What do Ice Cube, the members of Pink Floyd, and Seal have in
common with fashion icon Tom Ford and former president Thomas Jefferson?
They all studied architecture. Perhaps a representation of the
diversity of talents in architecture studios, household names like
Samuel L. Jackson and Courteney Cox found their footing as students of
architecture prior to reaching success in other fields.
We've
put together a list of some of the most unexpected names gracing the
yearbooks of architecture schools from around the world, including the
likes of Queen Noor of Jordan and George Takei of Star Trek fame. Discover "Weird Al" Yankovic's true (architectural) passions after the break.
Three
of Pink Floyd's five founding members, Waters, Mason, and Wright met
while studying architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic in London, now known as the University of Westminster.
After two years of architectural studies, Waters was dismissed due to a
lack of interest in the history of building design and thorough disdain
for critiques. The three would ultimately leave Westminster to pursue
music, and have attributed inspiration for the iconic ballad "The Wall" to their time at Westminster. In 1969, Pink Floyd released "Music for Architectural Students," an album dedicated to their period spent in studio. Ice Cube
Ice Cube. Image via Flickr Creative Commons user Eva Rinaldi
Perhaps the most surprising entry on this list, American rapper Ice Cube studied architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute
of Technology beginning in 1987, earning a diploma in draughtsmanship a
year later. Ice Cube is said to have been inspired by the architecture
of Southern California, particularly by the designs of The Eames House. Shortly after founding hip hop group N.W.A., Ice Cube began his studies in architecture as a failsafe for his career in music. Bill Gaytten
Best known as the creative director of fashion house John Galliano, Gaytten began as a student of the Bartlett School of Architecture at University
College London. Upon completion of his studies, Gaytten found himself
working for designer Victor Edelstein, followed by a 23-year stint at
Dior before taking the helm at Galliano after the departure of its
namesake. Queen Noor of the Kingdom of Jordan
Queen Noor of Jordan. Image via Flickr Creative Commons user Skoll World Forum
Born Lisa Halaby of Washington, D.C., Jordan's Queen Consort and widow to former King Hussein studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University. Entering university in 1969, Noor belonged to Princeton's first co-educational class. Upon graduation, Noor traveled to first Australia to
pursue her career as an architect, subsequently accepting a job with
British firm Llewelyn-Davies Weeks to work on a masterplan for Tehran.
Shortly thereafter, Noor met Hussein and moved to Jordan, and has since
served as a philanthropist and activist on an array of issues
worldwide. Seal
Courteney Cox. Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com
Best known for her role as Monica Geller on sitcom 'Friends,' Cox briefly studied architecture at Mount Vernon College in Washington D.C. Partially into her degree Cox withdrew to pursue a modelling career in New York City. Tom Ford
George Takei. Image via Flickr Creative Commons user TEDxKyoto
Primarily known for his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, George Takei began as a student of architecture at University of California, Berkeley.
Takei pursued architecture for a brief period, choosing to transfer his
studies to the dramatic arts before beginning a highly successful
career on television. Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Born in 1840, Hardy was an English novelist
and poet and was known to be admired by then aspiring writer Virginia
Woolf. Hardy began as an apprentice at the age of sixteen, working under
architect Thomas Hicks before beginning his formal education in
Dorchester, and subsequently King's College London. Before beginning his career as a writer, Hardy won numerous awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association, in addition to his role in the construction of London's historic St. Pancras Station. Art Garfunkel
One half of the famous duo Simon & Garfunkel, Art
Garfunkel is a dynamic player in the arts community, having dabbled in
music, film, poetry, and architecture. Garfunkel attended Columbia University in New York City where
he studied architecture, ultimately graduating with a degree in art
history in 1962. Curiously, Garfunkel completed a graduate degree in
mathematics in 1967 and began work on a doctorate in the same field,
abandoning it at the peak of Simon & Garfunkel's success. In 1969,
the band recorded "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright," an homage to one of Garfunkel's architectural heroes. Benjamin Netanyahu
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson was indeed a practicing architect, but led a double life as President of the United States. He gained some success as an architect despite an absence of formal training: he learned all he knew from books on classical European architecture, notably Palladio's The Four Books of Architecture. He was particularly inspired by Italian architecture
and is credited with the introduction of numerous Palladian elements to
the American architectural landscape. In 1772, Jefferson built
a residence for himself in Virginia and named it Monticello. The house consequently established what would be later known as 'Jeffersonian Architecture.' "Weird Al" Yankovic
Jimmy "James" Stewart
Star of It's a Wonderful Life and frequent co-star of Katharine Hepburn, Stewart studied architecture at Princeton University in
New Jersey. Although he aspired to be a pilot for the United States
Navy, his father persuaded him to attend Princeton where he excelled as a
student and was awarded a graduate scholarship for his design of an
airport terminal. Stewart never pursued graduate studies in
architecture, but went on to enjoy a highly successful career and
appeared in over 92 films. Ralf Hütter
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου