New Tom Kundig architecture book ‘Works’ features Tacoma Art Museum’s Haub wing

A new coffee table book just released by Seattle architect Tom Kundig features Tacoma Art Museum’s recent Haub wing extension among 19 worldwide projects. “Works” (Princeton Architectural Press, 2015) covers Kundig designs from Korea’s Shinsegae tower and the new Charles Smith Winery in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood to private residences from the Olympic Peninsula to New York City.

The 300-page book is slick and clean, with minimalist design and plenty of beautiful building shots and artsy close-ups. Kundig takes a conversational tone in his preface, talking about his design premise that, contrary to common architectural beliefs, public and private buildings are “interrelated and mutually informing. … As architects, the residential realm is where we explore what it means to live as human beings — it is the root of architecture.”

This premise is backed up by the images: The stark, angled rooflines and metal-framed windows of the Sol Duc Cabin are echoed immediately by the jutting steel awning of Tacoma Art Museum’s new entryway and the industrial grid of the louvered windows — scaled up, but still personable.

The other inspiration Kundig cites is the landscape itself. From the Californian desert to the sweeping mountains of Winthrop to busy city streetscapes, the vertical images frame this inspiration with buildings nestled into the lower third of their surroundings, and design sketches echoing their lines.

Kundig also details unique points in the Haub design, such as the wheel-controlled window screens and the use of Tacoma-made Richlite for the exterior material. The descriptions are interesting, if not terribly grammatical, with Kundig aiming for “intimateness (sic) as opposed to grandiosity.”

A Seattle architect who has received scores of awards, including 17 from the American Institute of Architects, Kundig’s work can be found on five continents. “Works” is his third monograph from Princeton Architectural Press. It is available for $65 from Amazon and bookstores, including the Tacoma Art Museum.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 7:22 AM with the headline "New Tom Kundig architecture book ‘Works’ features Tacoma Art Museum’s Haub wing."