Tom Kundig wins Academy Award in Architecture from American Academy of Arts and Letters

The American Academy of Arts and Letters, recognized for honoring the most noted artists, architects, and writers in the U.S., has awarded Tom Kundig, principal of the Seattle-based architecture firm, Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, one of its three Academy Awards in Architecture for 2007. The awards, chosen each year by a prestigious jury of architects, recognize an American architect whose work is characterized by a strong personal direction. An awards ceremony will take place at The Academy of Arts & Letters in New York City on May 16th, 2007. In addition, the AIA recently awarded Kundig two AIA Institute Housing Awards for 2007 for his Delta Shelter in Mazama, Washington and Tye River Cabin in Skykomish, Washington.
 

Founded in 1898 to �foster, assist, and sustain an interest in literature, music, and the fine arts,� the Academy has since bestowed its prestigious Award in Architecture to the profession�s most distinguished practitioners. Tom Kundig joins the ranks of some of the 20th century�s most acclaimed architects, including jury members Henry N. Cobb, Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Hugh Hardy, Steven Holl, Richard Meier, Cesar Pelli, and James Stewart Polshek.

â��To be recognized by this particular Jury alongside three fellow architects whom I’ve always deeply admired for their individual spirit and exploration is truly an honor,â�� said Tom Kundig.

With respect for the environment, Kundig�s projects consistently reveal his reverence for materials, while combining art, craft and the experience of built space. Creating some of the most inventive structures today, his buildings uniquely meld industrial sensibilities and materials such as steel and concrete with an intuitive understanding of scale. A telling example is his highly-lauded Delta Shelter, a 1,000 square-foot weekend cabin, a steel box on stilts featuring Kundig�s characteristic gizmos, that can be completely shuttered when the owner is away.

Delta Shelter is one of five projects revealed in depth in the award-winning architect�s first monograph, Tom Kundig: Houses, published by Princeton Architectural Press earlier this year. From early conceptual sketches to photographs of the completed residences, the book gives insight into the highly creative process that goes into Kundig�s personal language of �making�. Tom Kundig will do a book signing at Potterton Books� booth at ICFF on May 20th, from 1-2 pm.

About Tom Kundig:

Tom Kundig, FAIA, is widely recognized for his poetic, elemental and intuitive designs. His projects revere the beauty of the American West. He uses art, craft, and materials to connect us with the landscape, and he creates serene places for contemplation and repose. He received a prestigious fellowship to the MacDowell Colony in 2006, was selected as a Finalist for the National Design Award in Architecture by The Smithsonian Institution�s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in 2005 and was recognized as one of North America�s Emerging Architects by the Architectural League of New York in 2004. Earlier this year his first monograph, Tom Kundig: Houses, was published by Princeton Architectural Press. This year also marks his first time as a juror for the 2007 National AIA Honor Awards.

His work is extensively published in magazines and books�both nationally and internationally and he is a frequent lecturer and design juror. His most recent house, Hot Rod, was featured in a 2006 issue of The New York Times Magazine and his 2006 Architectural Record �Record House� -winning Delta Shelter, Chicken Point Cabin and The Brain, are all winners of 2004 National AIA Honor Awards; Sedgwick Rd, an advertising agency; the Mission Hill Winery in Westbank, British Columbia; and the Studio House in Seattle. Current projects include a 37-story tower in downtown Seattle, the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, a winery near Santa Barbara, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum, Idaho, a destination resort in eastern Washington, numerous residences throughout North America, and a house in Sitges, Spain. In 2003, the monograph Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen - Architecture, Art and Craft was published by The Monacelli Press. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from the University of Washington.