I guess we all have our favourite architects. If I could pick out one to build my own home, it definitely would be Tom. To celebrate his birthday i’m having two posts on his work today. On as an architect and one as a designer.
Photo: © Maíra Acayaba
Tom Kundig (born 9 october 1954) is an American architect and designer in the Seattle-based firm Olson Kundig Architects.
Photo: Casey Dunn.
As a teenager, he found early influences in his work at sawmills, his surroundings and his time spent hiking, skiing and climbing. “When I was a kid, I grew up amongst industry: mining, logging, farming. Naturally, with that there was a lot of machinery, a lot of practically-designed – and in its way, beautiful – machinery. And when I lived in Alaska, I would go way out in the country, hiking and mountain climbing, and I would see these pieces of machinery, powered by wind or by water coming off the side of a mountain. The guys who designed these were geniuses!
Photo: © Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects/TASCHEN
On the importance of detail: “Detail is important because it’s at that lever that you interact directly with the building. You touch, move, and handle detail at the most intimate levels. I think If you can’t walk into a house and smile about something, there’s something missing in that house. I want the people I build houses for to love their house till death.”
Photo: © Matthew Millman
The Tom Kundig Collection is a steel accessories line focused on intimately scaled building components and furnishings, where each piece celebrates the moments when people touch the buildings and spaces they inhabit.
source: archiproducts
The Kundig-designed collection consists of over one hundred unique cut-and-folded steel products ranging from cabinet and door pulls to rollers, lighting, accessories and tables. Fellow Seattle-based firm, 12th Avenue Iron, fabricates each piece from steel, which is then finished and waxed, revealing the subtle marks of its making.
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
