We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Raymond Willett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Raymond, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I meandered as a teen and young adult without direction or sense of purpose. I tried photography, worked in restaurants, sold vacuum cleaners, cut trees and split firewood, joined the Air Force, had two sons, purchased and sold two homes and renovated a turn of the (last) century apartment building in Seattle before I had any idea of what I wanted to be as an adult. After two years of patching holes in the walls, rebuilding kitchens, fixing plumbing and doing an array of work I had no training for, I packed up and moved to Savannah. For the two previous years I woke every morning with the task of deciding what I would do with the rest of my life and now I was doing it.
Architecture school, heck just the whole experience of academia, was surreal. I worked in my dreams, woke up in the middle of the night to check renderings, lived and breathed art and architecture. I renewed my love of history through the stories art “speaks” of the condition of society. Architecture was rational and systematic, and that worked with the way my brain sees patterns everywhere I look.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I think of myself as a public servant in that I feel my first duty is the protection of lives. Having access to safe, affordable housing should be a top priority for a society that wishes to nourish a resilient populous and collective conscious.
We are currently working on Adaptive Reuse schemes for the Sonoma Development Center in Northern California.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Evidence‑Based, Human‑Centered Design – You don’t just design buildings—you design environments that actively support human well‑being.
– Your process is rooted in deep client engagement and evidence gathering, ensuring every project aligns with the client’s goals, aspirations, and lived realities.
– This positions you as a practitioner who can translate abstract needs into tangible, functional, and inspiring spaces.
Technical Mastery Across Diverse Project Types & Codes
– Over 20 years of architectural experience spanning residential, commercial, mixed‑use, and specialized industries (wine, cannabis, higher‑density housing).
– Proficient in innovative building technologies like Compressed Earth Block (CEB) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), as well as navigating state housing laws (SB8, SB9) to unlock development potential.
– Strong grounding in fire/life/safety, sustainability, and code compliance, ensuring designs are not only beautiful but resilient and lawful.
Strategic Vision & Stewardship of Place
– A deep connection to Sonoma and the North Bay informs your place‑based, context‑responsive architecture.
– You approach projects as a steward of the built environment, balancing ecological responsibility with economic and community needs.
– Your work reflects a long‑term vision—designing for durability, adaptability, and the greater good.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Live
If I become weak or tired, I should stop what I am doing
And continue with it once I have rested.
When I have done something well, I should not be attached,
But move on to what needs to be done next.
Just as a seasoned warrior on the battlefront
Approaches the enemy’s weapons with care,
So will I protect myself from the weapons of the delusions
And bind these enemies so that I can destroy them.
If someone drops his weapon during a battle,
Out of fear he will immediately pick it up again.
Likewise, if I ever lose the weapon of mindfulness,
I will recall the sufferings of hell and out of fear
restore it straightaway.
Just as a little poison will spread throughout the body
With the circulation of the blood,
So, given an opportunity,
The delusions will spread throughout my mind.
A Dharma practitioner should practise as attentively
As a person would walk if he were forced to carry a
jar brimming with oil,
Fearful in the knowledge that, if he spilled just one drop,
The tormentor behind him would slay him with a
word.
Therefore, just as I would quickly jump up
If a snake were to crawl into my lap,
So, Whenever sleep or laziness threaten,
I will swiftly remove them from my mind.
Each time faults such as delusions arise,
I will thoroughly chastise myself
And then focus for a long time
On the determination not to let that happen again.
In this way, in all situations
I will acquaint myself with mindfulness –
Sincerely and purely practicing Dharma
So that I can protect myself and others from suffering.
To ensure that I have the strength for all of this,
Before I commence I will recall The instructions on conscientiousness
And rise to these tasks with suppleness of body and mind.
Just as a piece of cotton moving back and forth
Is controlled by the movement of the wind,
So with my body, speech and mind controlled by the joy of effort
I will swiftly accomplish all realizations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tbearch.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tbe.architecture/
Image Credits
All images are owned by myself
