For over three decades, Alan Maskin—a principal and owner of Olson Kundig—has designed iconic museums and cultural spaces around the world. His work has resulted in seven international design competition wins. Alan’s projects have been widely recognized, including multiple Honor Awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and have contributed to the firm’s reputation as one of the world’s most innovative companies, as recognized by Fast Company and Architizer.
For me, the act of design is deeply mysterious. It's so enigmatic—finding that path to a solution that no one, including you, could have imagined.
Alan Maskin
Principal / Owner
New Heights: Transforming Seattle’s Iconic Space Needle
The Images Publishing Group | 2024/02
We set out to make a new form of observation architecture that would encompass the vast vistas of the region in ways that were outside the realm of the predictable, the safe, and the expected.
[storefront] documenta
CreateSpace | 2014/05
From 2011 to 2013, [storefront] Olson Kundig was a venue for the firm’s community collaborations, R&D initiatives and exhibit design installations. Merging social practice, artistic experimentation, education and design, [storefront] evolved each month with changing content, partnerships and opportunities for creative exploration. [storefront] documenta is a handbook guide to this family of exhibitions, interweaving highlights and photographs for an intimate look at each installation. For those interested in the intersection of design and the world at large, [storefront] documenta provides a unique view into worlds ranging from the familiar (custom hardware and craftsmanship) to those beyond architectural practice (poetry, film, social justice and advocacy). Published by CreateSpace
Lectures & Juries
2022
Fast Company Innovation Conference, Speaker
Architizer A+ Products, Juror
ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, Panel
2021
World Architecture Festival, Keynote Presenter
Facades+ Los Angeles
Bob Dylan Center—VIP Road Show
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Washington
The Architecture in Rome Program, University of Washington, Palazzo Pio, Rome, Italy
Bachelor of Science, Art Education, State University College at Buffalo
Awards
2024
Architectural Digest’s AD100 list, Olson Kundig
Ocean Home Magazine, Top 50 Coastal Architects, Olson Kundig
2023
Architectural Digest’s AD100 list, Olson Kundig
Architizer A+ Awards, Best Large Firm, Olson Kundig
Mountain Living Magazine, Top Architects and Designers List, Olson Kundig
Ocean Home Magazine, Top 50 Coastal Architects, Olson Kundig
AN Interior, Top 50 Architects & Designers, Olson Kundig
Architect’s Newspaper Best of Practice Awards, Honorable Mention, XL West Firm, Olson Kundig
Architizer A+ Awards Winner, Gallery & Exhibition Spaces Category, ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Architizer A+ Awards Finalist, Architecture +Community, ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, Bob Dylan Center
Oklahoma Museums Association Awards, Outstanding Exhibit (Columbia Records Gallery), Bob Dylan Center
MUSE Awards Gold Prize – Experiential & Immersive – Exhibition Experience, Bob Dylan Center
2022
Mountain Living, Top Mountain Architects, Olson Kundig
WIN Bronze Medal Winner, Bay Area Discovery Museum (Cultural Venues Category)
Interior Design Best of Year Award, Bob Dylan Center
AIA National Honor Award—Architecture, The Century Project at the Space Needle
2021
Architectural Digest AD100 List, Olson Kundig
AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Award of Merit, ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Interior Design Best of Year Award Winner, Kids’ Zone Category, Bay Area Discovery Museum
2020
AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Design Awards, Honor Award, ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin
AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Design Awards, Merit Award, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards, Honorable Mention, Renovation, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Architectural Digest AD100 List, Olson Kundig
Engineering News-Record National Best of the Best Project Awards, Project of the Year, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Engineering News-Record National Best of the Best Project Awards, Renovation/Restoration Best Project, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Engineering News-Record Northwest, Renovation/Restoration Best Project, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Interior Design Best of Year Award Winner, Kids’ Zone Category, ANOHA—The Children’s World of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Interior Design Best of Year Award Winner, Entertainment Category, The Century Project at the Space Needle
Puget Sound Business Journal CRE Leadership Awards, Designer of the Year
2019
Seattle 2030 District Vision Awards, Leadership Award, The Century Project at the Space Needle
SEGD Global Design Awards, Finalist, Tillamook Creamery
2018
AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Honorable Mention, The Century Project at the Space Needle
2016
Fairy Tales: Architecture Storytelling Competition, The 5th Facade
Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Awards, The 5th Facade
Northwest Film Forum Local Sightings Film Festival, The 5th Facade
Cascadia Art and Music Festival , The 5th Facade
Port Townsend Film Festival, The 5th Facade
2014
Chicago Athenaeum, American Architecture Award, WSU Visitor Center and Microsoft Cybercrime Center
Northwest Design Awards, Microsoft Cybercrime Center
2013
World Architecture Festival, Display Category, Shortlist, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center
AIA Seattle Honor Awards – Merit Award, [Storefront]
2012
AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Honor Awards, Special Jury Recognition, [Storefront] Olson Kundig