Casper Mork-Ulnes: The Craft of Place

Image Credit: Skigard Hytte, Kvitfjell, Norway, 2019, Mork-Ulnes Architects. Photo by Ivar Kvaal.

General: $35 | AIA Member: $25  

Join Casper Mork-Ulnes, principal of Mork-Ulnes Architects and an alumnus of CCA Architecture, for a presentation of The Craft of Place (Park Books, 2025), the firm’s first monograph. Co-presented with the California College of the Arts, the event will reflect on themes of materials, traditions, sustainability, scale, and light, with the book delving into the studio's approach to integrating architecture within diverse environments.

The event will focus on the book writing exercise as a means for a growing, developing studio to define itself in the face of external factors by engaging critically with its own work. In the context of changing building regulations, construction technology, and ecological factors, the lecture will explain how the book clarifies the studio’s approach in the present as a way of guiding it into an uncertain future.  

Casper Mork-Ulnes will discuss the themes which have guided the practice in crafting architecture that is attuned to its specific place in the world, drawing on the studio’s dual geographic roots in California and Norway. The session will also address the coordination and collaboration between Mork-Ulnes, the book designers, outside contributors, and the publisher in articulating this design approach.

Learning Objectives  (1 LU Pending)

1. Explain how geographic and cultural factors can influence building forms, systems, and materials
2. Identify design features which help buildings aesthetically and sustainably cohere with their environments
3. Discuss challenges and solutions in preserving conceptual design goals from initial design phases all the way through construction
4. Describe opportunities for collaboration with a broader design and publishing team to bring an architectural publication to completion
5. Explore methods for navigating growth and change as an architectural practice develops over time and works in varied environments

Light bites and refreshments will be provided.  

Find the full CCA Architecture Spring 2025 lecture series here.