As a child in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Colin Montoute loved taking his toys apart to rebuild them in different ways.
“I was constantly recombining objects,” he recalled. “I kept asking why things are the way they are — and why can’t they be changed?”
Years later, after coming to the U.S. at age 8, Montoute would apply that same curiosity to his career as an architect. He devotes himself not only to optimizing form and function, but also to helping build a more environmentally sustainable future through the structures he designs.
During his more than 25 years as an architectural innovator, Montoute has led projects ranging from his home city of New York to China, Africa and throughout the Middle East.