JEFF CARNEY, 38
Associate professor, LSU School of Architecture; Director, Coastal Sustainability Studio
There’s no question that Louisiana’s coastline faces some serious challenges as the world climate changes dramatically. Through the Coastal Sustainability Studio, Jeff Carney is leading the charge to bring together architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, civil and environmental engineering, and coastal and environmental sciences to envision and design sustainable systems.
Inspiring book: The Image of the City
I probably first read this book by Kevin Lynch as a sophomore in college, and it opened my eyes to the city as a place that is not only planned and designed, but interpreted and understood by a wide range of people. I suddenly understood the city as a place that is alive and changing.
Major professional accomplishments: Building upon and sustaining an innovative science, engineering, and design based coastal research center.
PROFESSIONAL
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? An architect
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it? Demolition crew. I learned everything about construction in reverse.
What is your favorite place for a business lunch in Baton Rouge? The Chimes
The old saying goes, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Specifically, what are you “being” to make Baton Rouge better? I’m lucky to be involved in something completely new. The CSS is operating in uncharted territory. It’s great to be in a place where this is possible and to be in the company of the Water Institute of the Gulf and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and researchers from LSU who have encouraged and enabled this work to happen.
What ritual do you do to get pumped up before a big meeting, presentation or pitch? I usually pace, add slides to my powerpoint, drink coffee, remove slides from my PowerPoint, pace some more.
What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career so far? Taking a major project from the CSS to the Venice Biennale in Italy.
What was your professional aha moment? I was working at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in San Francisco and thought that I wanted to get outside of the boundaries of architecture and engage in the broader context of building in the environment. I was at the time working on a large neighborhood design at the time and found the process of engaging so many complex problems yet maintaining a central design concept was a great challenge. A few months later I was in Baton Rouge working at LSU.
How many times will you try something before admitting it doesn’t work? Stopped counting.
What is your best productivity hack? I get up really early
What did you learn the hard way? How to be better organized.
TECHNOLOGY
Mac or PC? PC
What’s your preferred mode of communication: text or phone call? Text
How low will you allow your remaining battery life to get (in %) before you have an anxiety attack? 3%
How many unread messages are in your inbox right now? Too many.
What app gets you through the day? Instagram.
Are you quick to adapt to new tech, or did you hang on to that flip phone way after it became obsolete? Somewhere in the middle.
PERSONALITY
How many times do you hit the snooze button? 2
Breakfast at home? Breakfast on the go? Breakfast at your desk? No breakfast at all? Home
Is the glass half empty or half full? What’s in the glass? Full
If you could build a statue downtown, who or what would it represent? The Mississippi River.
When did you realize you had grown up? When my wife and I had a child.
What is your greatest extravagance? Porsches (if I could get my hands on one).
What is your favorite journey? East coast to west coast road trip.
On what occasion do you lie? Never…
What is your greatest regret? Studying through spring break for three years of college.
When and where were you happiest? 2009 Lost Coast trail, Humboldt County, California
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I’d like to be able to concentrate on one task at a time for just a little bit longer.
What’s your most treasured possession? My family (I don’t really have much “stuff”).
If you could live anywhere on this planet and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live and why? A maple syrup farm in Vermont.
What do you most value in your friends? Honesty
What do you miss most about the ’90s? Nirvana
If you had to be a teacher of something, what would you teach? Painting
If you could go back in time 20 years, what advice would you give yourself? Not to worry so much about pleasing everyone.
What makes you laugh every time you think about it? My grandfather saying that he’s still looking at the roses from the right side of the ground with a giant smile on his face.
Who’s the most famous celebrity you’ve ever met? Joe Biden
LOOKING AHEAD
Three things on your bucket list: Travel to Patagonia, hike the Pacific Coast Trail, build my on house.
If you have children, what concerns you most about the future they will inherit? I think that our society has a general lack of optimism about the future. We have become unwilling to take big risks, and build big things. This cynical lack of vision scares me most because it is totally unfounded. There is a lot to look forward to.
Why have you chosen to make your home in the Capital Region? Because I teach at LSU and have found Baton Rouge to be a good place to have a family.
Have you peaked, or do you think you’ll still have it when we launch our hypothetical “Forty Over 40” awards years from now? I have not peaked yet.
