The members of AIA Utah sadly report that Brett Richards, AIA, 52, president of Richards Bott Architects in Ogden, was shot and killed January 7 in Guatemala. Richards, his wife, parents, brother, and sister-in-law were participating in a group traveling to sites in Central America referred to in the Book of Mormon. When their bus was stopped by thieves, Brett rose to see what was going on, was shot, and died on the bus. Coincidentally, the United Nations announced that day that it had agreed to help Guatemala with its spiraling crime problem.

Richards was graduated from Ogden High School and received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering with honors from the University of Utah and an MArch from the University of Colorado. He joined Kenneth W. Jones & Associates as an intern in 1980, and 12 years later became the firm's president. When Jones retired in 2000, Richards formed Richards Bott Architects with G. Brian Bott, AIA.

“Brett volunteered untold hours to his community and his profession,” notes Elizabeth Mitchell, the chapter’s executive director. He served as the AIA Northern Utah Chapter president in 1984 and again in 1994. Over the years, he chaired the Ogden City Landmarks Commission, was president of the Rotary Club, chaired the Ogden City Board of Appeals, and served on the boards of the McKay Dee Foundation and the Pine View Water District. Richards was licensed to practice architecture in Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and New York.

Among the noteworthy projects Richards contributed to are Lincoln Elementary School, Ogden; the award-winning Ogden Dinosaur Park Museum; the Physical Education Building at Weber State University; and the Ogden Standard Examiner office building and plant.

”Those who knew Brett will remember him as a warm, engaging, and intelligent individual,” says Mitchell. “He was a mentor to other architects and much appreciated in his church and community.” Condolences may be sent to: Brian Bott, AIA, Richards Bott Architects PC, 620 24th St. Ogden, UT 84401-4322.

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