{"id":289023,"date":"2025-10-09T10:39:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T10:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/289023\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T10:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T10:39:14","slug":"monograph-gathers-lifetime-of-homes-by-tom-kundig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/289023\/","title":{"rendered":"monograph gathers lifetime of homes by tom kundig"},"content":{"rendered":"

explore four decades of work by olson kundig co-founder<\/p>\n

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Seattle<\/strong><\/a>-based architect Tom Kundig<\/strong><\/a> has long approached the house<\/strong><\/a> as a field for experimentation \u2014 a typology that allows for direct engagement with materials and with the landscape. His forthcoming book, Tom Kundig: Complete Houses, published by Monacelli, consolidates this lifelong investigation into a single, definitive volume.<\/p>\n

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Documenting 462 projects across nearly forty years, the 600-page publication captures the evolution of Kundig\u2019s oeuvre through an extensive visual and textual record. While the book spans an international range of sites \u2014 from the forested archipelagos of the Pacific Northwest to arid deserts in Mexico and volcanic terrain in Hawaii \u2014 it is tied together by the architect\u2019s consistent exploration of the essential elements of design: space, light, material, and view.<\/p>\n

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Tom Kundig: Complete Houses, book cover | image courtesy Monacelli<\/p>\n

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A Comprehensive Record of Domestic Architecture<\/p>\n

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Among the architect<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s total body of work, Tom Kundig: Complete Houses<\/strong><\/a> highlights a selection of thirty-eight residences for more in-depth analysis. Twelve of these are newly completed and published here for the first time. Each is accompanied by photography, hand-drawn sketches, and interviews between Kundig and editor<\/strong><\/a> Dung Ngo that trace his influences, from his Swiss heritage to his architectural training at the University of Washington. The conversations reveal a practice characterized by curiosity and risk-taking, \u2014 qualities that have defined his career at Olson Kundig, the Seattle firm he co-leads together with architect Jim Olson.<\/p>\n

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Kundig\u2019s residential work is marked by a fascination with movement and adaptability. Many of his projects incorporate mechanical systems \u2014 large pivoting windows, sliding walls, and operable facades \u2014 that merge the boundary between enclosure and environment. Moreover, the book points to the architect\u2019s sensitivity to craft and the tactile presence of structure.<\/p>\n

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Delta Shelter<\/a>, Mazama, Washington, 2005 | image \u00a9 Tim Bies<\/a> \/ Olson Kundig<\/p>\n

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\u2018tom kundig: complete houses,\u2019 the most comprehensive yet<\/p>\n

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This Complete Houses publication marks Tom Kundig\u2019s fifth monograph and stands as the most comprehensive to date. It offers a chronological overview of his residential practice \u2014 past, present, and future \u2014 and reveals the threads that connect decades of work. Each project, no matter how remote or refined, reflects a consistent inquiry into how architecture mediates between people and place.<\/p>\n

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Bound in vibrant cloth with an embossed sketch on the cover and encased in a slipcase featuring project photography, the monograph mirrors the material integrity of Kundig\u2019s built work. The volume\u2019s design makes reading a tactile experience.<\/p>\n

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For Kundig, the house is a laboratory as well as a refuge. It is a place where his design ideas are tested and refined before being translated into larger civic and cultural projects. \u2018Each home is a chance to test an idea, refine a detail, or take a risk,\u2019 he reflects.<\/strong> \u2018This book is a moment of reflection in my practice, an attempt to capture something that is always in motion.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Maxon House and Studio<\/a>, Carnation, Washington, 2023 | image \u00a9\u00a0Aaron Leitz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Outpost<\/a>, Bellevue, Idaho, 2008 | image \u00a9 Tim Bies<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Pierre<\/a>, San Juan Islands, Washington, 2010 | image \u00a9 Dwight Eschliman<\/a><\/p>\n