Since the Arts and Crafts movement in the early 1900’s, some are under the opinion that craftsmanship has been lost in today’s architecture. In a world of digital fabrication and a broad commercial market, Seattle, Washington based firm has brought back that craftsmanship once thought to have been lost. This medium sized firm employs artists, machinists, metal workers, and carpenters to make the total design aspect of their work a reality for their clients. The Olson Kundig Architects has been in business since 1967 but has just recently surfaced to the spotlight of recognition.
Recognized as one of the Nation’s leading architects, Tom Kundig is a principle to the firm Olson Kundig Architects. He specializes in residential, commercial, and institutional. His designs involve the artistic working of raw materials into the built form. He is also known for his kinetic details that get the observer to interact with the building. Kundig has produced works such as Chicken Point Cabin, The Brain Studio, The Delta Shelter, and many more which can be found in “Kundig Houses I & II”. His choice of medium is mild steel, wood, and concrete. These three materials in composition with various finishes create what the firm refers to as extreme regionalism and responds in a modern style, the humanistic attribute to our built space that is commonly forgotten.
The firm and Kundig’s work has become a focus of my thesis studies because of their total design practice in a modern world. Their design philosophy is similar to that which I have held in my studies as well. There is a relationship that coexists with the use or raw material in our built world and how we perceive it in conjunction with the environment. Not only is the use of raw materials cheaper to build with than commercially finished materials, it also can cut down on construction waste, and potentially bring modern architecture to a point that is considered friendly with communities and regions that at one time might have rejected it.
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