48 DIGS.NET
| 1.13.23
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P R O F I L E | O L S O N K U N D I G
IN
Greg was before the project began, so I
definitely had a sense of, well, this is going
to be interesting!" admits Kundig, noting
that Faulkner and his wife Lesa were drawn
to something in the DNA of his work, as well
as his take on architecture, and wanted
those elements reflected in their home.
"Components like using and shaping steel
plates and details, kinetic or gizmo designs,
as well as the tension between the raw and
the refined, all seemed to resonate on a
deep level." So while being "under the
scrutiny of a terrific architect who's been
delivering great work is no small task," he
adds, pragmatism prevailed. "Greg and I
are both old enough to be mature and confi-
THE TONY, tree-heavy mountain
town of Truckee, California, a
stunning residential showpiece
leverages the best of its loca-
tion: maximizing the light, strut-
ting its form, and reinterpreting nature with
a dramatic metal-tower "treehouse." Further
distinguishing the house is the blue-ribbon
hand behind it, Tom Kundig FAIA, RIBA.
Principal and founder of the prolific and
prize-collecting architecture firm Olson
Kundig, with offices in Seattle and New
York City, Kundig has designed many
radiant, elemental residences, but this one,
built for his fellow fine-eyed architect Greg
Faulkner, was particularly satisfying.
Yet even an architect as accomplished
and routinely honored as Kundig admits
to some degree of curiosity about collabing
with a contemporary. Would it be a clash
or a camaraderie of visions? "I knew who