Apple of his eye: Growing up in Manhattan gives Tendler architectural foundation

Listen to this article

Matt Tendler came up in the mecca of modern construction.

“I grew up on the upper-west side of Manhattan, which had beautiful buildings and parks,” he said. “I think since I was almost 5 years old I was fascinated with architecture. And there was always a lot of construction.”

Those amazing sights gave him memories to last a lifetime, but they also shaped the way he sees the world and the role buildings play in it.

“Some architects see buildings as large sculptures, but they’re not. Buildings are occupied by people, so it’s a social and a collaborative art form. At least, I think its best practiced that way,” said Tendler, a shareholder and principal architect with Kahler Slater in Milwaukee. “So, I’m not a star-kitecht; I don’t do flashy buildings. I make buildings for the experience.”

For Tendler, that process starts with asking questions, since understanding how people want or need to experience a building determines the design.

“I’m just an inquisitive person. I like to learn, and I’m open to learning things from all different people. That’s why, for me, the dialogue is so important,” Tendler said.

These days, after more than 30 years in architecture, Tendler is often leading the conversation.

“I’m a project manager and senior project architect all rolled into one. I lead a team, but I don’t do the hands-on design and drawing. I more help facilitate discussion,” Tendler said. “We look at what do you really need? What are you trying to achieve? And we customize solutions.”

For Tendler, who has spent his career deigning health care projects, that often means examining everything from zoning to sustainability, a personal interest that has evolved into something of specialty thanks to his experiences as the first chairman and president of the Wisconsin Building Alliance.

He’s not so involved with the alliance anymore, but Tendler said he’s proud that, while he was with the group, he helped develop a rudimentary LEED-type checklist as a part of Kahler Slater’s design of C.G. Schmidt’s corporate headquarters.

Tendler also has had an impact with local zoning in connection with his health care projects. It’s an often-complicated specialty Tendler has embraced, since it means broadening the conversation about architecture and its implications.

“When you rewrite zoning as part of projects, the constituency for the design is not just you and the client; it’s the whole community. So, you start out wanting to get a building done, but you wind up master planning a whole site and writing rules for how the site might grow over several years.”

The Daily Reporter: When you have a bad day, what keeps you coming back to work?
Matt Tendler: For me, as much as I like the process, I love when the project opens. So, it’s thinking about how people are going to use the building. Even if it may be years off, knowing that day will come is great.

TDR: What would you change about the construction industry?
Tendler: In health care, the No. 1 thing I’d like to change is we have too many different codes and too many different authorities applying and interpreting the codes. And it drives us and the owners crazy because there isn’t consistency and predictability, especially on the building codes. It’s understandable that health care is highly regulated, but it’s a mess in terms of how it’s done.

TDR: What is the most useful thing you’ve learned since starting your job?
Tendler: It’s the importance of being open to learning and having open communication. When people do that things work out and they’re fun.

TDR: What do you wish you’d learned sooner?
Tendler: You can’t do it yourself. It’s OK to say when you don’t know an answer and go to someone else and get the answer. It’s about giving up your ego and serving your client, giving the best information to help them make the best and most informed decisions.

TDR: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be?
Tendler: It’s not anybody who’s still alive: Frederick Law Olmstead. He’s very famous, probably the most famous American landscape architect; he designed New York Central Park, Prospect Park and he also was behind the Milwaukee County Park system. I look up to him. He was clearly a visionary, but he was also a pragmatist and a politician who knew how to get his projects completed. And he was tenacious. When I look at Central Park, you have this beautiful green space, but he knew he also had to get this traffic through. So, you have these sunken roadways. And he was able to convince people of his dream. It wasn’t just about doing the design and letting others implement it. He was very hands on.

TDR: What do you value most?
Tendler: I think one of the answers is I really value asking good questions because to me asking good questions leads to great design. When you don’t ask good questions, it’s just, ‘How much space do you need?’ You have to start with much more fundamental questions about the experience and the outcome to have great design.

TDR: What object in your office means the most to you?
Tendler: My office is just basically an open cubicle. I don’t have a private office; nobody at Kahler Slater does. But I can see the Riverwalk, so, for me, it’s the Riverwalk. I get out there every day, rain or shine. It helps clear my mind.

TDR: How do you define success?
Tendler: Probably two things: Being given the opportunity to work on significant projects, being respected enough to be given those opportunities on larger, more complex projects, and mentoring. As you get older, if you’re successful, people will ask you for help. And, to me, that’s an indication you’re successful — that other people come to you.