Forrest Whitmore Talks San Diego, Building and Design
Woodbury alumni Forrest Whitmore received his Bachelor of Architecture in San Diego. Forrest is the Fabrication Lab Manager at UCLA’s M.Arch II program, SUPRASTUDIO, as well as the founder of forwward, a collective working to compress the boundaries of creative disciplines, media, and generations to create a cohesive body of praxis. He has been an Instructor for Woodbury University’s Art of Architecture summer program since 2015. We caught up with Forrest to ask him about his experience at Woodbury and how it has impacted his career.
Interview with Forrest Whitmore
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments both personally and professionally?
Personally: Proposing to my future-wife; it’s a lot more difficult than they make it look in the movies. Professionally: Founding forwward, a collective of creative intellectuals from around the world. We strive to compress the boundaries of creative disciplines, media, cultures, and generations within every context into a cohesive body of praxis. It is the process of establishing new realms and dimensions beyond the superficiality of the contemporary.
What advice would you give to younger alumni or current students who aspire to follow a similar career path?
Be extremely honest with yourself, and learn how to be your own critic. The best way to improve your capabilities is to acknowledge the fact that you aren’t good at everything from the get-go. Strive to always create, in all forms, something that has depth and that you’re proud of.
What would you say to a prospective student who is considering Woodbury University?
You will be professionally prepared for the real-world, and network with some other amazing minds; fellow students and faculty alike. The diversity of the students and classes, and the class sizes make it an invigorating place for learning.
What is your lasting impression of studying architecture at Woodbury?
Some of the best work stemmed from highly-focused late nights in studio. There were about 5-6 of us from our graduating class that were committed to each other’s project and success, although still competitive. We all worked hard to understand each project as if it were our own. We organized our own presentations and critiques in advance to filter through each project’s iterations. That comradery is what I’ll always remember from studying architecture at Woodbury.
What do you like best about your current position?
The best part about being the Fabrication Lab Manager at UCLA’s M.Arch II program, SUPRASTUDIO, is that I am able to interact with faculty and students from each of the four studios. It keeps things fresh, and, come finals, is great to see the multitude of projects that were created with my help and input.
What projects have you worked on that you’re most proud of?
Recent projects that I am most proud of are:
- Founding draww.space, a design studio
- Residential units in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
- Contextualizing my architectural theories and concepts in a sci-fi novel (work-in-progress) called Frequency 137.
What have been the biggest challenges in your career? Did your experiences at Woodbury help you to overcome any obstacles?
One of the biggest challenges so far is creating a portfolio that contains built architectural projects. It’s too easy to create a portfolio containing shiny renders of unbuilt projects. Woodbury prepared me professionally, and gave me the confidence to pursue alternate routes of achieving my goals in the field of architecture.
Describe Woodbury University in 3 words.
Passionate. Engaging. Professional.