Buzz Yudell

Buzz Yudell’s passion for architecture grew out of a synthesis of artistic and social concerns. While at Yale College, his work in sculpture was complemented by exploration of sciences and humanities. Graduate studies at the Yale School of Architecture expanded these boundaries to a range of scales from small construction in situ to community participation and urban design. Here, he began his long association with Charles Moore. In 1977, Buzz, Charles and John Ruble formed Moore Ruble Yudell, a partnership based on shared humanistic values and a celebration of collaboration within the office and beyond to their clients and communities.

Buzz has collaborated intensively with John to expand the firm’s expression and expertise to include campus, cultural, civic, residential and commercial architecture. Together they have led the firm as pioneers in planning and architecture for sustainable communities. Working in Europe for over thirty years, Buzz and John bring advanced approaches to sustainable architecture to numerous projects in the United States.

Buzz has led project design on a broad array of community and civic projects including the Steger Student Life Center at the University of Cincinnati, Manzanita Village Housing at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Camana Bay town master plan, Grand Cayman, master planning for new towns in Germany, master planning for housing and community facilities within the Santa Monica Civic Center plan, sustainable urban housing for the Bo01 Housing Exhibition in Malmö, Sweden, master planning and new buildings for campuses including UC Los Angeles, UC Berkeley, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, the new Santa Monica Public Library, and the new United States Embassy in Berlin, Germany.

Throughout his career, Buzz has found teaching, writing, and community service to be critical in the evolution of both the theoretical and cultural role of architecture in shaping and celebrating place and community. He has taught at Yale, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Texas, Austin, and was honored to hold the distinguished Howard Friedman Chair of Architecture at University of California, Berkeley.

In 2006, Buzz and John’s leadership was recognized when the firm received the National American Institute of Architects Firm Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed to an American architecture firm.

In 2007 Buzz Yudell and John Ruble received the 2007 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Gold Medal Award.