TOM KUNDIG
WORDS BY BROOKE STONE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDAN MEADOWS
—-
It’s humbling interviewing a man as talented and prolific as Seattle-based architect Tom Kundig. He’s been called “the rockstar of residential architecture,” won almost every high profile design award in the world and his book, Tom Kundig: Houses, was Princeton Architectural Press’ most successful architecture book of all time. A lot less praise and appreciation could go to any normal man’s head, but not Kundig’s. “I’m flattered that people like the work,” he said, “but it isn’t really something I think about. I try to do the best work possible for my clients and leave the conversation about the value of the work up to others.”
Kundig was raised in Spokane, Washington, a place he describes as having “a rich culture of architecture and art.” Despite being the son of an architect, he was pretty sure from early on that the profession wasn’t for him, and it was only later, while studying at The University of Washington that he found his calling. “I discovered architecture as an extension of my interests in the hard sciences, specifically physics and geophysics, and art,” he said. “Architecture became an opportunity to combine these two seemingly divergent pursuits.”
He is now part-owner of Olson Kundig Architects whose work includes the design of commercial, residential and academic buildings as well as museums and interior design. He’s usually commissioned by risk-takers who want to live in or work in a space that defies convention. “It takes courage to commission a house—or any structure for that matter,” he said. “It is an exploration of possibilities rather than an acceptance of what is available.”
Over the years he has worked on too many diverse projects to pick a favorite, but his
most meaningful commission was Studio House – a geometric photography studio and home combined in one bright, open, mixed-material haven. “Everything came together… It was the right moment in my career, the right client, the right team, the right craftspeople, etc. I was also fortunate to have it featured in The New York Times Magazine, which in a lot of ways, was a real turning point for me.” Kundig’s design attitude has been inspired by fellow Spokane artist Harold Balazs. “His style of working influenced me, along with his reverence for the landscape and fabricating out of it. He has a fascination with the materials of industry – steel, concrete, large objects – that I share. I learned about the balance of art and poetics from watching and working with him.” When asked what he loves to look at he says, “Beyond nature, I enjoy experiencing other people’s creative efforts.”
His own habitat, which he shares with his wife, is a typical Seattle turn-of-the-century wood-frame structure, which they remodeled about five years ago. “We basically stripped it and reworked it into something different,” he said. “I have an approach I call hot-rodding, where I take a standard commodity item and push the limits of what it can be in much the way hot-rodders fix up their cars. That idea of hot-rodding was how we approached the house.”
Kundig may push the limits at home and at work, but he’s well aware of the patience required for an architect to find their feet in the landscape. “Architecture is a complicated field and there’s so much to learn,” he said. “I don’t feel I was really ready until I was in my thirties. And in fact the Studio House – the “rst project I received a lot of attention for – wasn’t completed until I was 43.” And this residential rocker isn’t ready to pack up his blueprints just yet. “I’ve had the great fortune of working with interesting and brave clients and talented teams of people… I hope the future holds much of the same.”
(Issue 05)
Enjoy more this on thelabmagazine.com, coming summer 2012!
