Anne Mooney, FAIA

Presented by Anne Mooney, FAIA, Co-Founder, Sparano + Mooney Architecture at GENERATE 2024 Practice + Design Conference.

Article by Andrea Malta, Senior, College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver

At the heart of the 2024 AIA Generate Conference, Anne Mooney delivered a keynote that was both
insightful and inspiring. Titled “A Way of Working,” she shared the philosophy and methodology that
define her architectural approach, illustrating these principles through an exploration of five
projects at different scales and settings from Sparano + Mooney. Mooney described how she
grounds her projects in strong ideas and translates those ideas into meaningful architectural
designs. Her way of working involves slowing down to move beyond preconceptions, allowing time
to uncover the unique potential within every project.

Mooney’s approach is exemplified in her design of Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, where
her dedication to thoughtful design is evident. She began with in-depth research, immersing herself
in the life of Saint Joseph to guide her project decisions. A hallmark of her process is the use of
physical models, which allow for a tangible exploration of scale and early design concepts. Her
work involved studying Roman Catholic church precedents and poche studies, which influenced
the development of small chapels integrated into the building’s oval shape. Materiality played a
central role in the design; budget constraints prompted creative thinking and presented unique
opportunities. Elements like the tinted windows inspired by the 12 apostles and aligned with the
sun, the preservation of the existing church on the site, and the thoughtful sloping of the floor to
remove the hierarchy between the altar and congregation, all exemplify how the design reflects the
unique value architects bring to a project.

Mooney then transitioned to a smaller-scale project: a residence where the client’s desire was to
have a sanctuary, an escape from how busy life gets. This posed its own challenges, particularly
given the dense neighborhood context, but the outcome was a design that felt both protective and
inviting. The final form emerged as a unified mass with splits in the volume. What I found especially
inspiring about this talk was the attention to the smallest details. For example, a physical section
model was created, with a fallen tree trunk used as the base. The trunk, with a natural split, aligned
perfectly with the central division of the pool, reflecting how Mooney’s design process is deeply
rooted in thoughtful integration even in its early stages.

Next, Mooney discussed her work on the Kimball Art Center in Park City, where research played a
key role in shaping the design. She drew inspiration from Park City’s logging history, grounding the
project in the idea of dense tree colonies characteristic of the area. The program was organized to
reflect the organic growth patterns of these tree colonies, where educational programs were placed
in the lower area and everything else merged from it above. The design resulted in a glazed skin that
celebrates the 330 sunny days of Park City in the exterior, with a solid wood inner core in the
interior. A key takeaway from this talk was Mooney’s reflection that “Buildings outlast their current
use,” highlighting the importance of designing spaces that can adapt and be reconfigured over time.

As the fourth project, Centro Civico Mexicano Community Center, in Salt Lake City was explored.
The center will serve as a hub for the Spanish speaking community, providing a space for cultural,
educational, and social events. Mooney explained how as a team, they analyzed diagrams of a well-
known Mexican song, that got recorded by 12 different singers in different genres to generate a
conceptual construct using the language of the cassette to give form to the hall of the center. The
iteration process incorporated various forms of public art, and Mooney emphasized the importance
of physical models, as they are often preferred over digital renders and drawings in conveying the
design’s essence to clients.

Lastly, Mooney presented the Wabi-Sabi residence in Emigration Canyon, located above Salt Lake
City, where the unique mountainous context dictated the scale of the project, rather than the usual
city-based considerations. She emphasized the importance of analyzing conceptual pieces, to avoid defaulting to previous design solutions. Something that often becomes a challenge, even as a
student. She reinforced her commitment to making site-specific, client-specific projects. The Wabi-
Sabi residence resulted in two hinged volumes over the site, anchored to the street. Careful
attention to materiality and waste reduction influenced the scale and volume of the spaces. The
residence sits quietly in its surroundings, offering stunning views of the canyon as well as distant
city lights depending on the program.

Mooney closed her keynote with a powerful reminder that architecture is a collaborative effort,
framing it as a team sport—a brilliant perspective that highlights the importance of collective
engagement in design. Lastly, she mentioned that there are a lot of things in this profession that are
beyond our control, but there are still many aspects that we can control, and the way we work is
one of them. By consciously shaping our approach, we have the power to influence both the
process and the outcomes in meaningful ways.