2008 40 Under 40 Honoree: David Beach

David Beach has unique insight into the building profession. These days, Beach is an instructor at Drury University and the owner of David R. Beach Architectural Consultant LLC.

Previously, he worked at H Design Group, where he was the lead designer on the renovation/addition project at Discovery Center, which became the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold-certified building in southwest Missouri.

It’s no surprise that Beach has a continuing interest in sustainable building practices, which he says will soon become “the de facto standard.”

“Green building will just become an inherent part of construction,” Beach says. “Whether the building is looking to become LEED-certified or not, as a designer, we are always using sustainable strategies so the buildings can be flexible and natural. Tearing buildings down and building new is the worst strategy you can do.”

Beach took an early interest in the use of 3-D visualization in architecture, and learning 3-D modeling techniques was a lot of extra work for Beach when he was in school. He marvels at the way the technology is changing architecture and the education process.

“The latest software technology is called building-information modeling, and it is the marriage of architecture and modeling in the best way,” Beach says. “We can analyze a building on a whole different level now.

“Having a 3-D model of a building, we can run that through a system to measure daylighting or the efficiency of the building envelope. It is a really powerful thing creating additional information to make informed decisions.”

Beach looks forward to reshaping the Hammons School of Architecture’s digital design curriculum, and thus, affecting future designers.

“This will create designs that are more innovative, sensitive to the environment and responsive to the needs of the client and the community,” he says.

Beach lists his proudest accomplishments as acceptance last year into the University of Oklahoma’s Master of Architecture program in urban design and getting the Drury teaching job.

The latter allowed him to follow several family members into teaching.

Double Play

Birth date: Nov. 19, 1973

Family: I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Michelle, for 11 years. No kids yet, but we are in negotiations. We do have four dependents, even though we can’t convince the government: three horses, Lily, Belle and Joy, and the notorious Sam the cat.

Philosophy to live/work by: I approach jobs and relationships with a servant’s heart. This approach allows me to always consider the greater good.

In a fantasy world, which professional sport would you play? Basketball, no question. I come from a family with a passion for the game. My grandfather, Coach Matthews, was the basketball coach at Missouri State University, while my grandmother publicly professed that her favorite NBA basketball player was Dennis Rodman. The athleticism, and the balance of grace and power is amazing – and beyond attainable for someone of my physical stature.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.