Constructing a Career in Architecture: From Prefab to Urban Interventions, and Everything Else in Between

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About the Event: The inaugural Alan Golin Gass Annual Lecture will take place on Wednesday, April 23, and feature Los Angeles-based architect Ron Radziner, whose first job for an architectural firm while studying at CU Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning was working for Gass. Ron now leads Marmol Radziner, an award-winning design-build firm that offers architecture, landscape, interior design, and fabrication services. Ron will be in conversation with Adam Wagoner, AIA Colorado Architect of the Year, Principal of Denver’s High, Low, Buffalo, and host of the podcast Architect-ing.

This program will examine the role architects play in construction and community. Radziner will share an overview and lessons learned from the firm’s early years, describing the firm’s integration of design-build into their practice and how this multidisciplinary approach has enabled them to create and build innovative designs and execute historic restorations from conception through construction. In conversation with Wagoner, he’ll touch on the firm’s past endeavors, which include their now-defunct prefab business and their forays into guerilla urban intervention through their art collective Heavy Trash, and look to Ron’s vision for the future of design-build. 

About our Speakers: Ron Radziner, FAIA, is an architect and design partner of Marmol Radziner, a design-build practice with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Marmol Radziner is known for its innovative design approach and expertise in architecture, construction, landscape design, interior design, and the restoration of historic modern buildings. Overseeing the design and craft down to the final details of construction, Ron reinvigorates the ideals of California Modernism through restoring modern masterpieces and creating new buildings that engage their natural surroundings. Ron leads the design of every project and develops solutions that provide a unique architectural identity while forging strong connections between interior and exterior spaces, with an emphasis on outdoor spaces.

Ron’s integration of architecture, construction, landscape, and interiors has received national recognition, including numerous American Institute of Architects awards at both state and national levels, and three American Society of Landscape Architects National Honor Awards.

Active in his profession, Ron speaks at universities and conferences worldwide as a leader in innovative architecture, interiors, and landscape design. Outside of the office, Ron serves on the Board of Directors at the Mojave Land Trust and builds partnerships with organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the community. As a supporter of the Land Trust, Ron has seen the organization evolve into a leader in California desert conservation. The Land Trust has protected nearly 80,000 acres of important desert habitat and holds the non-profit record for donating most tracts of land to the National Park Service since 2006.

Marmol Radziner’s unique business practice and commitment to design excellence were rewarded with the honor of being named the American Institute of Architects California Council’s Firm of the Year. Marmol Radziner’s residential projects have received numerous AIA California Design Awards, AIA LA Residential Architecture Awards, and American Society of Landscape Architect Awards. Marmol Radziner was inducted into Interior Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame. The firm has been recognized on Architectural Digest’s AD100 list for ten separate years.

The firm’s historic rehabilitation projects have been recognized by the California Preservation Foundation, the State Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks, and Docomomo. In 2015, Marmol Radziner was recognized as Pioneer in Modern Restoration by the Palm Springs Modern Committee for their projects in the Coachella Valley.

In 1986, Ron earned his Master’s of Architecture at the University of Colorado after receiving his Bachelor’s of Science in 1984 from the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. In 2007, he was elevated to the prestigious College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Adam Wagoner is the Principal of Denver’s High, Low, Buffalo and host of the podcast Architect-ing. He is an architect who is also married to another architect, Rebekah. Together, they have two young children, who are likely to follow in their footsteps and become architects themselves. The family also shares a scruffy black dog, who, much like its owners, dresses in all black—a true architect’s dog.

Adam holds two architectural degrees, one from Kansas State University and another from Yale University. Over the years, he has worked for a dozen different firms in three countries, including Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Kaan Architecten, Pelli Clarke & Partners, Open Studio Architecture, and 359 Design, among others.

In 2020, Adam started a podcast with the goal of discovering compelling stories and building a stronger design community in Colorado. Passionate about bringing people together and continuously learning, he strives to create meaningful connections and insights. Adam’s drive to improve, grow, and uncover beauty and meaning through architecture is a constant force in his career.

About the Alan Golin Gass Annual Lecture: Created in 2025, this annual event is a platform for esteemed architects and urban designers to share ideas, foster dialogue, and inspire audiences to envision the future of Denver’s built environment. The lecture series is named to honor Alan Golin Gass, FAIA, a fourth-generation Denverite who graduated from East High School, Harvard College, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He began his career as an intern for the world-renowned I.M. Pei. Gass then spent the next six decades designing buildings in Denver, Aspen, and New York City, consulting for a dozen different architectural firms and maintaining his own, Alan Golin Gass Architect, known as AGGA.

Gass designed or worked on the design team for the following notable projects: Chatfield High School, the original Solar Energy Research Institute, the original solar design for the Front Range Community College campus, the former World Savings Building at 400 16th St., the Sentry Insurance building at 401 Broadway (now the offices of Fentress Architects), the Yale and Jewell Elementary schools in Aurora, five schools in South Dakota, and the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall in Aspen. He led the renovation and expansion of several designated landmark buildings in New York City, including the Swiss Bank Tower and the Compton and Goethals Halls at City College of New York.

The Gass residence, which he designed and built in 1961 on South Harrison Lane in Denver—in part to convince his girlfriend to marry him—was designated a Denver Historic Landmark in 2023.

Accessibility: Most of the indoor and outdoor gardens and facilities, including restrooms and classrooms, are wheelchair accessible. For more information, please visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website.

Agenda: 

Doors Open: 4:30pm
Program: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Cocktail reception: 6:00pm – 7:00pm

Please note that a free all-day admission ticket to Denver Botanic Gardens is included with purchase of a ticket.

DAF tours take place rain, snow or shine. If your tour includes an outdoor portion, please dress for the weather. DAF staff will contact all attendees directly should a tour be cancelled for any reason.