Los Angeles native, Michael Volk, was recently appointed Principal for Gensler’s Los Angeles office. Over 27 years of experience in design, leading, and executing architecture and urbanism projects in the U.S. and abroad have brought him to this point. An accomplished and award-winning architect and educator, today Michael shares a few of his favorite things in life in this week’s Friday Five.
I was born in Los Angeles, it is my city. And although we broke up once, our relationship reignited a few years ago, and if I do say so myself, now it?s quite hot. Because of this, it is impossible that my five favorites are anything but very L.A.-centric at the moment ? how can one actually have only five favorites anyway" At the same time, I must confess that I am not too into materialism. I have evolved as a minimalist nomad who places great value on experiences. My list is slanted this way. Photo by Craig Fineman
1. Pools by Craig Fineman

This book is amazing to me in so many ways. Those of us who grew up in the 70?s as landlocked surfers in the San Fernando Valley will understand, we were skaters that skated to emulate surfing. There was a short period of time prior to the infancy of extreme skateboarding where ?pure? skating was a mirror of this desire. The moves, the style, the aspiration were all based on the smooth and continuous flow of late 70?s surfing. When we discovered skating empty pools ? which there were many of in the Valley ? it was a revelation. ...