Please join AIA Houston at Mongoose versus Cobra on Tuesday, September 27 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm for our annual Ben Brewer Award Mixer in honor of this year’s recipient, Brett Zamore.

This mixer is hosted by the Young Architects Forum and is open to all young architects and interns. Don’t miss this opportunity to have some fun and make new acquaintances.   Appetizers and 2 drink tickets will be provided to each RSVP.  

Every year our chapter recognizes a local young architect for significant contribution to the profession in honor of Ben Brewer.

2016 Award Recipient

Brett Zamore, AIA, LEED AP

In 1990 I began my freshman year at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. My advisor watched me excel in the arts and encouraged me to apply to Yale University as a transfer student to advance my studies in art and architecture. Studying architecture at Yale would prove to be a greater opportunity than I could have imagined. I was able to immerse myself in the arts, from sculpture, color theory, photography and drawing to art history and theory. I received a summer traveling fellowship to Europe where I spent the majority of time sketching buildings. My other summers in college were spent working in residential construction, where I learned the basics of how houses get built. After college I decided to spend a year out in Colorado as a ski instructor, which gave me time to solidify my desire to follow a career in architecture.


In 1995 I moved to Houston, TX to pursue my Master of Architecture at Rice University. Moving to Texas from the east coast would prove to be an important step in my professional growth. Rice, as well as my new environment in Houston, helped me and my voice as a designer. Through my studies, I gravitated towards simple vernacular housing types. This became a dominant theme in my work that continues to this day. The modest housing types I fell in love with were similar in spirit to the Cape Cod home where I spent my summers since childhood and reminiscent of the barn that captivated me in high school. Both their simple geometry and repetition of elements produce timeless forms that connect strongly to the surrounding context.


During my summers in graduate school I was fortunate to have opportunities working with fantastic educators. In the summer of 1997 I worked with Michael Maltzan Architecture in Los Angeles, CA where I focused on two residential homes rooted in the north California landscape. This was an invaluable learning experience and gave me the chance to work under an architect known for engaging context through a concentrated exploration of movement and perception. I also appreciated the opportunity to get acquainted with the city of Los Angeles. The following summer I stayed in Houston to work at Jay Baker Architects, focusing on a vernacular home in the Texas hill country. Learning from Jay, who is a classically trained architect, encouraged my desire to truly excel at the craft. I also felt fortunate to be at Rice during a time of great change to the fabric of Houston. I have seen this city continuously reinvent itself and have been excited to contribute to its future growth.


In 1999,I met my wife René. During this time I was working on my Graduate Thesis Project, a complete rehabilitation of a 950 square foot duplex shotgun house in Houston’s Fifth Ward. In 2004, René and I purchased our first home in the Houston Heights, which similarly involved a process of salvaging and renovating a 995 square foot bungalow. We married that same year just as we completed our home renovation. We then built an addition in 2007, and that spring we welcomed our first child Eli. This brought us beautiful changes and responsibilities. As a new parent I came to realize how fragile life truly is, and I felt the desire to be more sel ess. My second son Ari was born in 2012, and my third son Leo was born in 2014.


In December of 2014 I became a registered Architect (#24584) in the State of Texas. This was a proud accomplishment in my life and professional career. My wife and three boys have been the greatest supporters through my early years as an architect. Having a partner who is not in the profession grounds me. She helps prevent me from constantly looking at life through through a single lens. Opportunities to step out of the world of architecture energize my creative drive. Skiing, drawing, playing the guitar, traveling, watching movies and baseball are also activities that bring me happiness, enlightenment and relaxation. As always, I still look forward to our family vacations to the Cape Cod house each summer.


I am also indebted to my incredible employees, without whom I would not be where I am today. They have supported my efforts towards making a lasting impact on the architecture of this dynamic city.