ARCHITECTURE BY TOM KUNDIG OF OLSON KUNDIG
World-renowned architect Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig has created a jaw-dropping, signature design featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, butterfly roof lines, through-building unit design, and cantilevered structures. Unique to Sommét Blanc is the inclusion of oversized decks & patios to enhance indoor/outdoor living for both the residences and amenity areas. To complement the architecture, the interiors are designed in-house by Olson Kundig. Their award-winning talents have delivered something truly unique, unlike anything in Deer Valley or Park City.
Tom Kundig is an owner and design principal of Olson Kundig. Tom has received some of the world’s highest design honors, including a National Design Award in Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and an election to the National Academy as an Academician in Architecture. Tom has also received the AIA Seattle Medal of Honor as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington.
Under Kundig's leadership, Olson Kundig received the 2009 National AIA Architecture Firm Award (as Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects), was a recipient of the 2004 Emerging Voices Award from the Architectural League of New York, and has three times been named one of the Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Architecture by Fast Company. For six years in a row, the firm has been named to the AD100 list by Architectural Digest which recognizes the top international talent in architecture and design.
For the exterior, Tom Kundig favors materials 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. Sommét Blanc will provide a unique look for Empire Pass, featuring a modern palette of mountain materials such as sustainable vertical siding and board-formed concrete juxtaposed with sleek modern steel beams and floor-to-ceiling windows.
"I try to redefine what it means for humans to be in a relationship with architecture. Buildings are never finished – materials continue to change, clients move windows and walls and shutters. Materials allowed to age naturally are the evidence of time; they display a sense of history and place. In that sense, they are authentic." – TOM KUNDIG, FAIA, RIBA
