David Rau and the Sustainability of Tradition

In this episode of By Invitation, host Caroline Slaten sits down with architect David Rau to explore how classical architecture may be one of our greatest models for sustainable design. What does it truly mean for a building to be "green"? David addresses common assumptions about sustainability and highlights how environmentally responsible buildings are often those designed to endure for generations. We also explore craftsmanship, materials, adaptability, and the evolution of classical architecture along with its future. Along the way, David reflects on his journey from acting, singing, writing plays, and designing Off-Broadway theater sets to becoming an architect. 

David Rau is a Principal at Hart Howerton and member of the Board of Directors at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, where he also serves on the Classicist committee, helping to plan the annual peer-reviewed journal. David has worked on luxury hospitality brands such as Miraval, Canyon Ranch, and The Breakers in Palm Beach and is a frequent lecturer on the subject of sustainability.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation that reexamines sustainability through the lens of classical architecture and explores building with permanence, beauty, and purpose.

By Invitation is presented by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, an educational nonprofit dedicated to advancing the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical and traditional architecture, art, and design. With 15 chapters across the United States, the ICAA offers programs for students, professionals, and enthusiasts around the world, including continuing education courses, public programs and lectures, travel programs, documentary films, and more. To learn more or support the ICAA, please visit classicist.org.

Transcript

David Rau: 0:02

I think that classicism is not one thing. There have been waves of classical theories in architecture since the Parthenon and before, in every decade and century and I think that there are new levels of classicism out I think that the current world we're in is actually an a window to a new way of seeing classicism that's really It is, to me, inherently sustainable.

Caroline Slaten: 0:30

Welcome to "By Invitation," a podcast of the of Classical Architecture and Art, where we're to advancing the understanding, appreciation, and I'm your host, Caroline Slaten, and in each the people, places, and ideas shaping the world of We sat down with David Rau, principal at Hart the intersection of sustainability and classical Along the way, we learned about his early days acting, writing plays, and designing theater sets off Broadway, why the future of architecture does not look like "The and we even planned the most interesting architectural And by invitation, here is today's guest. David Rau. David Rau is a principal at Hart Howerton and at the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, on the Classicist Committee, helping to plan the David has worked on luxury hospitality brands such as Canyon Ranch, and The Breakers in Palm Beach, and is a of sustainability.

David Rau: 2:05

As early as I can remember, I wanted to be an I have vivid memories of being in my mother's car, being where I grew up. And at the time, Petula Clark's "Downtown," the song, would and just driving into the city and seeing the buildings, and and seeing the people on the street. From the very beginning, that's just where I wanted to be, So yeah, it's always been in my brain to become an architect. I always had a parallel love with theater, and pursued that And then even during college, I would slip out of the to the theater department and build sets and work on other So when I got to New York, I started to do that off off and wrote plays, and produced things, and got into set and that type of thing, and had briefly thought that I would design. It's a lot quicker, and you get to see your results. Although on the other hand, it's much more fleeting after But fortunately, my architecture career picked up around and I started to get really focused on just architecture.

Caroline Slaten: 3:16

I never knew you had that theater background. Were you ever on the stage or just toiling away on

David Rau: 3:21

Oh, I did it all. I acted, I produced, I wrote musicals. I did everything that you could do. I think that helped with my career, where I'm working with doing big projects, and it's about persuading everybody to things in a joint creative effort. So there's a lot of parallels. And then also the look and feel of things, and making and tell stories and all of that are still in my DNA. And I think it sort of sets aside some of the more academic to architecture that get to be very serious and very stiff. And I have a lot of fun, especially with people coming out of much more theatrical and much more alive and based on human and that type of thing.

Caroline Slaten: 4:08

People must love that. So are you kind of a mentor for emerging professionals

David Rau: 4:13

Definitely at this stage in my life, I start to see I think all along I've been mentoring people, but less just assuming they were learning by osmosis and that type of But I'd say in the last five years or so, I've become more trying to be a mentor and leave behind people that share the and particular initiatives within that.

Caroline Slaten: 4:37

Did you have a mentor yourself, or who kind of

David Rau: 4:42

I came to New York and I went to work at a firm called Hardy, Holtzman, Pfeiffer, which in the day was a major mover in New They were one of the preeminent firms internationally. They did a show at the Biennale. They did major museums all over the country. They did performing art centers. They did Broadway theaters. They did tangential projects that were in the arts and And Hugh Hardy, in particular, was an amazing mentor to Really almost a father figure in terms of picking me out of in the beginning, and then really developing my place in to sort of show what I could do. And it was really a wonderful period of my life. And to this day, I find myself thinking, what would Hugh do? How would he present something? What would his choice be in this question that I'm wrestling And it's usually a good reference point for how I move

Caroline Slaten: 5:41

What about classicism?

David Rau: 5:46

Yes. I went to school during the height of postmodernism, which Not because of postmodernism, but because there was And there were the hardcore modernists, and I was in a And then there were the renegade few that were espousing of seeing things, which eventually gave way to in general, and less so Postmodernism but that cracked open a view of the world for me that it was okay to feel some of about the modern approach to things. And I got very interested in history and started reading of course, Venturi and others that were sort of pulling mainstream modernist thinking. And then back to Hugh Hardy. In that office where I was, every year, they would send one one of the employees, to the Victorian Society. And America had an annual summer school in London, England, and I got the prize, I guess, to go and attend. And it's a group of about 50 people, a lot of young architects and architectural historians, people in the decorative people who are just enthusiasts, a lot like the people coming to ICAA events. But it was for a three-week stint, and we had classes writing books at that period. It was led by Gavin Stamp, Clive Aslet, a lot of the all of the great early 20th-century traditional architects, so Lutyens and Vasey and Shaw and all of those. And then we would go see the buildings, many of which were but there was a sister organization in England, the in England, and a lot of those members would open up their got to see amazing things. And that was it for me. Just wanted to pursue that for the rest of my career.

Caroline Slaten: 7:51

David, you've given a TED Talk about the future of and classicism playing a central role in the I would love to dig a little bit more into that. You've also given a really great talk here at the ICAA, a lecture, you've spoken to our board, and believe and spoke as well at the Bulfinch Awards.

David Rau: 8:10

That's right. So I was asked to give this TED Talk on the topic of the and I think that they expected to get a talk about and how it was an ever-expanding linear path into the where we would all end up like the Jetsons zooming around And what they got was really my view of a future of that really would look more like the past than it does to and that this idea of the future was this elusive thing that And it hasn't ever gotten here in my life, this perfect, monolithic sort of future. But it was always going to be this much more organic thing and recurring themes and things like that. And that even modernism is already a vintage style. It's already a historic style. Modern buildings are being landmarked. So I tried to just dispel this idea that there was some leading us to an ever more modern future, but that we somewhere that looked more like the past.

Caroline Slaten: 9:25

It's interesting to talk a little bit about viewing where movements like slow food, handicrafts, local and indigenous building techniques are all with classicism and architecture. Can you elaborate a little bit on how those kind of

David Rau: 9:43

Sure. This TED Talk got me to put together my thoughts and to make this talk, and I knew I would be speaking to a It wasn't going to be a group of architects, and I tried to in culture, in the zeitgeist. One of the things that sort of came together for me was of architecture and food and thinking about architecture, not when we think about food today, there's this movement towards and how food can make us well or it can make us unwell. And thinking about the food movement, like in Italy, you this idea of artisanal, handmade, natural, organic, local, those types of things that have become really important And why don't we think about our buildings like that? Because it is not dissimilar that things that we put can make us more healthy or less healthy, but buildings can And if you start to look at traditional architecture, they natural, local, organic, handmade, fair, just, those types of High classicism expresses those same fundamental values. Some of the greatest buildings are like they came out of timber and stone and those types of materials. And one other aspect of all of this is just how buildings to us and starting to think about what constitutes a green And there are a lot of buildings, especially in New York. You walk around, and you see buildings with a plaque on the that says it's a green building. But you look at it, and it's steel and glass. It's machine-made. It's machine-fabricated. It's synthetic materials. It's caustic materials. But yet they're overcoming those inherent un-green with machinery, meaning mechanical systems and coatings and that somehow make it green. Versus other buildings in the city that you walk by, and with hand-carved images of oak leaves and flowers and fruit. And that's a culture that really loves nature. So much so that they were displaying their love for nature on of the buildings that they were building out of natural And so I guess I've become passionate with that whole is really going to be green, it needs to be expressing it in the graphic presentation of handmade things. Those are the real truly green buildings.

Caroline Slaten: 12:31

I guess that would also apply to products and materials that you hear about, things that are green that are meant to be more healthy for you. How do you feel about that kind of product versus a

David Rau: 12:47

Yeah. I think that the building industry is industrialized, and invented materials that are usually synthetic or oil-based plastics, those types of products. But I think that the best materials are just like food, the processed, more directly from the region around us. And you look at things like linoleum, which was a flooring It's linseed oil. It's totally renewable. It doesn't have anything caustic about it. It's a beautiful material. You can use it for desktops. You can use it for flooring. Terracotta is a traditional building material that renaissance. It's a very natural material, essentially a fired clay produced and shipped around. It's very weathertight. It's an excellent material. The revival of some of these traditional materials that can bring about the traditional look to things makes it It's not like you're doing something for stylistic but you're letting the materials express themselves.

Caroline Slaten: 14:12

What does it mean to you to approach green design from

David Rau: 14:20

I think that connecting the buildings, obviously to the but really to their health and their wellbeing, and holistically about how a building is planned and organized, how it's positioned in the city to make the whole a healthful one of New York. I think it's a bad rap for being sort of a big, bustling but I think it's also one of the healthiest places to live in and public transportation and the buildings facing the street, they encourage you to walk. So the urban fabric is humanistic but also healthy. It's also a traditional urban plan. Like this building that we're in today has an incredible, Every time I come to visit the ICAA on the third floor, I To design a building that encourages healthful outcomes is one that we're focused on today. And then, of course, there's the natural materials that It almost seems simple to say and obvious, but it does make a I think there's this whole thing with recycled materials, I've talked a lot about sort of the myth of recycling, and and I think companies mean well when they produce out of recycled plastics. But in the end, all it does is sort of validate further of petroleum plastics by saying, "Oh, it's okay because we just saying, "Well, maybe we shouldn't." Maybe wool, which is is as green or greener than perpetuating this sort of myth

Caroline Slaten: 15:57

I love that you mention the staircase in this because I never take it for granted how beautiful and coming in and getting to work here every day is So I think there's something about the way you interact within the building and within the space that can really

David Rau: 16:16

Absolutely. I think in addition to just the stair, there's all sorts of that you can do inside of buildings and planning them out, how circulate within the floors, having building floor plates so that people are close to natural light and air, having definitely whenever possible. None of these things are huge. They're all incremental, small things. If you can turn enough of the dials, you start to make a And I think as we're talking along, I wouldn't want that I am some sort of Luddite and think that everything It's more about incremental changes, doing what you having small influences that start to add up to something you to think about things a little bit differently so that different and arriving at new ways of seeing things rather big dramatic change invention.

Caroline Slaten: 17:20

And at what point in the project do you start thinking how can we make this sustainable? I'm assuming this is from the very first stages when a building, you have to start thinking in that

David Rau: 17:31

Because I work with lots of engineers and consultant groups and other consultants, and sometimes we're collaborating or interior designers, it's the art of persuasion, and it's a very subtle persuasion. It's getting a civil engineer to see things differently because they've been trained in a modernist or It's working with code officials to try to get them to sort interpreting the code or the regulation or the guideline in a but isn't maybe the perfunctory standard response to it. So a lot of design these days is doing just that, going back orchestrating or directing a whole group of people to Sometimes people need a little encouragement to do that or to each other a little differently. So yes, it starts at the beginning, but it's a constant

Caroline Slaten: 18:50

Would you say classicism is inherently

David Rau: 18:54

Absolutely. I think that that's one of the things that keeps me I think that classicism is not one thing. There have been waves of classical theories and architecture since the Parthenon and before, and every decade and century And I think that there are new levels of classicism out I think that the current world we're in is actually an a window to a new way of seeing classicism that's really It is, to me, inherently sustainable. I think the way it looks is expressing its sustainability. When you do it with an emphasis on local materials and and the local context and the local environment, it's That's what keeps me excited about it. It's not to keep studying the ancient models. They're important places to learn, but those cultures were themselves in their time. One of the things that modernists like to say is that should be of its time, and therefore, it shouldn't look But I think classicism, as I said, has changed through the And because it can constantly be expressing its own

Caroline Slaten: 20:10

That's right. And once you kind of know the fundamentals of it and and balance, you can translate that and play with it

David Rau: 20:18

Right.

Caroline Slaten: 20:21

So tell me, how did you get involved with the ICAA? Now you're a board member, you're a leader here. As I mentioned, you've spoken with the organization. Tell me about how you came to find us.

David Rau: 20:32

For a long period of my life, I lived in Richmond, Virginia, about 25 years, during which I had my own firm. And as I said, I've always had this passion for since school and my early days in New York before moving to And when I got there, I was looking for an outlet for that. The American Institute of Architects is a great organization, but it's a professional organization, and there are other like the USGBC that handles LEED. But that's a trade organization. Those are people looking to sell products to professionals. So I came across the ICAA and got more and more interested, and there was the Mid-Atlantic chapter, which was But I will say that was headquartered in Washington, D.C., So for me to be involved in the ICAA was a challenge. Although I did participate and we hosted events in had a lot of fun going on various tours that the Mid-Atlantic Met a lot of like-minded people through that, which has led and more connections over the time. And then when we moved to New York, I could really be involved come very frequently to the many offerings that this And then through that, started to raise my hand and how can What can I do? I'm passionate, especially about the educational on what classicism was, but to make it really a vital, progressive organization, which is happily what I see

Caroline Slaten: 22:10

We're advancing in so many different ways, and our even in the time I've been here. Why would you suggest people should become and become part of this community?

David Rau: 22:21

It's pretty easy because first of all, there's something for If you're just a young architect or even in architecture there are programs here that'll help you be a better And this is not to say you'll go back to school and design as you said, more about proportion and about how buildings and how to represent buildings and drawings, and you will better designer. If you're mid-career, it's a way to really sort of advance to make connections, to network. I think when you get later in your career, it's a great There's a great sort of social aspect to this, being with a that share your same values, and you can continue to So, I just think that there's so much going on here. The travel programs, the sketching programs. It's a wonderful organization.

Caroline Slaten: 23:27

Let's talk a little bit about your work at Hart So you've worked on so many notable projects, historic a lot of resort properties. Can you share a little bit about what projects you've been doing of late?

David Rau: 23:41

So since I came to Hart Howerton, my main focus has really on working within hospitality. It goes really well with my background, going back to theater and the dramatic arts and stage sets and things like that, and for people to act out their fantasies to some extent. But really more importantly, the daily drama of and being together in places. And I think it all fits together nicely with this line of I have now designing for hospitality, and that's hotels, restaurants, and retail and spas and fitness centers and all And even resort villages with retail and residential. So it allows me to sort of exercise a lot of these ideas that's always looking for ways to build and expand on their And my particular niche has been with historic properties, into disrepair and need saving, or some great properties been first in class and need to continue to make themselves and stay ahead of their own competition. My current project is at The Breakers, the amazing landmark grand hotel that sits on the beach in Palm Beach, Florida. I like to tell people that I've worked my entire career to on a place as amazing as The Breakers. It's a 1929 palazzo-styled hotel, eight stories right there on the beach with a huge tropical landscape set And we've been given the opportunity to work on really four significant assignments in and around the property there. And that's been a really amazing challenge, but also a very

Caroline Slaten: 25:33

When you're working in hospitality, I expect that a big is playing into the spirit of a place. So how do you think about the local context when you're

David Rau: 25:44

I think that all great hotels are trying to distinguish to differentiate themselves, to be unique, to have And it goes beyond brand, like a multi-hotel brand that you that are trying to be brand consistent wherever they go. Most of the properties that we're working for are For instance, The Breakers is still held in ownership that built it in 1929. Henry Flagler, who came to Florida when really there was not built the railroad, and along the railroad, he started to all the way down to Key West with the notion that he could from the Northeast down, charge them the train fare, and then So each of these places have these very unique stories, and are passionate about telling the story. Telling the story of the natural environment, the unique that they're in, the history of the construction of the it relates to the development of Florida. To some extent, the story of their own families and how they All of it ties together, and it gets into the culinary It gets into how treatments are handled in the spa. It comes also into the architecture, the interior design, and that leads to an overall story about the place.

Caroline Slaten: 27:20

When you're telling that story, how do you learn about how do you pick the design elements that goes into that?

David Rau: 27:30

Well, I'm very lucky in that my wife is an architectural and worked together enough over the years and, of and spent time together, that I have had the best training in of how to learn about the place. And as I said, we've on occasion worked together where she's the research and development of some of those places. And then through that, I've also patterned when I'm not with her, trying to do the same sorts of things. Looking at the past, researching the stories, getting and so slept here, but really learning about Henry Flagler what he was trying to do. And also just with the physical environment and the natural the flora, the fauna, the cuisine, the local people, and it's what you can discover about a place that can then become a in the story that you want to tell.

Caroline Slaten: 28:36

I'm just a little bit curious, what do you do if you I don't know if you ever get one of those, but what can you doing on your spare time?

David Rau: 28:43

If I have a couple of days, I slip away to our place in which is this great old historic house in town. It's just a beautiful early 20th century wood clapboard in a streetcar suburb, walkable. You can walk to the shops. But it does have a nice little yard around it, and I'll in the yard gardening, which is one of my great loves. During COVID, it was sort of this joy, a curse and a joy, as I to have this time at home. And for that, we did leave New York, and we went back to and we hunkered down. But no, I think if I have a few days, we're probably down in and probably spending time in and around the house.

Caroline Slaten: 29:27

And if you could sit down and collaborate with anyone just sit around the drafting board, who would it be and

David Rau: 29:35

If it could be anyone in the world, I think it would be Edwin who's just this amazing, remarkable, transformational person who, just in his own career, traced a path from doing that were really grounded to the earth and historic and And then went on through the course of his career to build that became progressively more classical to the point where he and just amazing buildings all over London. So everything from these little village-like houses on up to and for businesses and other purposes. And through it all had this sort of consistent thread about I like to think I'm trying to do, which is grounding within this idea of naturalism and using natural through the lens of classicism. He's incredibly inventive. He sort of created a new version of classicism. It's his own view of it, which takes the rules and bends them And I think that that's always been kind of a model for me I want to know the rules, but I want to break them and do

Caroline Slaten: 31:01

Well, David, is there anything else you'd like to

David Rau: 31:04

No, I think I would just say thank you to the ICAA for having but more importantly, for everything that you do. You're a small and hearty band, and I'm constantly impressed and the volume of work and the energy that you all bring to Proud to be a board member, proud to be a supporter, and everybody, too.

Caroline Slaten: 31:30

Thank you for tuning in to By Invitation, of Classical Architecture and Art, an educational dedicated to advancing the practice, and traditional architecture, art, and design. With 15 chapters across the United States, the ICAA professionals, and enthusiasts around the world, courses, public programs and lectures, travel and more. To learn more or to support the ICAA, please visit