Seattle-based Olson Kundig is an example of how context and culture can influence a firm's design approach. Founded in 1966 by Jim Olson and now consisting of hundreds of employees and thirteen principals/owners, including Tom Kundig, the firm has an extensive and diverse portfolio that spans different scales and budgets. In lectures and interviews, Kundig in particular often talks about how having grown up in a region with a strong mining and lumbering tradition has influenced the industrial and rational aesthetic of his designs, the use of durable and low-maintenance materials, and a special attention to craftsmanship. In many of the firm's designs, however, the ingenuity and emphasis on moving parts –blurring the boundaries between inside and outside– is striking. This is usually achieved by incorporating hand-held devices that allow users to activate the building directly, connecting them both to the context but also to the building itself and the dynamic mechanisms therein.
According to Tom Kundig, his interest in physics, the fact that he worked in sculpture before architecture, his background as a mountain climber, and above all, his passion for hot-rod culture since childhood are clearly reflected in his creations. The latter is a somewhat unusual inspiration compared to his architectural peers. According to him, there is a common thread between owner-driven car modification and architecture in the idea of transforming something mass-produced into something unique and personal. This perspective, combined with Jim Olson's emphasis on craftsmanship and materiality, has helped shape the company's design aesthetic.
