The Craft of Place: Mork-Ulnes Architects

The first book on Mork-Ulnes Architects and their approach to construction in the varied landscapes of California and Norway.

Mork-Ulnes Architects is an international architecture firm with offices in San Francisco and Oslo. Since its founding by Casper Mork-Ulnes in 2005, the firm has built on three continents and worked on projects at a variety of scales, from master plans and mixed-use buildings to ground-up residences and one hundred-square-foot cabins. They approach projects with both Scandinavian practicality and a Californian can-do spirit of innovation, resulting in buildings that are characterized by both playfulness and restraint.

The Craft of Place is Mork-Ulnes Architects’ first monograph. In a reflective manner structured around themes of materials, traditions, sustainability, scale, and light, this book explores the firm’s approach to integrating architecture within diverse environments. It delves into their method of balancing object and landscape, an approach rooted in the distinct cultural topographies of California and Norway, and the influence of local vernacular and materials.

The beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated volume showcases Mork-Ulnes Architects’ dedication to detail, context, and the evolution of their architecture through the interplay of tradition and innovation.

Casper Mork-Ulnes, born in Norway and raised in Italy, Scotland, and the United States, holds degrees in architecture from California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in New York. Since 2005, he has directed his own firm, Mork-Ulnes Architects, with offices in San Francisco and Oslo.