Dr. Bill Carpenter PhD
Visionary. Pioneer. Founder. Breather. President. Lightroom Architecture & New Media. Past Chancellor of Distinguished Professor of Architecture Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. FAIA
Chairman. Breather. Featuring The Mavericks of Atlanta Benefiting the American Institute of Architect Scholarship Program for High School Minority Students that are aspiring to study Architecture & Design.
William Carpenter, FAIA, PhD, LEED AP is the Founder and President of Lightroom. He is a nationally recognized architect, educator, and author, having received the national young architect’s citation (1997) and the national ACSA/AIAS educator of the year award (2000). William was elected by his peers as a fellow in the American Institute of Architects in 2000 and received the Ivan Allen Senior Trophy in 2010.
William received his doctorate in 2005 from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in the United Kingdom and holds a Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Mississippi State University, where he studied under and worked for renowned architect and AIA Gold-Medalist Samuel Mockbee FAIA.
Before moving to the south for college and to begin his career, William grew up in Mattituck, New York, admiring the work of local architect Norman Jaffe FAIA whose work is deeply rooted in its place. It was under Norman’s guidance that William learned to understand and appreciate the relationship of architecture to its region and to develop a hands-on approach to design and construction. He enjoys spending time with his daughters, swimming laps, practicing his upright bass, and painting.
The AIA Atlanta High School Design Competition was founded in 2005 by Dr. William “Bill” Carpenter and architect Jay Silverman AIA working closely with James Perkins AIA who had a similar program in Michigan and then President of AIA Atlanta James Gantt Fausett FAIA. AIA National Gold Medalist Antoine Predock served as the chair of our first jury in 2005. The HSDC is managed each year by AIA Atlanta staff, Missy Bower, and its focused and energetic HSDC committee, who write the program and administer the jury and act as mentors to each of the schools and students participating. The goal of the HSDC is to engage students in the design process and raise their awareness of the built environment and urbanism to spark their interest in architecture and design. Over 1800 students have competed from 49 different schools with over $170,000.00 being awarded in scholarships. Many students have gone on to full scholarships at some of the finest universities in the world.
In many architectures school now, over 40-48 percent of the student body are women and minorities and only 17 years ago they comprised over 10 percent of the student body. This scholarship is dedicated to my own high school professor, Robert Fisher of Mattituck High School in New York who saw talent in me and helped me to study architecture.
The Breather Scholarship Program
Breather is a brand that gives back. It was founded by Dr. William “Bill” Carpenter, FAIA, DPACSA to give back specifically for scholarships to underrepresented students to study Architecture and Design. Breather is inspired by the multi-disciplinary legacy of Virgil Abloh who studied architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology and served as artistic director for Louis Vuitton in Paris and artistic director of OFFWHITE.
Breather is a Design Conference, a website of inspiration and design, an app that celebrates healing and beauty. It builds upon his 35-year legacy in teaching and innovation and his retirement this year (2023). It also celebrates his achievement as National AIAS/ACSA Educator of the Year and ACSA National Distinguished Professor Medalist.
Dr. Carpenter was also selected as Chancellor of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture College of Distinguished Professors and recently nominated for its highest honor; The 2023 ACSA Topaz Medallion.
Dr. Carpenter is the founder of Lightroom in Atlanta (www.lightroom.tv) and serves as full Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Kennesaw State University College of Architecture and Construction Management. This scholarship will raise funds specifically targeted this year for women and minority students.
“Thank you, Maryan Aiken and CityBox Media and all of our partners for believing in this vision of this important and meaningful initiative.”
Dr. William “Bill” Carpenter. Founder. Breather. Benefiting The American Institute of Architects Scholarship Program. FAIA. Architect. Founder. President. Lightroom Studio. United States. Brazil.