Justin Tucker (B.Arch. ’16) is the wood fabrication specialist at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. In this conversation, he discussed how his architectural passion ignited early on when crafting things in childhood and has continued into his current position. His diverse background, from manual labor to worldwide collaborations, enriches his mentorship and ability to engage with students. In his role as wood fabrication specialist, Tucker translates complex design queries into tailored guidance, nurturing critical thinking.
How did you become interested in wood fabrication?
Most of my time as a kid was spent daydreaming about and building treehouses, forts, swings, sleds and such. Wood scraps, a hammer, a saw and re-used nails were all readily available to me, as were tools for basic electronics. I have done grown-up construction since, but 90% of that has not been nearly as fun.
What brought you to the University of Arkansas? What’s keeping you here?
I moved to Fayetteville in 1998, just bumming around and aimless. I had some travel plans but needed to stick around to earn a little more money before moving on. I moved into a small cabin in a community on Markham Hill. That year holds some fond memories. I fell in love with the place, then fell in love with a girl, and then I had to get serious about life.
Early on, I had a landscaping company in Fayetteville, doing a lot with large native stone and plantings. One project was at a retreat center with a serious drainage issue causing flooding to some walk-out basement spaces. The owner asked my advice, but then they hired a former faculty member from the Fay Jones School to help. She took his advice instead of mine, and I provided the labor. It was time-consuming and costly. More significantly, it didn’t solve the drainage problem at all. I was angry and decided I wanted credentials. I immediately applied to the U of A, only two weeks before the 2002 fall semester started, and was accepted. Many years later, in 2016, I graduated from the Fay Jones School with a Bachelor of Architecture.
Like many in the state, the U of A has chapters in my family history. My maternal grandparents met on this campus, passing notes in the crack of Spoofer’s Stone. The original concrete sidewalk held the names of even older relatives. My paternal great-great-grandfather turned the original columns of Old Main in the front yard of their house on Dickson Street and brought them up with a mule-drawn wagon. He took part in installing the original slate roof, and he crawled up there again to fix it after the 1880 tornado (according to family accounts, he was the only one in town brave enough).
Many youths I knew growing up didn’t have plans to stick around Arkansas into adulthood. I was no different, but friends, family and heritage have a certain gravity. I grew to love my state, though I strongly prefer the northwest corner of it. I still don’t think I will live here forever, but it’s a great home for me now.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
The biggest challenge I face is in translating students’ questions for help into well-fitted advice. Their design intentions, craft skills and project deadlines are all big factors, and often they are asking how to do something that does not fit what they really want. Most of the time, there are countless ways to get a similar result, and I have learned to ask questions instead of giving quick answers. The key is to assess what they actually want from it, and then apply the least amount of advice that could get them thinking and making things in a better way.
What’s an accomplishment you’re the proudest of?
I recently designed a brewery and taproom for Orthodox Farmhouse Brewery located in Goshen, Arkansas. They opened in April this year, and it’s been wonderful to see it full of people from the community. It’s a humble building, but well-crafted and a good place. I’m proud of it.
If you weren’t working in your current position, what would you want to be doing?
If finances and kids were not a factor, I’d be engaging in small-scale design-build projects around the globe, with some projects benefiting refugee cities and other communities in need. On the off weeks, I would fly as a bush pilot to remote locales to camp, mountain climb and whatnot.
Since that is more of a semi-retirement plan, full-time I would go for leading student groups in collaborative design-build projects. Along those same lines, I have an ambition to be a director of an academic design-build program in the next 10 years.
Where’s your favorite place on campus?
Many years ago, there was a fir tree on the Old Main Lawn with wide and easy-to-climb lower branches. Hidden near the top was a collection of branches that made a seat worthy of reclining in, with an adjacent limb where adventurous friends might join in the conversation. That was my favorite spot. Since then, I’ve enjoyed sitting in the courtyard north of the Agriculture Building.
What activities fill your free time?
I have a variety of interests, but precious little free time. Time with my wife and my kids comes first. I volunteer with Washington County Search and Rescue. I am currently working on my Emergency Medical Responder certification. I am starting to rock climb again after many years. I enjoy backpacking, learning about native plants and foraging for wild edibles, reading and sitting in silence.
What is something you wish students knew about you?
In my early 20s, I didn’t give much thought to the histories of folks much older than me. I was too focused on my own life.
It can be helpful for the students to know that I understand what they are going through in the program since I have been through it. Additionally, I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture later in my life with kids at home; we had six kids at home at the time (and have seven now). It was a challenge, but the challenges are worth it.
I also have a lot of experience in life that I draw on, and it is good for students to know that most lives are not linear and simple. My first full-time job was with a lawncare company the summer I was 13 years old. Every summer after, throughout high school, I worked 40-hour weeks in 90 to 100-plus degrees with summer humidity. I have waited tables, washed dishes, scrubbed grease pits and meat freezers, cleaned office buildings, installed equipment in factories, driven a delivery truck, landscaped and worked in many of the construction trades, but mostly in carpentry. I’ve picked apples for a season in Wisconsin, cooked at a pizza joint in Colorado, and worked for FEMA in the coastal destruction left by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf. I would tell students there is value in manual work before (or even after) you commit yourself to an office.
I was a general contractor and had a residential/light commercial construction company for several years in central Arkansas. And before that, I managed construction projects for another general contractor. I have designed a number of built projects in Arkansas and have been part of collaborative design-builds and installations in Norway, Estonia, Greenland, France and Venice, Italy. When I give students advice about tools, safety, fabrication or design, I draw upon my degree, but also upon a variety of life experiences.