When I am not designing buildings, I like to draw, paint, and write. Watercolors, soft pencil sketches, usually of rooms or landscapes, allow me to see the world more carefully–and then to interpret it’s moods and nuances. I am usually reading 3 or 4 books at once, switching between architecture, literature and poetry. Milan Kundera, Tobias Wolf, Richard Adams, J.R.R. Tolkien, E.M. Forster, Mark Strand, Billy Collins, Wallace Stevens–these are some of my favorite writers and poets.

My architectural mentors (architects who have inspired me by their thoughts and buildings) are: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Henry Chapman Mercer, Bernard Maybeck, Frank Lloyd Wright, Carlo Scarpa, Louis Kahn, Aldo Van Eyck, Herman Hertzberger, Jorn Utzon, Christopher Alexander, and Peter Zumthor

I am a native Oregonian, the grandson of Irish immigrants who settled in the Keating valley in eastern Oregon. I have a deep and abiding love for the Pacific Northwest in general, and for the changeful landscapes of Oregon in particular.

Email: jgivens@uoregon.edu

Hello everyone! My name is Jonah, and I will be your FIG Assistant for Inside Architecture: Sticks, Bricks, and Poetry with faculty Jim Givens! I am entering my fourth year at the University of Oregon, majoring in architecture with a minor in art history. I also was in an Architecture FIG my first year and am beyond excited to be your FA!

I am from the Portland Metro Area, Oregon, and love living in Eugene. I love all things outdoors - running, biking, camping, hiking, and backpacking. I am passionate about my major and enjoy learning about the field of architecture both inside and outside the classroom through clubs such as the American Institute of Architecture Students and Freedom By Design.  You can usually find me studying on campus in the EMU or the Design Library!

I can’t wait to meet you all in the fall and build an awesome FIG community.  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want to say hi! 

Email: jnees@uoregon.edu