Tom Kundig Houses 2
Princeton Architectural Press is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Tom Kundig: Houses 2, a monograph featuring residences by the award-winning architect and partner of Olson Kundig Architects. In 248 pages featuring 17 homes, the book demonstrates how Kundig is actively redefining the vocabulary of architecture and his commitment to the experiential nature of space – branding him as a unique figure among international practitioners. The book follows the critically acclaimed Tom Kundig: Houses, published in 2006.
Over the past decade, Kundig’s inventive and oftentimes playful approach to kinetic architecture has been recognized with an array of high-profile national and international awards, transforming him into one of the most influential architects working today. “Tom Kundig’s houses help complacent bodies reimagine themselves in a natural plenitude,” says Daniel Friedman in his essay in the book. “In the lives they touch, they circulate like gift property, transmitting vitality, reviving the soul, serving an upward force.”
Kundig has gained a world-renowned reputation for establishing an innovative balance between raw material and modernist design. Tom Kundig: Houses 2, showcases recent work that strikes a balance between tactile and sophisticated, and modern and warm, the effect of which creates inviting spaces well married to their native context. Whether carving a house out of rock or engineering a gizmo that opens a ceiling to the sky, Kundig is compelled to craft a dialog between people, nature, and architecture. Fearless in his use of scale and material, Kundig’s homes become part of their natural setting, never outshining nor being overshadowed.
Kundig creates bold architectural statements by fusing the static with the dynamic, the fabricated with the natural—yet his homes maintain a simple aesthetic and exude comfort. That seamless sense of contentment derives in part from Kundig’s collaborative work ethic. By actively engaging with engineers, interior designers, craftsmen, artists, and other architects, Kundig’s attention not only rests on the structure, but with the mechanics of moveable features, micro-architectural elements, custom fixtures—and the way each of those systems responds to the natural landscape.
The 17 featured projects are Montecito Residence, Hammer House, The Pierre, Rolling Huts, Tye River Cabin, Portland Hilltop House, Highlands House, Slaughterhouse Beach House, Studio Sitges, Gulf Islands Cabin, Laurelhurst Residence, Shadowboxx, False Bay Writer’s Cabin, Island Pool House, East Village Apartment, Chat-O Spapho, and Outpost. All seamlessly incorporate Kundig’s signature inventive details, rich materials, and stunning sites, from majestic Northwest forests to Western high deserts and New York City’s urban grid.
Designed by Dung Ngo, this volume features a foreword by noted Finnish architect and critic Juhani Pallasmaa and an essay by Daniel Friedman, Dean of the University of Washington College of Built Environments. Tom Kundig: Houses 2 will be released in September 2011.
About Tom Kundig, FAIA; Principal/Owner, Olson Kundig Architects
Best known for his “hot rodding” design approach, Tom Kundig redefines the practice of modern architecture. Drawing upon a deep devotion to craft, Tom’s designs unite raw natural elements with man-made materials, transforming commodities such as steel and concrete into rich tactile experiences. A place-based designer, Tom’s body of work exalts the human spirit in a multitude of ways: from the child-like delight built into his gadgets and gizmos to the physical invocation of nature through tilting window walls, houses carved from rock, and pop-up skylights.
Kundig has received a National Design Award in Architecture Design from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum; four National AIA Honor Awards; six National AIA Housing Awards; and an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2011, he won the World Architecture News House of the Year Award for his design of The Pierre, and Residential Architect’s Project of the Year award for Art Stable. In 2010, he was the sole North American architect chosen to represent the continent at the TOTO GALLERY MA in Tokyo, Japan. A graduate of the University of Washington, Tom Kundig became a partner at Olson Kundig Architects in 1994.
About Princeton Architectural Press
Celebrating its thirtieth year, Princeton Architectural Press is a world leader in architecture and design publishing, both in market share and in editorial and design excellence. With over 1000 titles published, they have consistently sought the best in the field, and are privileged to be able to attract and publish it. They’ve made their reputation in part by identifying new trends and publishing first books on emerging talents, as well as definitive works on established names, and by creating books of unsurpassed design quality and production values.
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