b. 1958
Rick Joy, born 1958 in Dover-Foxcroft, ME, is an American architect based in Tucson, AZ known especially for his works in desert settings. Joy studied music at the University of Maine before studying architecture at the University of Arizona. Upon graduating in 1990, he began his career with a 3-year appointment on the design team of the Phoenix Public Library with Will Bruder Architects.
In 1993, Joy established Rick Joy Architects in Tucson, a firm that offers high-concept contemporary design combined with full traditional architectural and master planning services. RJA's works have been exhibited and published extensively and have won numerous awards. Joy received the 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture, and in 2004 won the prestigious National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He periodically serves as a visiting professor of architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rice University, University of Arizona, and M.I.T. In 2002, his first monograph was published, entitled Rick Joy: Desert Works, and was the first in the Princeton Architectural Press/Graham Foundation "New Voices in Architecture" series.
RJA's extensive experience with lifestyle-based projects encompasses a wide range of project types and sites. Early residential works in the desert southwest frequently employed rammed earth, steel, and concrete in the design. Expanding into different climates and terrains has led to new formal responses and a diverse, locally grounded material palette. The firm has realized architectural residences in a diverse range of locations including the mountains of Idaho, the forests of Vermont, and an urban loft in the heart of Manhattan. Recent project sites include the islands of Turks and Caicos, Long Island, Malibu, San Francisco, Mexico and on the campus of Princeton University.
In 1993, Joy established Rick Joy Architects in Tucson, a firm that offers high-concept contemporary design combined with full traditional architectural and master planning services. RJA's works have been exhibited and published extensively and have won numerous awards. Joy received the 2002 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Architecture, and in 2004 won the prestigious National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution's Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He periodically serves as a visiting professor of architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rice University, University of Arizona, and M.I.T. In 2002, his first monograph was published, entitled Rick Joy: Desert Works, and was the first in the Princeton Architectural Press/Graham Foundation "New Voices in Architecture" series.
RJA's extensive experience with lifestyle-based projects encompasses a wide range of project types and sites. Early residential works in the desert southwest frequently employed rammed earth, steel, and concrete in the design. Expanding into different climates and terrains has led to new formal responses and a diverse, locally grounded material palette. The firm has realized architectural residences in a diverse range of locations including the mountains of Idaho, the forests of Vermont, and an urban loft in the heart of Manhattan. Recent project sites include the islands of Turks and Caicos, Long Island, Malibu, San Francisco, Mexico and on the campus of Princeton University.
