On May 12, 2010, Stephen T. Ayers, AIA, LEED AP, was officially confirmed and appointed as the 11th Architect of the Capitol. Mr. Ayers had served as Acting Architect since February 2007. Mr. Ayers sat down with Foundations and Perspectives, the magazine of the Achitect of the Capitol, to outline some of his first thoughts as the new Architect of the Capitol.
F&P: Why did you seek to become the Architect of the Capitol?
Mr. Ayers: First and foremost, I love this organization. I love it because of the unbelievably warm and talented people. This job brings together my passions for public service, architecture and history; making this the perfect position for me.
What do you hope most to accomplish?
We have a lot on our plate, a lot of things we need to do—but we are on a great trajectory right now—and we need to keep it going. In order to do this we need to communicate, communicate, communicate—with each other, with the Congress, with the public and our industry partners. We are going to be realistic in our promises and we are going to over-deliver on them.
But I can’t do this alone. I am not the “power broker” of the AOC. The real power lies in each of our employees, they are the face of the agency and they are on the front lines interacting with Members of Congress and their staff everyday. Enabling their accomplishments, empowering and shaping their interactions, and celebrating their success are what I hope most to accomplish.
The bottom line is that I am here to enable our employees to do their jobs effectively, to be seen as an honest communicator to Congress and our employees, and ensure we have the vision and the resources to achieve our goals together.
What are your first priorities?
My first priority is taking care of our employee’s safety, health and well-being. Our employees do the hard work around here and we need to care for them in every way possible.
In my three years as the Acting Architect we were able to do many of the things that I felt were most important, including improving our workforce benefits and flexibilities.
This includes development of a student loan repayment program, establishing flexible schedules, telework, and fitness center benefits to name a few.
Establishing exceptional, transparent and trustworthy relationships with our employees, our Unions, and the Congress are also my first priorities.
What are your long term priorities?
We have some big issues to tackle— over a billion dollars in deferred maintenance and capital renewal work. We also have a couple big projects in the future, the Cannon House Office Building renovation—the biggest job in our history—and how we plan and execute that work is going to be a major focus for the next five to ten years.
We are also about to tackle the Capitol dome and will be stripping it down to its bare bones and the entire nation will be watching—we need to be timely and accountable in that project as well.
We need to be focused on completing the Capitol Complex Master Plan that serves as a roadmap for where we need to be twenty years from now. We need to predict problems now, so we can take steps to plan and address them well ahead of time.
What are the most important attributes you need to be successful?
Communication, communication, communication is the key to success. We need to communicate internally with each other, externally with our oversight and the Congress, and with the American public.
We need to be accountable, which means we need to measure everything we do and continually elevate ourselves and ensure we continually improve—we can’t let good get in the way of great.
What do you want AOC employees to most know about you?
I care deeply about all of them. I respect them and am proud to be part of their team. I truly believe in communication, communication, and communication. Stop me in the hall, call me, e-mail me—I get such a charge out of the input from feedback sessions I regularly host. I get fantastic energy from these meetings and get inspired to do better.
What do you think is the AOC’s greatest strength?
The power is in our people. This group of 2,600 employees—every single one of them knows where they are and knows the awesome responsibility we have in caring for the most iconic buildings in the world. They all get it—that we must serve with distinction and exceed expectations everyday.
What do you think is the AOC’s greatest challenge? How will it be overcome?
We have lots of challenges—probably the toughest is how we prioritize our efforts. How do we handle the Cannon House Office Building Renovation, the largest in our history? How do we prevent and recover from a terrorist attack? How do we implement and achieve our energy goals?
The answer to all these challenges is that we have the skills, we have the tools, and we have the resources. But we must better communicate and collaborate with each other and with the Congress to get it done.
Can you tell me a little about how your career brought you here?
I am a public servant at heart. When I graduated from architecture school, I went into the U.S. Air Force and was fortunate enough to be in a civil engineering squadron enabling me to get the experience necessary to attain my architecture license in California. I then went into private practice, after which I ended up with the Voice of America and had the great opportunity to work in Greece. My family and I spent six years in Greece and we traveled extensively throughout Europe and it was a wonderful experience.
But we missed the States, we missed family, so I came upon an opening at the AOC, and was hired as the Assistant Senate Superintendent, from there I became Library Superintendent, and then Chief Operating Officer and most recently Acting Architect—in total I have been here about 13 years.
Any moment you particularly remember in your 13 years at the AOC?
I remember the events of 2001 when I was serving in the Senate and especially the herculean efforts of our team to reestablish the Senate within days after the Anthrax attacks. I was one of those on Cipro, and I remember leaving the building having to remove my clothes and putting on a PPE jump suit to go home. I clearly remember walking into my house wearing the PPE suit and my wife looking at me with a “what-on-earth-did-you-do” look on her face.
Doric, Ionic or Corinthian?
That’s easy. Corinthian, you take the best of the best and mix it together and see what you get. That’s the Capitol in a nutshell.
What do you do to relax?
Relax? What’s that? I do like to read, play golf, and go to the beach. But I am not wired like that, I don’t really like to relax—I prefer to get things done, that to me is relaxing.
What is the most fun about this job?
Working with people is fun—I love interacting with our employees and with oversight committees. Also, as a leader, when you see people on your team grow and flourish—that is fun.
Any architect modern or historic you particularly admire?
Benjamin Henry Latrobe is an inspiration to me and of course, the Thomas U. Walter Capitol dome is marvelous. In the broader field of architecture, I particularly admire Hugh Newell Jacobsen and David Jameson, their architecture is clean and elegant. Also I enjoy the work of the Greene and Greene brothers, their designs are very delicate—they are all about details and details are important to me.
Finally, is there anything you most want AOC employees to know about how you will serve in this role?
Some managers say, “you work for me,” but I say, “I work for you.” I serve employees and make sure that they have the right tools and resources to do their jobs.
That is my view of leadership. I will do what I can to take care of their needs, so they can take of their customers and together we will create a successful future.
