Collaboration & Craftsmen

Page Principal Wendy Dunnam Tita, AIA, was interviewed by Texas Architect for an article on the collaboration between architects and the artisans who create commissioned pieces. "Knowing the capabilities of who is executing the design and leveraging those skill sets are crucial to a successful outcome,” says Wendy, who has worked on a number of projects with furniture designer Mark Macek of Austin, including the Torcasso residence in Santa Fe and the Greater Texas Foundation in College Station, Texas.

Asked what contributions Mark brings to a project that she might not otherwise achieve, Wendy responded, "Mark just knows! I can come up with a concept and an idea for a piece, and trust that Mark will add that one or two critical elements that just make it sing. At the Greater Texas Foundation, we did a suite of pieces in walnut and reclaimed, longleaf pine. He added a reveal between the walnut and the pine that allowed each material to stand on its own and feel connected at the same time. On a set of tables at the Torcasso Residence, I had this notion of a folded piece of bronze with completely concealed fasteners that allowed both the bronze base and the wood top to feel light. Mark collaborated with metal craftsman Hawkeye Glenn on the bronze base and the addition of a layer of bronze along the pedestal to stiffen the base. The structural addition makes the overall vertical more sculptural."

Read the entire article at the link below:

"Collaboration & Craftsmen," by Erika Huddleston. Texas Architect, November-December 2014.