Archinect - Features

Fellow Fellows: Unearthing the Architectural History of Early Schools for the Deaf with Kelly Daviduke

2019-11-29T09:00:00-05:00

Fellow Fellows is a series that focuses on the increasingly important role fellowships play in architecture academia today. These prestigious academic positions can bring forth a fantastic blend of practice, research, and pedagogical cross-pollination, often within a tight time frame. They also, by definition, represent temporary, open-ended, and ultimately precarious employment for aspiring young designers and academics. Fellow Fellows aims to understand what these positions offer for both the fellows themselves and the discipline at large by presenting their work and experiences through an in-depth interview. Fellow Fellows is about bringing attention and inquiry to the otherwise maddening pace of academia, while also presenting a broad view of the exceptional and breakthrough work being done by people navigating the early parts of their careers.

This week, we talk to Kelly Daviduke of the University of Washington, the recipient of the Society of Architectural Historians- and Ath...

In Focus: Aaron Leitz and Respecting Architectural Space Through Stillness

2019-11-21T12:15:00-05:00

In Focus is Archinect's recurring series dedicated to profiling the photographers who help capture architecture and who make the work of architects look that much better. In this series, we ask: What is their relationship to architecture? How do they work? What equipment do they use? What are their goals are when capturing buildings? And is there such thing as the perfect photo?

For this installment, Archinect chats with Seattle-based photographer Aaron Leitz. Specializing in interior and exterior architectural spaces, Leitz attributes his entrance into the profession to "coincidence and good fortune." However, despite his informal introduction to architecture and design, Leitz has established himself as a notable photographer who has worked with prominent architecture firms in Seattle, like Olson Kundig Architects and Suyama Peterson Deguchi, to name a few.

A fan of "respecting the process" and a believer that the "perfect" photo doesn't exist, Leitz seeks to capture moments by ke...

Pursuing Authenticity and Place With Graham Baba

2019-11-20T13:09:00-05:00

Seattle-based Graham Baba Architects started in 2006 by Jim Graham and Brett Baba, two architects who met while working at what is now Olson Kundig (back then, the firm was named Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen). The pair embarked on their own to found a practice that "creates places that tell a story, places that people are drawn to, and spaces that encourage social interaction and community," according to the architects. More than a decade later, the firm has grown to 30 employees and is now engaged in projects across over a dozen states.

For Graham Baba, each project represents an opportunity to tie together particular considerations for site, materials, and program that convey a sense of authenticity. As the architects explain, "authenticity can—and should—be found in every building by use of honest materials such as metals, wood, and glass celebrated in their natural state."

For this week's Studio Snapshot, Archinect connected with Graham and Baba to discuss, among other topics, c...

Deans List: UW's Renée Cheng on How Comprehensive Design Can Engender Inclusivity

2019-07-11T12:01:00-04:00

The Deans List is an interview series with the leaders of architecture schools, worldwide. The series profiles the school’s programming, as defined by the dean — giving an invaluable perspective into the institution’s unique curriculum, faculty and academic environment.

For this installment, Archinect spoke with current University of Washington College of Built Environments dean Renée Cheng. A licensed architect with years of experience working at firms like Pei, Cobb, Freed and Partners and her personal practice, Cheng-Olson Design, Cheng has specialized in researching the application of new technologies within the design and construction process while also helping to pioneer innovative project delivery approaches. In our interview, Cheng shares how these approaches can be applied to the wide-ranging curriculum of an integrated design program.

From Conceptual Works to Residential Projects, Seattle-based RHA Explores Architecture Beyond the Conventional

2018-08-13T12:49:00-04:00

From a House for a Mother & Daughter featuring a gable roof to allegorical works of architecture exploring themes of memory and loss, Robert Hutchison Architecture has emerged as a recognizable and unique voice. Designing contemporary works of various types and sizes, the Seattle-based firm fuses pragmatic solutions with poetic sensibilities earning them wide recognition for their many evocative projects.

For this week's Small Studio Snapshot, we talk with Hutchison about his research as a Rome Prize fellow, the firm's studio culture, and their bi-monthly event ‘rhaRIFFS'.

GoCStudio, a Small Studio in Seattle, Shares Some Secrets for Starting From Scratch

2017-05-08T09:00:00-04:00

This week on Small Studio Snapshots, we sit down with the Seattle-based practice goCStudio, founded by Jon Gentry and Aimée O’Carroll in 2012. The team fills us in on how being a small business allows them to create close relationships whether it be with a client, a craftsman, or the photographer of their next project.