Celebrating New Architects: Harry Solie

What inspires you?
I love a good puzzle. Puzzles are an example of what I like to call Organized Complexity. When taken as a whole, a puzzle can seem very complex. However, in reality a puzzle is a series of simple elements assembled in a highly organized fashion. Finding and decoding these assemblies is a constant source of inspiration.

What is the best part of your job?
Seeing a building that you’ve worked on come to life is an amazing feeling. It’s not uncommon to spend several years working on a single building, during which time countless design decisions are made. Whether those decisions are at the scale of the overall building form or at the scale of a detail, seeing those decisions reflected in a realized project is extremely gratifying.

What is the most import thing you’ve learned so far?
It sounds crazy, but the most important lesson I’ve learned is to be comfortable having no idea what I’m doing. Almost daily I find myself being asked to do something I’ve never done before and instead of shying away I always try to jump right in. The key is to be confident in your abilities, ask questions and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. 

The sky is the limit: if you could design or redesign anything, what would it be?
Two words, Soccer Architect. I’ve always wanted to design a sports stadium in downtown Boston and since Fenway Park isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, designing a stadium for the New England Revolution would be the next best thing.