#Interview #Podcast w/ Tom Kundig, FAIA of Olson Kundig

Tom Kundig, FAIA
photo: Elizabeth Rudge

My interview with Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA Owner and Founder of Olson Kundig... listen as we talk about architecture and design and the ways that places make us feel emotional and what he says about "the residential arena is the soul of architecture, quoting Glenn Murcutt: "the private residence is the architecture that architects have forgotten about... and yet it is the most basic unit of our existence, it's "food, water and shelter... it's who we are, it's what we are...and beyond that if you understand shelter and you understand what it means to have shelter, on all levels, the architecture is going to be stronger "

Podcast w/ Tom Kundig, FAIA of Olson Kundig, click here to listen

TOM KUNDIG, FAIA, RIBA PRINCIPAL, OWNER & FOUNDER, OLSON KUNDIG

Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, is a principal / owner & founder of Olson Kundig. Over the past three decades, Tom has received some of the world’s highest design honors, including a National Design Award for Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2016, he was elected to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture, and in 2018 he received the AIA Seattle Medal of Honor, the highest honor that AIA Seattle can confer on one of its members.

In addition to receiving scores of design awards—including National Honor Awards, National Housing Awards, and a COTE Top Ten Award from the American Institute of Architects—Tom’s work has appeared in thousands of publications worldwide and on the covers of The New York Times magazine, ARCHITECT, Architectural Record, Architectural Digest and The Plan, among others. Tom’s Shinsegae International received the World Architecture News Tall Buildings Award in 2017, and his Meg Home, Rolling Huts, Delta Shelter and Rio House projects have all received Record House Awards. The Pierre was named the World Architecture News House of the Year in 2010. Tom’s work can be found on five continents, in locations ranging from Costa Rica to Brazil, New Zealand, China, Mexico, Sweden and Austria. His current projects include homes across North America, Asia, Europe and New Zealand; adaptive reuse projects for a host of different functions; and hospitality projects in the United States, Austria, China, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea and more.

Tom regularly lectures and serves on design juries around the world, and is named in The Wallpaper* 150 as a key individual who has influenced, inspired and improved the way we live, work and travel. Under his leadership, Olson Kundig has received a National Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects, has been included in the AD100 list thirteen times, and for four years has been named one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Architecture by Fast Company.

Olson Kundig is a full-service design firm led by 12 principal/owners that provides integrated architecture, exhibit design, interior design, urban design and landscape architecture for clients around the world. Now in its sixth decade of practice, the firm’s design approach is dedicated to expanding the context of built and natural landscapes.

Rooted in the Pacific Northwest, the firm’s work—commercial and mixed-use buildings, museums, cultural and civic centers, residences, and hospitality projects—extends worldwide. With a team of over 300, Olson Kundig brings the capacity of a large firm with the intensity of a small practice.

In 2009, the American Institute of Architects recognized our firm with its National Architecture Firm Award, citing our hands-on project involvement; creation of inspiring buildings and places; deep commitment to share knowledge with students, interns, clients and community; and collaboration with artists and craftspeople.

Our owners have been honored with some of the nation’s highest design awards, including the AD 100 list for over ten years, a National Design Award in Architecture Design from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an induction into Interior Design Magazine’s Hall of Fame.

The firm’s accolades also include American Architecture Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum and national and regional design awards from the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association. For four years, the firm has been named one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Architecture by Fast Company.

Tom's Three Classic Buildings:

(Noone else has ever mentioned these :)

photo: Futurewalk

photo: p.suwantawat

photo: p.suwantawat
Brion Tomb & Cemetery by Carlo Scarpa

Capuchin Convent Chapel by Luis Barragan
photo: Armando Salas Portugal

photo: Jethro T

photo: milosk50

photo: Scherbina Valeriy
Civita d'Bagnoregio

Chapel of St. Ignatius in Seattle
by Steven Holl Architects
with Olson Kundig Architects of Record
photos: MGHottel

This episode Sponsors:

Thank you to Loewen Windows and Doors for sponsoring this program. Loewen windows and doors offer some of the highest-performing fenestration products on the market in the most demanding climates. They are also a true partner of the architectural community by supporting AIA Chapters nationwide.

Eve Guilbaud, LEED AP

Architectural Territory Manager - Southern California

Loewen Windows & Doors
1.800.563.9367

Architecture@Loewen.com