David Miller and Robert Hull

University Names David Miller and Robert Hull Recipients of Its Highest Alumni Award

Distinguished architects David Miller, FAIA and Robert Hull, FAIA are recipients of the 2007 Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award, Washington State University’s highest alumni honor.

The two men are founding partners in The Miller|Hull Partnership, LLP, a precedent-setting contemporary architecture firm based in Seattle. Business partners since 1977, Miller and Hull met as classmates at WSU, where each earned a bachelor of arts in architecture in 1968. Upon graduation, the values and education they acquired at WSU inspired them to join the Peace Corps. Miller served in Brazil while Hull served in Afghanistan, and both returned home prepared and committed to create socially responsible and humane public architecture.

Miller and Hull are Fellows in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), one of the highest distinctions given by the AIA. They have taught graduate design courses at the University of Washington (UW) and lectured nationally and internationally. David Miller is currently chair of the Department of Architecture at UW.

In 2003, Miller|Hull was named AIA Firm of the Year, virtually the highest honor an architectural firm can receive. The recognition acknowledges embodiment of the highest principals of architecture. The firm’s work has been published and referenced in more than 160 national and international publications.

The collaborative nature of David Miller and Robert Hull has provided inspired leadership and the partners have served as role models for many young architects, both regionally and nationally.

Miller recalled his days at WSU, saying: “We had great conversations about design in and out of the studio. People were trying new ideas, and we stretched our imaginations.” Hull said: “If you can solve a problem in a poetic, artistic way, there’s your concept. If you come up with a strong conceptual idea, then it is a recipe for success. We learned that early on at WSU.”

The Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus/a Award honors alumni “who shall have made a truly distinguished contribution to society, or who, through personal achievement, shall have brought distinction to Washington State University.”