Spotlight: Charly Wittock

Charly Wittock has the alphabet to thank for his successful architecture career. At 17 he left Brussels to windsurf in Hawaii, but after two years his parents wanted him back in school. While registering for the University of Hawaii he scanned the alphabetical list of majors and picked the first one that sounded laid-back. "I had friends in Brussels studying architecture. They were always at the café hanging loose, so I thought I'd have a lot of time to windsurf. I realize now I chose a very busy profession. I've never windsurfed again."

Wittock transferred from Hawaii to California College of the Arts, drawn by the college's faculty of practicing architects and the interdisciplinary, art school setting. After graduating at the top of his class, he worked with architect Mark Horton for two years before entering the master of environmental design program at Yale.

While at Yale, Wittock took a leave of absence to lead the expansion of the Bibliotheca Wittockiana, the bookbinding museum founded by his father in Brussels. The project opened the doors for him to start his own firm, CW Architects.

It's midnight in his Brussels office as Wittock describes a typical day at CW Architects. His day often begins before the sun comes up and ends late into the night. Wittock calls himself a workaholic and perfectionist but is quick to point out that it isn't all about work. Each night he eats dinner with his two children and puts them to bed, but then it's usually back to the office. He also cooks a pasta lunch for his staff almost every day, explaining, "My mother was Italian, and it's important for me to share my love of good food with my staff and take time out to speak about life and projects."

Reflecting on his time at the college, Wittock says, "CCA faculty are doing interesting things with their lives, and that's inspiring to students. It gave me the courage and guts to do what I do today."

His firm has produced a diverse body of work in locations around the world, including an artist installation for the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York (with Lee Mingwei '93), a home for California author Alice Walker, and a café in Brussels.

From Glance, 2005

Born 1968, Rome

CCA degree:
BArch 1992

Other education:
M.E.D. 1998, Yale University

Residence:
Belgium

Current occupation:
Principal, CW Architects

Influences at CCA:
John Bass, Jim Jennings, David Meckel, William Stout

Websites:
wittockiana.org
cwarchitects.com