Photo by Arthur Meyerson
Robert thiele
I am an architect in a 4th generation family of interior designers in San Diego. I graduated from La Jolla High School in 1966 and Arizona State University in 1971 with a BFA degree in Environmental Design. I became a design/builder and licensed general contractor in 1973 – 1997 as Earth Form Builders.
I established my career as a registered architect in California in 1997 working mostly on challenging residential projects on steep hillsides and coastal bluffs. I have always been interested in the durability & weakness of buildings after natural disasters, especially earthquakes. In addition to my work on residential projects, I served as a Safety Assessment Inspector after the Calexico 7.2 earthquake in April 2012, Easter Sunday. I went on to serve the AIA Disaster Assistance Committee for 4 years until 2016. I am also a contributing author to the AIA Disaster Assistance Handbook (2017).
My practice has now mostly shifted to public benefit service projects. I currently serve the Balboa Park Committee of 100, a non-profit organization, providing pro-bono architectural services to restore monumental artwork in the Palisades Plaza on the Automotive Museum and the Municipal Gymnasium. The project includes visioning the Pan American Plaza and Singing Fountain from the 1935 –1936 California Pacific International Exposition and inspiring the next generations with night lighting, sound, dancing water and new magic people space.
My path has been influenced working and collaborating with prominent architects, artists, sculptors and internationally recognized design visionaries including:
