.L. Winston Churchill, John Adams, Barbara Tuchman (historian), and my father.
L.B. Is there an object that you cannot live without?
J.L. I have only one piece of jewellery – a jade whale tail-shaped necklace that my wife Lucy bought for me in New Zealand that is irreplaceable.
L.B. What is your biggest design weakness?
J.L. Being unable to be satisfied that a design is what it should be or can be once completed.
L.B. What is inside your cupboards?
J.L. An eclectic collection of family china, golf cups and mugs, and antique liqueur glasses.
L.B. Do you collect anything?
J.L. Used golf balls. I cannot seem to throw them out and when my wife reads this I know what is going to happen.
L.B. What is your greatest extravagance?
J.L. An airplane.
L.B. If you weren’t an architect what would you be?
J.L. I honestly do not know. At the age of eight I told my mother, who was an artist, musician and painter, that I wanted to be a truck driver and she took very little time in dissuading me of that as a career option.
L.B. When and where were you the happiest?
J.L. In August of 1975 in the middle of the Bay of Fundy where I was on deck – by myself – helming a 35-foot racing sloop from the lower side of the cockpit. It was midnight under a full moon in a strong breeze of 25 knots and phosphorescence was streaming 100 feet behind the transom.