GRAPHĒ: 10 Architects on Regional Style and What American Design Means to Them

Top architects across the U.S. discuss the design ethos in their respective regions—and the state of American design.

Newberg Residence by Cutler Architecture: Part bridge, part residence, this home-on-a-pond earned the highest honor from the 2016 AIA awards

For this year’s Made in America issue, we consulted the top architects of each U.S. region to discuss the current state of American design—plus the shared values and challenges that define the design ethos in their pocket of the country. Read on to hear their responses.

Northwest

Jim Cutler

I have pursued my own path with a decades-long focus on describing and amplifying our relationship to the tangible living world around us. It would be world-changing if all design were driven by a reverence and love for this tangible world.

In the 1960s, a group of architects integrated the northwest culture into "modern" architecture to create the "Pacific Northwest style." To this day, the essence of that style pervades the work of northwest architecture. Respect for the land, respect for wood, an eye to craft, and a visual response to each new circumstance are still the hallmarks of the best of Pacific Northwest design.

Read more about Jim Cutler’s design ethos in a project he designed with his 12-year-old daughter.