Pamela Anderson-Brulé is a founder and the president of Anderson Brulé Architects, Inc. Her career has been dedicated to creating an architectural design process that takes a holistic approach to achieving her clients’ vision for how they live, work, play and thrive. She believes that truly exceptional architecture balances the human, social, economic and environmental needs of individuals and sustains the community in which it is created.
Pamela was a founding partner of AIA Santa Clara County's Women in Architecture committee and became the first woman in Santa Clara County to be elevated to the College of Fellows in the American Institute of Architects, the highest rank in the institute's membership.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you first became interested in cities.
I'm a 4th or 5th generation San Josean. I live in Willow Glen and have my offices in the SoFA (South First Area) district; we've been here for 34 years. I studied in Fontainebleu, France, during my final year at CalPoly. I then earned a one-year scholarship in Paris, where I was exposed to urban planning and the importance of art and landscape in urban design. I ended up spending four years in Paris, and living in that urban environment was a major influence on me. I met my husband in France and convinced him to move to San Jose with me, with the promise that San Jose would “get there” — and I have worked toward that in my practice.
How did you first learn about SPUR?
I heard about SPUR a long before SPUR had a San Jose office. I was president of AIA about 15 years ago, and SPUR was an example of an organization with a voice that sets policy. AIA looked to SPUR as a model. Then, when you opened a local office, the city called together AIA and SPUR. I was struck by the deep policy knowledge of the SPUR staff and thought that the two organizations should work together rather than addressing urban planning and architecture in isolation.
What's your favorite city?
Paris. I know every inch of it. One of my grandchildren now lives there. My husband is a big walker, and we just love going back — immediately we start to walk all over the city.
What’s your favorite view?
I love Tahoe and the high country Sierras.
An urban view I just love is from the Trocadéro looking down on the Eiffel Tower; that's hard to beat.
Favorite book, work of art or film about cities?
Wayne Thiebaud's paintings are an abstract study of cityscapes. I recall one with a view looking down a street to the city below.
A book I love is The Devil in the White City, a nonfiction novel by Erik Larson that covers the years and circumstances surrounding the building of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. I was lucky enough to have attended the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle as a child, and that influenced my interest in design and architecture.