Community Highlights: Meet Tor Stuart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tor Stuart.

Hi Tor, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was seven I told my mom I was going to be an architect and have given myself this focus ever since. My first projects were built with popsicle sticks that I collected by riding my bike through my neighborhood to use as building pieces. I built at least one tree fort every summer – each one more elaborate and inspiring than the other. The last one was four stories tall and had a roof deck at the top of the tree that looked down on a local drive-in movie theater!

I have received many awards for my work, including winning the top architecture prize in a state-wide High School Industrial Arts Association competition, and had my first project in college go on a traveling exhibition with the American Institute of Architects which typically is awarded to a 5th-year student. Once landing my career in Phoenix, I designed homes that were published in the Arizona Republic as the “Home Plan of the Week” to which I have had hundreds of my designs built all over the Valley.

It was really humbling to get fan mail from people saying they were inspired by my designs. In 2016, I was awarded the title Master of the Southwest by Phoenix Home and Garden magazine, an award given to one architect in the state of Arizona each year based on their body of work and the promise of their future. It is with humility and gratitude that I can be the creative conduit for their dreams.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Architecture has always been as easy for me as daydreaming. I’ve never struggled with anything I’ve designed and have always approached each project knowing the result would be amazing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My firm is known for extreme creativity in finding solutions to the difficult hillside and complex properties that end up accomplishing extraordinary views with intimate privacy in a way that plays with light and shadow to turn each home into a resort-style work of art.

I am most proud of the fact that my clients are my friends and that they never want to sell or leave their homes, but when they do, they know there will be no problem selling their homes and making a big profit!

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I learned happened on a project I did in my second year of college. The professor asked the class to design the circulation spaces for a new city-block development downtown. As each student pinned up their work on the wall and described how the cars, people, and service vehicles would interact on the site, I pinned up colored elevations and renderings of my design instead.

My professor asked me what I was doing and I replied, architects are famous for how their buildings look, not on their floor plans, and I want to design the most beautiful buildings in the world! I got an A in that class and have always focused on designing strikingly beautiful homes with undeniable curb appeal.

Pricing:

• Fees for architectural services start at $10/per square foot of livable area and increase for complex projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.architector.com
• Instagram: @architector_pc
• Other: houzz.com/pro/architectorpc/architector-pc

Image Credits
Thompson Photographic and Steven Thompson