Barbara Lamprecht Biography
Trained as an architect, Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch, brings an unusual combination of skills to her work. She combines research as an architectural historian with writing for a wide range of architectural and “shelter” magazines from London-based The Architectural Review to Fine Homebuilding. Ms. Lamprecht teaches the architectural history program for architecture and design students at Pasadena City College, covering Antiquity through the Renaissance to Modernity. She also has a residential architecture practice where she is responsible for everything from design to construction administration. No stranger to wood, she has done enough framing and finish carpentry to wear a tool belt with authority. She has also designed and built fine furniture and appreciates American woods such as cherry and maple used by Enkeboll Designs.
 
Lamprecht has written two books on famed 20th century architect, the Viennese-born Richard Neutra, with the second to be published this spring. To her surprise the book has become a collector’s item in less than three years. A second edition is planned. Barbara has also lectured widely at venues such as the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C and the Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles.
 
Though she specializes in Modernism, because Lamprecht teaches all historical periods, she became fascinated with the language of ornament and the way certain types of ornamental design appear in a variety of cultures, often separated by thousands of miles. “There are reasons human beings are drawn to similar kinds of ornament over centuries. Despite Modernism’s attempt to rid architecture of decoration, we are also learning that not only does ornament convey certain cultural values, it also satisfies a subtle psychological need for repetitive patterns and fractal geometries which we respond to with all our senses. So it’s a wonderful time to be thinking about ornaments.”