Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristopher Conner.
Kristopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in rural Virginia, just outside of Charlottesville, exploring the woods and working with my father, who is a carpenter and general contractor. I was pretty clear on my goal of becoming an architect from a fairly early age, even working in some firms and taking night classes at the local community college while still in high school. I attended undergrad at the architecture school at the University of Virginia and after graduating moved to Brooklyn and got a job working in acoustics and theater planning. That allowed me to pursue my dual interests of architecture and music (I had also studied music, playing piano, a bit of cello, and a lot of guitar).
After about three years of that, I decided to steer back toward architecture and moved on to working for a small design-build firm in Williamsburg that specialized in fine metal work. They taught me how to weld and machine, and were also utilizing CAD-CAM technology to do some really interesting work, which was exciting and inspiring. That experience led me to decide to come to LA and go to SCIArc for my master’s degree. I was looking for something at the opposite end of the spectrum from the traditional architectural education I had received at UVA. SCIArc was this sort of mad laboratory where they were really diving deep into the design possibilities at the intersection of digital modeling and fabrication. There was this history of avant-garde-ism that was tempered with a sincere interest in the physicality of building.
At the end of it all, my thesis involved an exploration of contemporary manufacturing methodologies in the automotive and aerospace industries and what sort of tectonic and aesthetic implications they might have for a prefabricated system of construction. My thesis had coincided with getting a job at Marmol Radziner Prefab’s factory in Vernon. There I literally got into the nuts and bolts of what it means to think of architecture as a system of building, helping design first the process of construction and assembly, and then later on the buildings themselves as a project architect.
After bouncing around a bit during the recession, I came to work for an architect named Duncan Nicholson. Duncan had worked for the renowned architect John Lautner, who had in turn apprenticed under Frank Lloyd Wright. He introduced me to the design philosophy of Organic Architecture, which places a unique emphasis on the individual imagination and its power to synthesize a complete design idea that can marry the three fundamental aspects of the site, program, and client into a singular structural concept. It was challenging and ran rather counter to the iterative methods of design that were being touted at the time.
I met my current business partner, James Perry while working for Duncan. When Duncan passed away in 2015, we decided to form our own firm and try to investigate what it means to practice Organic Architecture in the 21st century.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have a clear idea of what I’ve wanted to do most of my life. The road to becoming a licensed architect is not an easy one.
You’ve got seven years of post-secondary education, two to three years minimum of apprenticeship, seven separate national exams and one additional state exam in California (although the path to licensure has been evolving recently). It’s a lot of investment for a profession that struggles to articulate the value we provide in today’s economy.
It was devastating to lose a mentor and friend when Duncan passed, but when James and I decided to form our business, we were extremely lucky to inherit some amazing clients from him. That is often the great barrier one faces when attempting to start a practice: where do I find that first client?
The greatest challenge for me now though has been learning how to run a business in an extremely complex profession. Architecture is one of the last great generalist pursuits. Especially in a small practice, you have to know a little bit about everything . . . just enough to get you into trouble.
On top of being a designer, you are an amateur lawyer, accountant, engineer, software and IT expert, PR and social media manager, human resources guru, arbitrator, politician, historian, author, and at times, therapist. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Conner & Perry Architects, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
Conner & Perry Architects is a firm that specializes in Modern, Organic Architecture.
Modern in the sense that we avoid historic reference or stylistic trends, striving for a design that is timeless, enduring, and unique by utilizing all of the contemporary means at our disposal. Organic, not in the aesthetic associated with digital form making, but in the philosophy described by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, John Lautner, and our predecessor, Duncan Nicholson.
It is a way of practicing that relies heavily on the power of the individual imagination to coalesce a singular structural and spatial solution to the complex calculus of the program and uses of the building, the constraints and opportunities presented by a site, and the unique desires of the client and/or end user. In its purest form, Organic Architecture is natural, in all that word connotes.
We look at human beings as an integral part of their ecology, not separate from it, and as such, design buildings that reconnect us to our natural surroundings. Form and structure grow instinctively outward from a core concept, details and assemblies reflect the essence of their physical materiality, and boundaries between interior and exterior become blurred.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Well, how does that saying go? “It’s better to be lucky than good”? I mean, I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life, to have the support of friends, family, and colleagues . . . To have received the education that I did and the teachers that guided me . . . To have the work experiences that have led me to this point.
I have a beautiful, loving, and intelligent wife, who is an extremely talented architect herself, and we’ve recently been blessed with a healthy daughter. I’m making a living doing what I love in one of the most interesting cities in the world. I’ve had the opportunity to travel a bit and experience other cultures. I’ve worked my tail off along the way, but all-in-all, pretty lucky.
In terms of business, the greatest stroke of luck we’ve had would be getting to work with such amazing clients right out of the gate, and to work with a great team of collaborators and tradesmen to make those projects a reality. The house we are completing right now in the Palisades for Jamie Price and Bradford Schlei has been a labor of love and really exemplifies what we are trying to do in our practice (#latimerresidence).
And then, of course, there’s the on-going work we are doing at the Goldstein Entertainment Complex, which is adjacent to the famed Sheats-Goldstein residence by John Lautner (#clubjames #sheatsgoldsteinresidence). It’s an honor to be a part of that project and to be associated with the lineage of architects that have worked on the property for Mr. Goldstein. Jim is a true patron, and it is refreshing to work with a client that has such a distinct aesthetic and passion for perfection and innovation.
It’s also incredibly exciting that he has decided to leave the property in the hands of an institution like LACMA, which will ensure that the project lives on as a vibrant and accessible part of Los Angeles culture and an inspiration for architects and creative individuals for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3200 Airport Ave. Suite 12 Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Website: http://www.conner-perry.com/
- Phone: (310) 313-1928
- Email: info@conner-perry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connerperryarchitects/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connerperryarchitects
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConnerPerryArch
Image Credit:
Adam Kaplan (ASK Media Productions), Conner & Perry Architects
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