Andres Santandreu (MArch '17, BS Arch '16) in his own words
Andres Santandreu spent eight memorable years in Buffalo, most of them at UB, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture. He is now an architectural designer for Haskell in Jacksonville, Fla.
by Andres Santandreu
Published October 10, 2019 This content is archived.
I came to the United States from Venezuela as an international student in 2010 to attend an international language school in Tarrytown, New York, where I lived for eight months. During that time, I learned a lot about the English language, from basic grammar and vocabulary to writing, listening and pronunciation. I was fortunate to live only 35 minutes away from New York City by train. I would spend most of my free time visiting different New York City neighborhoods, experiencing the local culture, and learning about all that the city had to offer. This time was an extremely influential moment in my life and motivated my passion for architecture, design and the built environment.
I moved to Buffalo later that year to begin my academic journey. Little did I know it would become one of the dearest places to my heart, and somewhere I call home. I spent almost eight years in Buffalo, going from the community college, where I had my first real experience in an American academic setting, all the way up to my graduate studies in architecture at the University at Buffalo. My time in Western New York taught me extremely valuable lessons and allowed me to make lifelong friends, meet incredibly talented people, work towards my dreams, and rediscover myself in the process. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for the opportunities and education I had during my time at UB.
After graduation, I moved to Florida to be closer to family. I currently live in Jacksonville, where I work for a design-builder, the Haskell Company. During my short time here, I have learned a lot about issues relevant to the practice of architecture, from design and constructibility to budgets, schedules and delivery methods, just to name a few. I constantly find myself working across several different markets and scales from small outdoor interventions at local schools to mid-rise office buildings, parking garages, dormitories, cruise terminals, mixed-used buildings and feasibility studies at some of the most promising sites in Jacksonville.
"During my short time [as Haskell], I have learned a lot about issues relevant to the practice of architecture. I constantly find myself working across several different markets and scales from small outdoor interventions at local schools to mid-rise office buildings, parking garages, dormitories, cruise terminals, mixed-used buildings and feasibility studies at some of the most promising sites in Jacksonville.
Selected achievements in the profession and community service:
- Recipient of Architecture Excellence Award at Haskell Company, for outstanding achievement in the practice of architecture – May 2016
- Vice-President for AIA Jacksonville, Emerging Design Professionals.
- Designer of an award winning facility for Jacksonville University. Involved from conceptual design to construction documentation phase, including 3D modeling and visualization.
- Discovery Montessori School – “Learning PoD”, Outdoor classroom / pavilion - August 2018
- ACE of Northeast Florida, junior board member and mentor
Accomplishments at UB:
- Participated in award winning studio, “Good Grids”, directed by professor Greg Delaney. (Architecture Magazine Studio Prize Award 2016)
- UB National Organization for Minority Architecture Students, director of public relations and collaborator in design of “AGORA” (Honorable mention for NOMA design competition for an African American museum and community center in Lemert Park, Ca., 2016)
- Honorable Mention for senior housing studio design competition – “Tres[3]Brazas” Mixed-use culinary center in Downtown, Buffalo (in collaboration with Veronica Yuqui, 2016)