Let’s reach for something better
I’ve had this symbol in my head for years. A “K” that represents a building’s relationship to the ground, its environment, and the sky. A logo that started out as a furniture-maker’s mark. One that could be made with three strikes of a chisel, like a rune.
The time has come to make that mark, to carve that rune. To start an architecture practice founded to craft buildings personalized for people and places in a way which celebrates their connection to their ecosystems and fosters the long-term stewardship of a healthy world. To reach for something better.
“Architecture is a disturbing act; it destroys places. Construction sites always have the scent of sacrifice, barely masked by the exciting and hopeful smell of building. It is our job to assuage the sacrifice and make building an act of respect for and adoration of the place.” - W.G. Clark, “Three Places”
After over a decade at Lundberg Design I am stepping down from my Principal position to start my own architecture firm in Berkeley. A firm that is sized to meet the needs of my family, my passion, and the local land-communities which surround both. This is that firm.
The past six months have been full of personal trials, including the sudden and unexpected death of my father back in December. While that grief has been (and continues to be) very difficult, it also granted me some intense clarity around what I want for my life and the path forward to get there.
What I want to build is a firm that is sized to meet the needs of my family and my passion. A firm which supports the local land-communities that surround both. It doesn’t have to be large to meet those needs, in fact it needs to be small. I have always enjoyed all the parts of architecture practice, and a highly focused small firm will allow me to apply my talents to each piece of the process. To give each project the attention and care it deserves.
I want to focus my work on residential, restaurant, and other hospitality work like micro-breweries or small wineries that more explicitly design around sustainability, long-term change, and land stewardship. I will bring the great respect for craft and materials which I honed at LD to a practice dedicated to honoring place.
To be worthwhile, any built thing must make a place in the world better for having been built. Great architecture finds the heart of a place and celebrates it in a way that enhances the long-term health of the place itself as well as the health of all those who inhabit it. It is that combination of each unique place with each family, or organization, or community that makes architecture continually varied and interesting. Our home is here, and what we build will be its parts. Let’s make the effort to build well.
