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The warm climes of Florida have been the spawning ground for New Urbanism, and architect Geoffrey Mouen's office is located in one of the movement's most famous zip codes, 34747, also known as Celebration.
Here, Mouen and his 16-person staff address the wants and needs of individuals and entire towns as the firm designs homes and public buildings in a variety of historically inspired styles, all while reflecting the tenets of New Urbanism.
Mouen's career path has followed an enviable trajectory.
After earning his Master in Architecture from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1989, he arrived in New York City, eventually working for Robert A.M. Stern Architects, where he became an associate involved with the gamut of project types.
Then, in 1996, he and his wife became the parents of twins, and citing the usual, frenzied quality-of-life issues endemic to those working 80 hours while trying to rear children, they realized they wanted to spend more time as a family.
"The kids were being raised by the nanny," says Mouen, "so we decided to slow down a bit and move to Celebration in 1999, where I became the town architect."
After three years in that position, Mouen decided to start his own practice, Geoffrey Mouen Architects (GMA), which had always been his ultimate professional goal.
"Being the town architect of Celebration was the perfect incubation period for me," he says.
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"The Rosemary Beach neighborhood has 400-500 houses that are primarily vacation homes," says Mouen.
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This concept could be challenging, Mouen notes, when working with high-end clients.
"They often want to make a strong statement," he says, "but what I've found is that if you present the plans as part of an entire streetscape, they'll feel that it looks as good as the others without overstepping.
However, sometimes with 'new money' they'll want something wild, and in this case, I'll try to point them elsewhere.
We work hard to have a presence in design but also blend in well with the character of the neighborhood and context in terms of the environment."
This use of restraint, when faced with the temptation of excess, is also evident in the Barillas residence in Orlando, FL. "A lot of the homes in the development are 'Mediterranean on steroids,' so when we sat down with the client, who wanted a traditional Spanish Hacienda, we pored through our library and went over the works of George Washington Smith and Addison Mizner, as well as photos of houses from rural Spain and other vernacular examples," says Mouen.
"We wanted the place to be grand, but not pretentious.
Indeed, the sprawling Barillas residence is unmistakably Spanish in influence, but exhibits a refinement that precludes overstatement.
Recalling the architecture of southern California or Florida of the 1920s, the stucco façade is tastefully embellished to avoid the appearance of extraneous ornamentation.
Mouen also designed a barrel-vaulted gallery and vaulted ceilings, which lend an opulent touch to the interior.
Classical Roots
Mouen has also produced strictly Neoclassical homes for clients.
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At The Waters in Montgomery, AL, Mouen created a Southern variation on the ubiquitous Federal style, with an added columned front portico.
"We wanted a simple Colonial with a two-story porch and a Classical vernacular that fit into the coastal South," he says.
The porch itself lends the impression of a turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival addition to an earlier 19th-century construction, and an el at the rear of the home contributes to the impression that the residence has evolved over the decades.
Mouen is justifiably proud of these houses' air of authenticity: "People ask the owners 'when did you renovate?' when in truth, these are all new buildings."
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"Interestingly enough," says Mouen, "on the Hoepker house, there isn't any wood on the exterior whatsoever.
It's a great example of using stock parts and pieces of manmade materials to create traditional architecture.
Nobody uses wood in Celebration - in fact, the first phases of buildings that did use it had to have their wood trim replaced in two years."
Of course, mass-produced trim has its limitations.
"The composite materials have come a long way in detail and scale, but I noticed there was a proportional problem," says Mouen.
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Perhaps Mouen's most boldly designed residence is the recently completed Tradewinds Show Home of 2008, in Baldwin Park, FL. Mindful of the heightened interest in sustainability and green building techniques, Mouen took a giant leap backwards in creating an energy-efficient home - he used prevailing winds to cool the structure.
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"For this showcase house, we chose to use the Anglo-Caribbean style, which is somewhat different from the other residences in the area that are built in variations of the typical 1920s revival styles," says Mouen.
"The actual massing of the house is based on a Roman Villa; I like to say that it has Roman bones.
The design is appropriate to the climate and we used locally available materials, such as locally harvested and milled cypress timbers and local stucco and masonry."
Architectural Charrette Team
Along with GMA, Mouen maintains a separate company, known as the Architectural Charrette Team, or ACT, which provides design guidance on a larger scale without the same amount of involvement in construction they normally devote to individual residences.
Mouen had sensed a need for quality architectural design at a more affordable price range.
"We offer charrettes, consultations and schematics to developers and builders seeking to create attractive and distinctive complexes," he says.
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"In Cyprus," says Mouen, "we're working with Robert Stern on a project called Secret Valley.
The site is so remote that instead of a design book, everything is posted on the website.
So we can update information, and then we can track the review process and use document management software to control and track all changes to the design and allow the developer to download the architectural design scheme.
We'll teleconference with Skype or a similar method and this allows us to keep it clean and simple to organize documentation and communicate with international clients.
It's a great step forward."
Mouen is keenly aware of his role in creating not only beautifully designed homes, but also his responsibility
to the livability of neighborhoods and towns.
"We are trying to make a positive impact on the public and the environment," he says.
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