2008 Issue

UTAH ENGINEERS COUNCIL JOURNAL 11 M R. HART RECEIVEDHISMASTEROF ARCHITECTUREDEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE IN 1981. Mr. Hart’s early career experience (1981 to 1983) took him to Houston, Texas where he worked with Richard Keating, FAIA at the architectural firm of Skidmore Owings and Merrill. Mr. Hart was a project designer for SOM designing several high-rise buildings in Houston, Dallas and Miami. In 1983, Mr. Hart joined the architectural and engineering firm of Daniel Mann Johnson and Mendenhall in Salt Lake City where he was hired as a corporate designer located in the Salt Lake Office. During this time he designed several projects throughout the United States including hotels in Louisiana, California and Utah and educational facilities in Colorado, Utah and California. In 1986, Mr. Hart was transferred to Hawaii where he directed the design and management activities for the Pacific from the Honolulu office. While in Honolulu Mr. Hart lead the design of several hotel, residential and office tower projects in Honolulu and Samoa. He was promoted to Associated Vice President in 1990. In 1992 Mr. Hart was transferred to Salt Lake to focus his attention to governmental and educational facilities for the western region of the DMJM. In 1994, he established the architectural firm of Hart Fisher Smith Architects, (HFSA) in Salt Lake City, Utah. His firm focused upon public architecture, designing such structures as the DATC expansion, American Fork library and the Salt Lake Community College Jordan River Campus and their first building, the High Technology Learning Center. In 1999, Governor Leavitt recommended to the Capitol Pres- ervation Board the appointment of David Hart as the executive director to the board. In 2000, the Capitol Preservation Board appointed Mr. Hart Architect of the Utah State Capitol. As Architect of the Capitol, Mr. Hart has directed and overseen the entire process. He orchestrated the development of the Historic Structures report and the Capitol Preservation Board’s Master Plan, which both call for the complete restoration of the Buildings and the Grounds to that of the original design put forth by Olmstead in 1890 and Richard Kletting in 1907. Hart developed a completely new approach to the development of the program and needs for the capitol which he termed “Proj- ect Definition.” Project Definition uses a combination of design guidelines and imperatives to describe in complete detail all the items which the owner of the project cares the most about. These documents are then used to present to the architects and the con- tractors at the time of selection the full scope of the project. This approach has resulted in astounding success with less than 1.9% change orders on a 270 million dollar renovation of the Capitol and grounds (as of end of 2006). In addition to overseeing and managing the design and con- struction process for the Capitol, he oversees the day-to-day activities on Capitol Hill, its facilities and the grounds, and the preservation, maintenance, and restoration of the other State Capitol Buildings. Much of his work focuses on the development, management and design of a long range and a strategic master plan for the capitol grounds as well as the restoration and base isolation project at the Utah State Capitol. Working with his staff he is also responsible for the development and implementation of the Visitor Services program and the development of the Capitol Art Collection. David Hart is active in a variety of civic, cultural and profes- sional organizations including Granite Community Council, Salt Lake Planning and Zoning Board, Envision Utah and the American Institute of Architects and has been an instructor at the University of Utah Graduate School of Architecture and Design (1994-1995). Outside of professional interests, he reads, runs marathons and enjoys spending time with his family. Engineers Week Awards Banquet Keynote Speaker David Harris Hart, AIA Architect of the Capitol, Executive Director of the Capitol Preservation Board