P R O F I L E | G R A N T K I R K P AT R I C K
eauty is essential," Grant Kirkpatrick
declares. "Without beauty—much like
water, air or love—we would cease to
exist as human beings."
T his isn't metaphor wrapped in
architectural philosophy. It's a manifesto. And after
nearing 40 years designing homes, it's hard to argue with
him. It's underscored today, in a world where automation
is galloping towards an unknown.
As he puts it: "Deep in our DNA is the ability to appreciate
things that are beautiful. We know instantly if something is
pleasing to the eye." In the design realm, this is the result
of works that are ideally fitted to their place and purpose.
When the Bauhaus opened its doors in 1919 Germany, it
faced a similar crisis: industrialization was reshaping craft
and design in startling ways. There was fear it could erase
the human hand from the making of things. The Bauhaus
answer was radical in its simplicity: Don't reject machines,
marry them to craft. Let technological innovation serve
human detail, and vice versa.
Kirkpatrick understands this instinctively. "All of us
architects say 'craft' and 'craftsmanship,'" he notes, "but
the truth is, it's harder and harder to do and to find. I
think part of that is because we've stopped valuing it." A
century after the Bauhaus, he's answering the same call.
His KAA Design Group has created systems and
processes—the machinery of a successful architecture
firm—all in service of one thing: ensuring that craft, that
irreplaceable human intention, is embedded in every
detail of every home.
"
B
THE MODERNIST PARADOX
Modernism is supposed to age quickly. Clean lines,
contemporary materials, forward-looking aesthetics—
they're supposed to feel "of their time." Yet Kirkpatrick
designs Modernist homes to last forever. "We're going
to build this home for this generation and the next," he
explains. "That's your sustainability agenda. Let's do it
right. Let's do it once."
This is the paradox that animates KAA, the Los Angeles-
based firm he founded in 1988 after turning down a
lucrative commission rather than compromise on design.
After nearly four decades, he could rest on reputation and
formula. But Kirkpatrick has chosen differently. "There is,
unfortunately, no formula to what we do," he says flatly.
"We've never done the same project twice, which is what
gets you up in the morning."
T O P L E F T , T H E B A L B O A R E S I D E N C E , I M A G E B Y : S H I M A H A R A V I S U A L | T O P R I G H T , 3 R D & T H E S T R A N D , P H O T O B Y R O G E R D A V I E S
I N S E T P H O T O : G R A N T K I R K P A T R I C K , P H O T O B Y : C A R A R O B B I N S
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58 DIGS.NET
| 12.12.25
