The mwworks team. Image courtesy of mwworks.

Established in 2007, Seattle-based architecture and interior design studio mwworks has been diligently contributing some of the finest places within the Pacific Northwest's contemporary built environment: rough in the right places, comfortable wherever possible, and authentic by principle.

For the latest Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with the firm's founding partners Steve Mongillo and Eric Walter to discuss their dedication to craft, the deliberate decision to grow the practice organically, and how the team kept its office culture alive and healthy during the pandemic.

Can you tell us how mwworks was founded?

Prior to starting the office in 2007, we had worked together on occasion and found it rewarding to bounce ideas off one another. We approached projects in a similar way, and there was great value in the critique we shared to help each other move through design challenges. We found that we shared a vision for buildings that were well-crafted, timeless, and integrally connected to nature. Eventually, we found we could not ignore the lure of collaborating together, so we started mwworks.

How many people are currently employed at mwworks? How is your office structured?

We’ve grown gradually and carefully over the years to nine. We have two founding partners, two principals, and then five additional members of our design staff. We’re all generalist architects and are all involved in design at all phases. Our goal is for everyone to engage in generating the design — to articulate an idea or approach to each design, then invite input and pursue the best solutions to design problems.

Would you like to scale up and grow your team? What do you consider the ideal size for your practice?

The character of the office feels great right now — the smaller size allows us to stay connected to the work happening throughout the office even between office crits and reviews. There may be times we consider a small expansion to take on something special, but we don’t want to grow quickly or reactively. We prefer to focus on fewer strong projects, and on attracting and holding onto the people that can help make those successful. It is important that the nature of both the workplace and the work aren’t affected by growing too fast. 

Several aspects of our work tend to stand out: the material palette, the attention to craft and detail, and the relationships of spaces — both within the buildings and in the landscape beyond.

What have been the biggest challenges starting and running your own practice?

Not long after we started mwworks, the bottom fell out of the economy. At the time obviously, we felt like that environment was not ideal — but the upside was that it forced us to be innovative in the way we thought about the practice. Relationships with clients, builders, and craftspeople were even more important in those hard times. Those of us that survived the downturn were well positioned and had developed a resourcefulness that has served us well going forward.

What challenges have you faced during the past pandemic months? Has remote work been a solution?

As it began to become clear the pandemic was not going to pass, we had a couple of projects that went on hold, and we had some conversations about how the office might need to adapt just to survive. Fortunately, we were encouraged in the weeks that followed to have several other clients reach out to let us know they understood the risks but felt they wanted to keep their projects going in part to help support the large design and construction teams involved. It was great to have that support, and it reaffirms the value of working with good people. We did switch to working remotely and have kept that up, with the exception of site visits and some construction observation tasks. 

The impact on office culture was the biggest fear we had about moving to remote operations — how to keep an office culture alive and healthy.

The impact on office culture was the biggest fear we had about moving to remote operations — how to keep an office culture alive and healthy. We’ve found that it’s more important that we structure times that we are all together. We’re now committed to the weekly happy hours and biweekly design discussions as a means to connect. In a way, the design review parts of these meetings are almost easier to do online as the impromptu nature lowers the need for a great deal of preparation, and folks can just share their screens and walk the team through where they have been that week.

Describe your work. How do you define your own unique style and approach?

Several aspects of our work tend to stand out: the material palette, the attention to craft and detail, and the relationships of spaces — both within the buildings and in the landscape beyond. Our favorite work has a clarity or simplicity but also a calm and warmth that comes from the layering of materials and textures.

Over time, we’ve become increasingly interested in the spatial qualities inside the buildings. Part of this flows from the nature of design as aided by 3D modeling — you can really see it and feel it. You just couldn’t prove out these ideas in plan and elevation and section. As the tools changed and as we started to think about space a little bit differently, we began to spend more time considering space from the inside out which naturally changes the nature of the forms. By extension, this has expanded to include the site, each of its spaces, and the way in which they connect with the building.

What do you want your firm to be known for?

We keep coming back to the same core elements: material, craft, timelessness, simplicity, and connection to the landscape. Surely there are more, but we hope that all of our work reflects these essential characteristics regardless of the project type, size, or location. Whether it is a home small or large, or a winery or spa, we strive to make a place that feels comfortable, timeless, beautiful and responds well to its surroundings.

Where do you see mwworks in 5 years?

Five years seems like such a short period of time in our profession. Since our focus is on slow, deliberate growth, we don’t see the practice changing a great deal over that period. Within design though, we are always making discoveries, finding new points of interest, and moving in somewhat different directions while remaining true to our core interests. We’re also aware of how advances in the tools that we use have enabled us to better envision space and communicate construction methods; it’s easy to imagine that this evolution will continue.

Our favorite work has a clarity or simplicity but also a calm and warmth that comes from the layering of materials and textures.

We look forward to taking the ways we approach design and applying it to new project types, site conditions, and other challenges. It is always rewarding to apply a consistent approach to new types of landscapes and arrive at completely different solutions.

Do you have a favorite project? Completed or in progress?

There are aspects of each of many completed projects that stand out as successes. For example, The Courtyard House is surprisingly comfortable in its urban environment, and Case Inlet Retreat expresses what we hope to do with simple forms and connection with nature.

Still, the projects that are underway are always our favorites because it’s exciting to see where they will lead. They reflect our current thinking and interests, and there is some truth that what we’re exploring now is what’s most fascinating to us at the moment. In a sense, it is when we are still working on the buildings that we are living in them — by the time they’re done, we have to move on.

If you could describe your work/practice in three words, what would they be?

Well, our work is all about context, but we could say that craft, calm, and landscape would be important touchstones.