Books: Tom Kundig's Houses 2
Expansive new release captures Seattle architect's beautiful, highly-crafted, often kinetic home designs
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City.... More »
In 2006, the Princeton Architectural Press released the first monograph on the work of Tom Kundig, of the Seattle, Wash. firm of Olson Kundig Architects (then Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects). Tom Kundig: Houses featured only five distinctive houses, a small number for such a work. But what it lacked in numbers it made up for in depth, with sketches, drawings and photographs that explored the details of Kundig's highly-crafted and often kinetic designs.
The newly released sequel, Houses 2, expands upon the first book in just about every way, with more projects (17), more photos and a larger format. Large color photos beautifully capture Kundig's "refined and elegant, but at the same time tough, rough and matter-of-fact" architecture, as Finnish architect and writer Juhani Pallasmaa puts it in the book's introductory essay. Most of the projects are in Kundig's home state; the rest are found in California, Spain and Idaho. No matter where their location, all of these projects are prime examples of the designer's industrial domesticity and his capable hand that gives warmth to steel and sometimes even turns a house into a literal machine.
The newly released sequel, Houses 2, expands upon the first book in just about every way, with more projects (17), more photos and a larger format. Large color photos beautifully capture Kundig's "refined and elegant, but at the same time tough, rough and matter-of-fact" architecture, as Finnish architect and writer Juhani Pallasmaa puts it in the book's introductory essay. Most of the projects are in Kundig's home state; the rest are found in California, Spain and Idaho. No matter where their location, all of these projects are prime examples of the designer's industrial domesticity and his capable hand that gives warmth to steel and sometimes even turns a house into a literal machine.
The Pierre, located on Lopez Island, Wash., was "conceived as a retreat nestled into the rock." A quick glance gives the impression that the house is literally melded with the outcropping that first drew the owner to the site. Reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's decision to build Fallingwater upon that waterfall in Bear Run, Penn., Kundig's similar tactic unites the house with the rock.
But nestling a house into a large outcropping of rock is not easy. Dynamite was one of the many tools needed to excavate and smooth the rock.
But nestling a house into a large outcropping of rock is not easy. Dynamite was one of the many tools needed to excavate and smooth the rock.
The rock's presence continues to be felt inside the home. Excavated portions of the rock were used as an aggregrate for the concrete floors, so they are literally made from the very rock on which the house sits. In addition, a powder room is carved from the portion of the rock outcropping seen in the foreground of this photo. The curving room is capped by a cylindrical skylight drilled through the rock.
The layout of the house is quite simple, an L-shape with the bedrooms in the short leg and the living area occupying the long leg. The linear living area, shown here, runs along the concrete wall seen in the previous photo. We also see another element that roots the building in the landscape: a substantial green roof caps the house.
When designing this house in Montecito, Calif., in Santa Barbara County north of Los Angeles, Kundig designed for a different climate and context.
The fire-prone nature of the canyon site led the architect to choose fire-resistant concrete, steel and glass for the exterior. The steel was left to oxidize, giving the building a burnt appearance that lets it blend into its surroundings.
The fire-prone nature of the canyon site led the architect to choose fire-resistant concrete, steel and glass for the exterior. The steel was left to oxidize, giving the building a burnt appearance that lets it blend into its surroundings.
Because the house overlooks the Pacific Ocean with views toward the Channel Islands, the south facade is all glass, shaded by a large overhang and operable perforated shutters (the large boxes mounted to the top of the columns house the mechanics). These shutters also protect the house in case of wildfires.
The 100-foot-long corridor that begins at the front door culminates in the glass box shown here and in the previous photo. The expansive stretch of glass, with its resulting views, provides a clear directionality for the house, which is then further reinforced by the roof's dynamic shape.
The entrance corridor is designed to funnel breezes into the house. To encourage this, the front door is an oversize dutch door, activated and calibrated by a system of locks, gears and chains. This is one example of how Kundig turns the house into a machine. The monumental size of the door necessitates a mechanical system layered over the house's walls and other surfaces.
A doorway from a live/work project in Spain is another example of how Kundig makes kinetic parts of a house even more special by confounding expectations about how they work. A tall steel pivot door is inset with a pilot door, allowing for varying degrees of openness between the indoor and outdoor spaces. It also recalls the grand doors with smaller inset doors that can be found in church architecture.
Another live/work studio, this time in Idaho, sees Kundig demarcating a long rectangle on the expansive site to create both indoor and outdoor spaces. The enclosed indoor portion occupies about a quarter of the rectangle and is placed at the northern end so the resulting courtyard receives plenty of sunlight.
Built primarily of cinder blocks (CMUs), the main living area is lifted to roughly the height of the courtyard walls and is accessed via the stair seen in the center of this photo, which is also the center of the plan. This design lifts this space above the winter snowpack and is a clear indication of how Kundig creatively responds to climate (remember the funneled breezes of the Montecito residence).
The north elevation is more closed-off than the other faces, but it does include a small balcony (the secondary entrance when the snowpack is high?).
The inside is basically an open living area with a mezzanine for the bedroom above; the studio/office and utility room is downstairs. The book's description memorably describes it as "a Tootsie Roll Pop: hard on the outside and soft on the inside."
The last three projects featured here show the kinetic aspects of Kundig's houses that help make his designs so unique. Shadowboxx is also located on Lopez Island in Washington State, but unlike the first house discussed here, its site is a clearing in trees instead of an outcropping. "Shifting doors, shutters, walls, and roofs constantly modulate the threshold between inside and outside," a concept that is readily apparent in the varying angles of the exterior walls here.
In the closed position, the corrugated steel walls — rusty like the roof and other walls — shut off the house from its surroundings. Though an unlikely situation when the house is occupied, this nevertheless allows it to be protected from the elements when needed.
In between completely closed and completely open is the "variable" option: the degree of openness can be varied by adjusting the positions of three wall panels underneath the large overhanging roof as well as those of the sliding panels around the corner.
In the open position, inside and outside are closer to being fused— an effect that is furthered when the sliding glass walls are opened as well. The open position takes advantage of views towards the sea and the Olympic Mountains beyond.
On San Juan Island in Washington State is the False Bay Writer's Cabin, a 500-square-foot glass box that serves as a writer's retreat.
This glass box can also become a wood box. The wood decks on three sides of the cabin lift "through a system of hydraulic winches, wire rope [ visible extending from each corner down to the deck ], pivoting sheaves, and lead blocks."
Kundig asserts, "It is intended to be a shelter of extremes, open or closed."
"In order to feel cold, you have to feel hot; in order to feel safe, you have to feel at risk," he adds.
Kundig notes, "Contrast is the true measure of a complete experience." In its transformation to a closed box, the cabin offers the writer a totally introspective atmosphere as well as a sense of security when he or she is away.
The last examples are the aptly named Rolling Huts, located on a forty-acre floodplain meadow in Mazama, Wash. Due to zoning restrictions that did not allow permanent structures, Kundig designed these huts to be set on wheels to raise them above the native grasses, floodwaters and, in this case, snow.
Seeing one Rolling Hut is interesting; seeing a group of them together is a delight, as if they aren't meant to be alone. Together they "are grouped as a herd," glancing in the same general direction but not at each other.
The exterior of each hut is covered in Kundig's material of choice: weathering steel. This material gives the huts, and all of his houses, a strong year-round presence in their natural surroundings.
A closeup of one of the wheels seems in order. These hefty steel wheels definitely work with the palette of the rest of the design, but their size also indicates the weight of the hut above.
For fans of Tom Kundig's houses, both of the books published by Princeton Architectural Press are must-haves. The first is exemplary for presenting the details of his kinetic designs. The sequel makes it clear that his design skills are consistent across close to 20 projects, regardless of location, scale or size. Houses 2 also includes plenty of interior photos. These prove that Kundig equally excels at crafting interior spaces that are appropriate for each house and client and are as varied as his exteriors are kinetic.
Learn more about Houses 2 and order here.
Learn more about Houses 2 and order here.
Comments
Jordan Iverson Signature Homes I'm a huge Kundig fan. Love his vision. I'll definitely be adding this to the library. How cool is that door w/in a pivoting door? Love how he adds such a deliberate industrial, mechanical side to his designs.
21 months ago · Like
Becky Harris So brilliant!
21 months ago · Like
joshwakefield Howard Roark Called......
21 months ago · Like
analily Love the clean lines, and innovative use of kinetics. A delight to anybody's brain!
21 months ago · Like
Devdatta Pendse Fantastic.. As an Architect ...I wish I designed it & lived there !
21 months ago · Like
Caron White Wow, these are incredible.
21 months ago · Like
snowbound Tom's work is wonderful. I see it is also built on the shoulders of his partner Jim Olson and Jim's former partner Gordon Walker. In The 1960's and 1970's Jim and Gordon were blasting the rock in the San Juan Islands and using the rock to build walls and putting planted roofs on them. Gordon also started exploring concrete block for houses and did several outstanding one's in the Seattle area. I think the first was the Raft house on Queen Ann Hill. Tom's work is truly incredible.
21 months ago · Like
Robert Mace That place in the land of potatoes is stunning!
21 months ago · Like
violetmist This is amazing. It's my extreme pleasure to be viewing this kind of open/closed indoor/outdoor work for the first time. I am definitely intrigued with the concept. I want the writer's 500 sf retreat for myself.
21 months ago · Like
ddee WOW AWSOME
21 months ago · Like
rahat6010 It is really fascinating to see new ideas and design. Splended work
21 months ago · Like
KMZ Landscape Design Thank you for sharing Kundig's work - I did not know of him before and I really like what you have shown. I will be looking for his books.
20 months ago · Like
flott home design respect!AS AN ARHITECT
19 months ago · Like
