LLOYD “BUD” SHENEFELT
Project Designer Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
Atlanta, GA
Provide an educational background including professional experience.
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in graphic design from the University of Alabama
(1993) and a Master of Architecture from LSU (2003).
Unlike many architects, I never had an interest in architecture as a child. It wasn’t
until after undergraduate school, through an accretion of ideas and experiences,
that I became interested in architecture. And even then it was a gradual affair.
After briefly studying architecture at both LSU and Montana State, I did a number
of jobs that, in retrospect, were important to my career in architecture. While
in Montana I worked as a metal chaser in a bronze foundry, did inlay work on
Gibson’s acoustic guitars, including a touring guitar for Dwight Yoakam, and
designed and built lighting and furniture. With little real experience in architecture,
I worked briefly for small firms in Virginia and Maryland. When the architect I was
working under in Maryland passed away I was left without a job—it was then that I
decided to get the education needed to pursue a career in architecture.
After graduating from LSU I moved to Atlanta to work for Thompson, Ventulett,
Stainback and Associates (TVS). TVS offered the opportunity to work on large
scale projects with large project teams. I worked on projects in Beirut, Dubai,
Guadalajara and the United States. Most of the work was either international
competition or retail based projects. After leaving TVS, I worked for Hellmuth,
Obata+Kassabaum (HOK) on higher education projects and was elected as a
member of the office’s design review board. While at HOK I had the opportunity
to work on a large design competition as well as a new building on Emory
University’s campus.
Currently I am working for Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects in Atlanta. I am
very fortunate to work with extremely talented individuals in an environment that
rewards design exploration.
Why did you choose LSU for your education?
Having studied previously at LSU, I was familiar with the program and its
strengths. I was, and still am, interested in some of the same issues of low-cost
housing and sustainability that were being researched and discussed by the
faculty. I was also fortunate to have studied under professors that taught
critical thinking and empowered me to create a personal and successful
design methodology.
I also wanted to be a part of the newly formed Master of Architecture program, a
program that wasn’t reliant on maintaining what had succeeded in the past, but
rather was trying to figure out its course, its potential. I was a member of the first
graduating class.
How did your LSU degree help to prepare you for your profession?
LSU offered the tools to think critically about design, to question the current
practice and to “build an army” of knowledge. It was the frequent one on one
discussions with professors in the halls of Atkinson, as well as the recommended
readings, that made a large impact on my ideas of architecture.
LSU also happens to be situated in an extremely diverse area of the country…
unlike anywhere else in the United States. The area’s vernacular architecture
offered knowledge built up over centuries, ways to design within an environment.
What current or past research and projects/exhibitions have you done?
I am currently in design development on Yale University’s new Health Services
Center. Not only do I find it very rewarding to work with talented individuals in
our office, but I have the opportunity to work with some of the best consultants
in their given field. Together, along with the Yale University user group, we are
designing a new facility on the campus that is exciting, sustainable and
conscious of its site.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ve actually never been very good at planning tomorrow. All you can do is continue
to enjoy what you’re doing and adapt to changes along the way. I would like to
increasingly test the boundary of architecture…to explore possible collaborations
outside the field of architecture…to experiment with guerilla
installations…a sowing of programmatic intervention…