A Career Built on Curiosity: Q+A with Laurence Caudle, AIA
Nearly three decades after joining Hickok Cole, Senior Principal and Director of Housing Laurence Caudle, AIA, has helped shape not only the firm’s housing practice, but its vision and culture. In this Q+A, he reflects on the experiences that have kept him inspired, the lessons he’s learned as a leader, and why curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to embrace new challenges continue to drive both his work and the firm’s future.
Q: Why Hickok Cole?
A: I’ve always had the independence here to drive my own bus, and over the years, that’s what’s kept me here for so long. There’s always a new challenge ahead, and the work never feels finished. There is always more to do, or more opportunities around the corner.
There is something distinct about the culture at Hickok Cole. People come and go, but collectively, we are still resilient, creative, curious, and open to change. We are always willing to adapt, grow, and learn.
Q: What are the best ways that leaders can support other leaders?
A: Listen to others genuinely; active listening is harder than people think, but it’s essential. Be open-minded and don’t hesitate to bring your expertise to the conversation as well. Know when to step back: if someone else does something better than you, then let them do it. Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself; it’s about collaborating and trusting the people around you.
WHAT’S NEXT
Q: What does the future of multifamily housing look like?
A: With the current housing crisis, what people want is changing. That shift is directly informing how we design. The urbanization of the housing landscape is interesting to watch; people increasingly want less space and more experiences. Cost pressures force us to think about how we deliver housing as well.
Q: How can Hickok Cole continue to do work that matters?
A: Seek out the right partners and do work for forward-looking clients. We’ll keep using the resources available to us to stay informed and ahead of the curve. Research has always been part of Hickok Cole’s DNA – we’re game to solve problems in different ways, and we actively seek out those opportunities. It takes the right mindset; you must think beyond the typical designer, client, contractor relationship. It takes relationships through which we can really challenge each other for real change to happen.
Q: What should someone hiring Hickok Cole know?
A: How much we genuinely care about their vision and goals. We don’t give canned responses, and we always aim to exceed expectations. Nothing we do is simply formulaic; every project’s approach is thoughtful and intentional.
LOOKING BACK
Q: What is your favorite Hickok Cole memory?
A: I think back to when we were still a young firm in our first office near Dupont Circle in DC. After working long days, everyone would gather on the front stoop and drink beer together. I lived just two blocks away at the time, so work really was my whole world. I walked to work every day, and it was such a great location. During a happy hour, a partner once drove his motorcycle up the steps and straight into the building’s lobby– just for fun!
Q: What are your favorite projects you’ve been involved in, and why?
A: Liberty Harbor East in Baltimore, MD, was one of our big early housing wins. I still love that design – the curved white brick and spiraling massing. It was the first project that established our vision of designing to a story, not a style. We asked ourselves, “What will influence the building’s design and how will it connect to its place?” We took inspiration from skipjack boats and traditional Chesapeake Bay oyster boats, representing their voluminous sails with spiraling, curved forms facing the water. It’s the signature form of the building.
I also love the St. Thomas Parish residential conversion. I remember Tom Corrado hand-sketched the design concept that eventually sold the congregation on our idea and got us hired for the job. Designing the new residential building, blending that with the existing parish house, and weaving in the new church was a challenge, but I loved every moment of that building.
Q: How did you get into this field?
A: I come from a multicultural background, and my family always loved to travel. I’ve always felt more alive in unfamiliar places, trying to understand what makes them so wonderful and turning my findings into design. My thesis was located in Cuzco, Peru, and explored how the city’s cultural and built history blend together to inform design. I love crafting something out of that process, understanding a place and intersecting history and the future, and seeing how things come together in the end. It’s a process that, to me, brings great meaning to architecture.
Q: What has being a leader taught you?
A: Collaboration doesn’t mean everyone agrees; it means finding common ground and working from there. Ultimately, that’s how you create the right culture, the one that gets you what you want. I try to foster a sense of curiosity that leads to a good work ethic and results. You can’t listen to the outside noise all day long and just react to it. It’s also important to have common goals and vision; otherwise, with the plethora and immediacy of so much information out there, you lose your perspective. That said, success always comes by way of a crooked line.
Hickok Cole’s success has come from always working to solve problems and tackling them head-on. The people who succeed are the ones who are proactive – who just do it. Don’t point out a problem to me; go solve it. I am a doer.