Dallas Design Symposium
“Material Design” with Tom Kundig and Brad Oldham
Presented by the Dallas Architecture Forum
Sunday, October 30, 2016, 2 to 4:30 pm
Check-in: 1:30 – 2 pm; Program starts at 2 pm
Nasher Hall, Nasher Sculpture Center
Join the Dallas Architecture Forum for an afternoon focused on how outstanding design utilizes materials, from common to rare, as integral elements of the design process. Attendees will also learn how leading architects and artists incorporate functionality into their designs, ranging in scale from small sculptures to residences.
Attendees will have the privilege of hearing from two of the most highly regarded practitioners in their fields share insights and lead inspiring discussion on these intriguing topics.
Keynote discussion will be presented by Tom Kundig, FAIA, one of the leading residential architects in the world.
Joining Kundig in discussion about his award-winning projects will be Gensler Design Director Ian Zapata.
Also speaking will be the highly acclaimed sculptor Brad Oldham in conversation with Nasher Curator Leigh Arnold.
Tom Kundig, FAIA
Olson-Kundig Architects, Seattle
Tom Kundig, FAIA, is one of the leading residential architects in the world, whose work can be found on five continents. He is a Principal and Owner of Olson-Kundig Architects, a Seattle-based firm, which believes that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people. Tom Kundig is widely acclaimed for his poetic designs that reveal his reverence for materials, art, functionality and craft in the experience of built space and its relationship to landscape. He will discuss how Olson-Kundig has used these elements to create projects as wide ranging as huts to high rises, homes—often for art collectors— academic, cultural and civic projects, museums and exhibition design, places of worship, creative production, urban design and interior design. Kundig has received over 50 major design awards, including a National Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt, an Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, ten National AIA Design Awards, and seven National AIA Honor Awards. Kundig is a member of the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame and the Architectural Digest AD100. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications worldwide, and he is the author of three monographs, Tom Kundig Houses, Tom Kundig Houses 2, and Tom Kundig Works.
Brad Oldham, Sculptor
Brad Oldham Sculpture, Dallas
From public community spaces to private homes, sculptor Brad Oldham has earned recognition worldwide with his site-specific artworks. Oldham has been described as a sculptor, place maker, and fearless fabricator. In both his large-scale sculptures and smaller pieces created for individuals, Oldham’s meticulous craftsmanship, passion, focus on materials, creativity and consistent quality of work are evident. From prototype clay figures and shapes, Oldham will take us through the process of transforming them into brilliant stainless steel, bronze, aluminum, and brass, ranging from large scale site-specific installations to small sculptures and jewelry.
Panel Discussion
Following the moderated presentations there will be a Panel Discussion to further learn about the use of materials based on their function within a project and the project’s scale. Attendees will also be able to ask questions of the presenters at the conclusion of the Panel.
Patron Cocktail Reception
There will be a Patron cocktail reception at an architecturally significant private residence on Saturday evening, October 29 from 6 to 8 pm. A limited number of Patron tickets, which also include admission to the Design Symposium on Sunday afternoon, October 30th will be sold.
Admission for the Symposium is $40 for Forum and Nasher members, $50 general public.
Admission for the Symposium and the Cocktail Reception at a private residence on Saturday evening is $90 for Forum and Nasher members, and $100 general admission.
Symposium presented with generous support from the Nasher Sculpture Center.
About Tom Kundig
Tom Kundig is an owner and design principal at Olson Kundig. He joined the firm in 1986, and has steadily diversified his range of project typologies from residential work to museums, wineries, high-rise multi-unit structures, and hotels. The geographic diversity of his projects has broadened just as much over the years; he is currently working not only all over the West Coast of the United States, but also in Australia, Brazil, Austria, Mexico, South Korea, and multiple locations on the East Coast and Canada. But no matter where he works, whether in the urban context of Manhattan or the rural landscape of Montana or Idaho, the landscape inevitably looms large, as do a consistent array of concerns related to site, scale, materials, and livability. Kundig favors materials that are appropriate to the particular context of the building, generally opting for the tough and the rustic for their ability to evoke nature and weather over time, helping the building recede into the landscape.
Kundig grew up in the Pacific Northwest. His father was an architect, and during his formative years he was constantly exposed to artists, designers, and craftspeople. He initially wanted to study science, but finally decided that architecture “allowed me to have a foot in both places—the technical realm and the poetic realm—and in that magical intersection between the two.” The style may be rugged, but the effect is warm and welcoming. “And sometimes there is even an element of risk, or daring, which is desired on the client’s part and intentional on my part,” he adds. “Many of my buildings, even the public ones, involve being exposed to the elements in some way.” The Studhorse home in Winthrop, Washington, is designed as a gathering of structures around a central courtyard, and to walk from the common areas to the bedrooms it is necessary to go outside, no matter the season.
Occupants of Kundig’s buildings are constantly aware of a balance achieved between prospect and refuge, both within each room and over the entire site. This is related to the “macro to micro” phenomenon, where the building encourages reflection on its big ideas and at the same time enjoyment of its many details. Wherever you look, subtle material connections are happening. Perhaps a quiet nod is being made to the former existence of the building or the site, as in Art Stable, which occupies the site of an actual former horse stable. Or locally salvaged materials are being given new life, as in the Sawmill Canyon house, where the structural steel was salvaged from a nearby cement mine that was being demolished, the wood for much of the interior was found in a nearby barn, and the sliding window wall is operated by a found wheel from an old water pump.
Kundig’s breakout project was Studio House, completed in 1998. It was featured in the New York Times, and that story was quickly followed by a New York Times Magazine cover feature on Chicken Point
. Both Chicken Point and the Brain won AIA National Honor Awards. Since then, Kundig’s work has been frequently featured in the New York Times, Architectural Record, Financial Times, Architectural Digest, and the Wall Street Journal. Princeton Architectural Press has published three volumes devoted to his work. He has received some of the world’s highest design honors, from a National Design Award from the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2014, he was included in Architectural Digest’s AD100, and in 2012, he was inducted into Interior Design magazine’s Hall of Fame. His work has received more than 50 awards from the American Institute of Architects, including 18 National Design Awards.
About Brad Oldham
Dallas-based Brad Oldham International, Inc. (BOII) is a design and manufacturing company specializing in sculpture, architectural features and commercial products that are customized for site-specific installation or created for retail distribution. The three primary business units of the company are site-specific sculpture, features and products for public and commercial projects; limited-edition sculpture for retail distribution for the home and office; and retail products to increase access and awareness of BOII’s sculpture and custom products. When the three business units work together, the combined synergy elevation is greater than the sum of the parts.
From public community spaces to private homes, sculptor Brad Oldham has earned recognition worldwide with his site-specific artworks. Oldham has been described as a sculptor, placemaker, and fearless fabricator. In both his large-scale sculptures and smaller pieces created for individuals, Oldham’s meticulous craftsmanship, passion, focus on materials, creativity and consistent quality of work are evident.
Oldham’s sculptural creations are installed around the globe, including the Center for Brain Health in Dallas, along with “Whimsy” in Exall Park and an installation at the Lumen Hotel. Oldham’s work was featured on Good Morning America, and the Texas Society of Architects recognized Oldham with its prestigious Artisan Award. Americans for the Arts included his installation “The Traveling Man” in its prestigiousYear in Review program. Recent commissions include the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Mitchell Park Library in Palo Alto, California, the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in Ontario, and the Baku Flame Towers in Azerbaijan.
About The Dallas Design Symposium:
The Dallas Design Symposium was founded by The Dallas Architecture Forum to extend the reach of The Forum not only in active education and dialogue on architecture and the built environment, but to examine, educate and amplify informed discussion on how those elements intersect and impact the arenas of design and art. The Symposium initiates ongoing conversations across professional arenas and personal interests, creating new networks and spurring community involvement in discussions about the built and creative environment. The Nasher Sculpture Center is a long-standing collaborator with The Forum in the development and presentation of The Dallas Design Symposium.
Each Symposium addresses a different issue intersecting these fields of architecture, design and art. Speakers and moderators are selected specifically to offer their unique but complimentary perspectives on the topic. Previous symposia have included the following topics and presenters:
• Interior and Product Design: Christopher C. Deam, Howard F. Elkus, Karim Rashid, Emily Summers
• Designing for Collections: Aaron Betsky, Jorge Pardo, George Sexton, Scott Johnson, Jack Lane
• Blurring the Lines: Art, Architecture and Design: Terence Riley, Johnston Marklee, Walead Beshty, Jeremy Strick
• The Legacy of Christo and Jeanne Claude: Christo
• Architecture and Art – Critical Intersections: New York Times critic Michael Kimmelman
• Modernism: Mid-Century Modern Design: Leo Marmol, Sidney Williams, Nate Eudaly
This year’s Dallas Design Symposium, featuring architect and product designer Tom Kundig and sculptor Brad Oldham, will offer insights and increased understanding into how these outstanding practitioners incorporate materials and functionality as integral elements of their highly regarded and honored design.
About the Dallas Architecture Forum
The Dallas Architecture Forum is a not-for-profit civic organization that brings leading architectural thought leaders from around the world to speak in Dallas and also fosters important local dialogue about the major issues impacting our urban environment. The Forum was founded in 1996 by some of Dallas’ leading architects, business, cultural and civic leaders, and it continues to benefit from active support and guidance from these citizens. The Forum fulfills its mission of providing a continuing and challenging public discourse on architecture and urban design in – and for – the Dallas area. The Dallas Architecture Forum’s members include architects, design professionals, students and educators, and a broad range of civic-minded individuals and companies intent to improve the urban environment in North Texas. The Forum has been recognized nationally with an AIA Collaboration Achievement Award for its strategic partnerships with other organizations focused on architecture, urban planning and the arts. For more information on the Forum, visit www.DallasArchitectureForum.org.
Among the over 130 speakers who have addressed the Forum’s Lecture Series are Shigeru Ban, Brad Cloepfil, Diller + Scofidio, Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Daniel Libeskind, Thomas Phifer, Rafael Vinoly, Juhani Pallasmaa, AIA Gold Medal Winner Peter Bohlin, and regional architects David Lake and Ted Flato. Pritzker Prize winners speaking to the Forum have been Kazuyo Sejima, Rafael Moneo, Thom Mayne, Rem Koolhaas and Norman Foster (the latter two in collaboration with the ATT Performing Arts Center). Other speakers for the Forum have been leading designers Calvin Tsao, Andrée Putman, and Karim Rashid; landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh; and National Trust President Emeritus Richard Moe. Important critics, authors and patrons who have spoken to the Forum include Emily Pulitzer, Terence Riley, Pulitzer Prize winners Robert Campbell and Blair Kamin, Aaron Betsky, and the late David Dillon.
The Forum organizes and presents an annual series of Panels—local, informal, open, and offered free of charge as a public service to the community—led by a moderator who brings a subject of local importance along with comments by participating panelists. Moderators and Panelists have also come from both other Texas cities as well as from national institutions that were connected with particular Panel subjects. Panels offer attendees the opportunity to participate in creating discourse. Important topics addressed in Panels in recent years include: “Thoughts on the Dallas Comprehensive Plan”; “The Kimbell Expansion: A Discussion”; “Filling Out the Dallas Arts District”; and “Re-envisioning the Trinity”.
An unexpected treat in the Women’s Building this year is the exhibit of the murals from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. The visitor can explore the expertly reproduced artwork up close at a distance impossible to achieve in the Sistine Chapel. 
