Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1010195
A native of Linz, Austria, Schicketanz' original career choice was modern dance, but, "I fell from a horse," she explains. Injuries sustained from that incident precluded her from continuing that path and during recovery she became interested in architecture. "I had attended an intense art school from the ages of 7 to 14," she recalls. "I was immersed in the arts. The school was in the same building that housed the local modern art museum and we were allowed to roam freely in the galleries. It was a very rich experience." She firmly believes that this early exposure informs her work today. "How couldn't it?" she asks. "If you spend your childhood looking at renowned works of art on a regular basis it informs your life, really." "Mary Ann discovered architecture through a trip to India," says Alameda-based architect and esteemed author and lecturer Pierluigi Serraino, AIA. "She became aware of the potential of architecture as an art form, something bigger than its own function." Schicketanz earned her master's degree from the University of Stuttgart and worked in Europe before coming the US in 1987. Schicketanz' European background had steeped her in an awareness of energy conservation and health-conscious building design, something that had not yet come to the forefront of American architectural think- ing at that time. "In the Europe of the 1970s when I was in school, alternative energy was a big deal because energy was much more expensive there," she says. "In the states, it's only recently become impor tant. "LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] has pushed interest in sustainability." But while "green" design is important—she says it's an integral part in her work—at Studio Schicketanz, the main focus is on designing structures that suit the unique and diverse sites of Monterey County while at the same time satisfying clients' specific needs. "Her work is low profile but very close to the environment," Serraino says. "She has the courage to listen to her own reactions to a site." Another important process involves the materials used in construction. "What distinguishes us from a lot of "contemporary architects" is our sense for materiality," Schicketanz says. "Since modern architecture has such reduced forms—such as boxes stepping up a hillside—it's essential 224 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 8 The crisply modern, AIA Monterey Bay Chapter award-winning design for this Tehama home takes full advan- tage of its site, utilizing expanses of glass to bring the outdoors in. At any given moment, Studio Schicketanz will have "somewhere around 20" projects in the pipeline. Photo: Joe Fletcher