William Merriweather Peña

William Merriweather Peña (February 10, 1919 – February 10, 2018) was an American architect and partner of Caudill Rowlett Scott. He is known for being a leading proponent in the area of architectural programming. A U.S. Army veteran from World War II,

Early life Peña was born on February 10, 1919, in Laredo, Texas, where his father Eduardo F. Peña was a grocer. He attended St. Augustine Catholic School in the city and in 1937 he graduated from Laredo High School. He was a Boy Scout and in high school he was president of the Pan American Student Club and co-editor of The Journal, the school paper.

Prior to World War II, he was a student at Texas A&M University. In 1941, he was a junior, wearing a military uniform in his class picture and was identified as an Intelligence Sergeant. He graduated with a bachelor's degree on May 16, 1942. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. The Mardasson Memorial at Bastogne displays a "large-scale, outdoor dramatization of the exhibit". He wrote a memoir of his war experiences, As Far As Schleiden.

Career

In 1948, he earned a master's degree in architecture from Texas A&M University.

Peña, hired by Caudill in 1948,

He promoted the concept of architectural programming where considerations, materials, goals, and a problem statement were formulated by analysts or programmers, which were to be solved by the architects. It has been defined as "a process that provides the general direction a building's design should take after the client's goals and needs are determined". The book is now a standard architecture textbook.

He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. , he continued to work as an architect.

Awards and honors

1948 – Outstanding Student of Architecture, school medal of the American Institute of Architects, Texas A&M University