Leadership in Architecture: My Passion in Life spans the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s. It focuses on the professional career in architecture of MacDonald Becket, FAIA, and the projects of Welton Becket and Associates and the Becket Group. An architecture firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, its projects were located across the country and around the world, including Century City in Los Angeles; the renovation of the California State Capitol; Eisenhower Hall at West Point; Hyatt Reunion project in Dallas; the redevelopment of the Boston Common; six buildings in Seoul, Korea; the Great Wall Hotel in Beijing, China; and the World Trade Center in Moscow, USSR, to name just a few. His clients ranged from presidents of the United States to American captains of industry to the Shah of Iran.
Furthering his uncle Welton Beckets philosophy of Total Design, MacDonald Becket, and professionals under his leadership, focused on the client and provided full services - from analyzing the architectural problem and researching the best financially feasible solution to interpreting the solution into the best design that would include such details as landscaping, art, and furniture. The total design, from start to finish, of a project, with the client as the focus, guided the company’s thought process for every project.
Don Becket tells his personal view of his professional career building an international practice with multiple offices. The book features stories of challenging clients and sites, working in foreign (often unfriendly) countries, and managing a growing company. He weaves in lessons learned throughout his life and describes his approach to architecture and business. He practiced during the Cold War era and saw many changes in the field of architecture - from technology and materials to contracts and business practice.
According to Becket, Architecture is not designing a pretty building. The architect must create a project that not only looks professional and pleasing but also fulfills financial goals and user functions. Every aspect of the project must be sustainable for a very long time. In Leadership in Architecture: My Passion in Life, Don Becket describes how he and his company kept those goals in mind for every project over multiple decades. His stories within are examples of his efforts.
