A Short Biography
I am a Florida native, born and raised in Brevard County, Florida, and currently residing in Cape Canaveral, Florida. I hold the dubious distinction of having been kicked off the cape to make way for a launch pad. I grew up living a fairly average life, playing with siblings and neighborhood friends, tromping through the woods, building forts, playing in the surf at the beach, walking and riding bikes to school, playing in the school band. I have always loved the beach, which is why I live in a beach town today. I surfed from my teens into my thirties. Still occasionally try, but mostly just take walks now.
Music has always been of interest to me, both listening and playing. Still love to go hear a local band play or go to a concert of a favorite recording artist. I have taught myself to play piano several times over the years (it's not quite like riding a bike). I learned to play trumpet and other horns in Jr. High School band. I learned to play guitar in my late teens and still play today. Over the years I have played many other instruments with some proficiency; banjo, mandolin, violin, bass guitar, drums, hand drums. Life would not be the same without music.
There was a period in my life where I designed clothing. Mom had taught me to sew very early in life and drafting had taught me about flat pattern layout. Clothing design started, of course, with needing a Halloween costume one year, and from their things just followed. I have designed clothes for friends and myself. I created my own label for production runs that I sold to boutiques. An interesting vocation that still comes in handy.
I have always had an interest in architecture. As a small child Mom could keep me quiet for hours by putting me on the porch with a set of building blocks. She would not hear from me until I wanted to show her the really cool palace I had built. As an older child I was always drawing floor plans, trying out different configurations. The Parade of Homes was always an event where I could see what was being designed and built in residential architecture. As soon as drafting was offered in school it became a part of my curriculum. I have always sought out and studied forms of architecture, passive solar design, underground homes, that would now be a part of Green Building Design. I also have always paid attention to historical design, both for aesthetic and structural purposes. It certainly helps when approaching an addition to know what the construction standards were for a building of that time period. My first jobs were always centered around the building industry. Frame carpentry, cabinet making, roofing and more gave me hands on experience on how a building design actually came to life. Working in the roof truss industry helped to cement the relationship between good aesthetic design and good structural design.
All of these experiences have come together to make me what I am today, an architectural, residential, quality motivated, "glorified drafter", designer. No matter whether the project is a custom home on a difficult lot, a new model for a builder, a complete remodel and addition of an existing home, or just a simple porch addition, my heart and soul is in the project to design the best for the customer and community.
Geoffrey M. Duggan
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