Profile

Don Francois Roban architect N.C.A.R.B.

The following are publications, articles and a national TV production, featuring my work as an architect...

	Florida Architecture: Thirty Eighth Edition: Feature House
	Florida Architecture: Thirty Ninth Edition: Residence
	Florida Architecture: Forty First Edition: Cover House
	Florida Architecture: Forty fifth Edition: Cover House
	Homes International: Sept./Oct. 1983: Cover House
	Florida Architecture: Forty Sixth Edition: Cover Building
	Florida Architecture: Forty Sixth Edition: Feature Residence
	P.M. Magazine: 1983 National television feature of my work
	Florida Architecture: Forty Seventh Edition: C.A.D. Editorial
	Florida Architecture: Fifty Second Edition: Feature Residence
	Landscaping & Nursery Digest: March 1996 Cover and Article

	I am retiring from the National Council of Architects as of the year 2007. I have been a proud member of this prestigious group of architects for many years. It is with regret that I now leave this fine organization. The N.C.A.R.B. has set the standards for excellence in its architects for many years and it was a privilege to be one of its members.
	My practice was founded on the principle that each client deserved my personal attention. No architectural design on a project was done by anyone other than myself. I have always believed that the style of architecture I practiced could only be achieved as the result of individual thinking.
	There has been no mention of client names, or of the location of the projects included here. Although I have been given permission to use photographs of their homes I respect their privacy, and this information must remain anonymous.

The following is a project where site planning and architectural concepts were integrated to form a complete package for my client.

LandScape Cover
photo by Don F. Roban

Shibui - a Japanese term which means "It looks so natural that one could not imagine it being done in any other manner."

Over the years I have written articles on my work and how architecture should relate to nature. The editor of the publication Landscape and Nursery Digest Ž, asked if I would do a feature story for them concerning the inter-relationship of landscaping with the design of a home. I had recently completed a project which involved major landscaping and the construction of a large residence on a six acre tract of land. This work was featured in the magazine, Florida Architecture Ž. The art director of Landscape & Nursery Digest also asked if they could use one of the pictures I had taken of the gardens for their cover. The cover picture and an excerpt of the story is provided here:

Most clients place a sliding scale on what they will spend on a project. First they agree on a budget for the cost of the house. Next the allocate money for the furnishings and the interior decoration and last, if there is anything left over, they may buy a tree or two and add some sod to keep the dust down. What a mistake! These same people would not buy a fine painting by a noted artist and then say "I don't think it needs a frame." The importance of good landscaping can not be overestimated. A natural shibui setting can virtually change a persons life, quieting stress and accenting peace of mind. A picture may speak a thousand words; it is only with a visit to a site where architecture and gardens integrate to attain this high art form, can the true effect of the philosophy of shibui be experienced.

A Quote from Frank Lloyd Wright pertaining to landscaping: "The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his clients to plant vines."

This is why with good architecture the landscaping becomes the frame
and not an obstruction.