A maker at heart, Blair Payson is an architect who revels in the details. From large cultural projects such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center to temporary design interventions, Blair is able to distill large, complex projects into distinct culminating moments that both inform and excite.
I’m interested in creating moments of surprise and delight, moments that give people a new perspective and inspire them to engage with our world in a different way.
Blair Payson
Principal / Owner | AIA, LEED AP
Lectures & Juries
2024
Living Future Conference, Transforming Housing: A Climate-Positive Home, Presentation
AIA | Conference on Architecture & Design, Transforming Housing: A Climate-Positive Home, Presentation
2023
APT Seattle Conference, Presentation
Stanford Graduate School of Business, ARO Homes, Presentation
2020
Architect’s Newspaper Facades+: Innovations on the West Coast
Education
Bachelor of Architecture, Rice University
Bachelor of Arts, Rice University
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
2022
Architectural Digest, AD100 List, Olson Kundig
AN Interior, Top 50 North American Architects Working In Interiors Today, Olson Kundig
Mountain Living Magazine, Top Architects and Designers List, Olson Kundig
Ocean Home Magazine, Top 50 Coastal Architects, Olson Kundig
AIA National Honor Award—Architecture, The Century Project at the Space Needle
2021
The Facade Tectonics Institute’s Vitruvian Honors & Awards, Runner Up, Outstanding Facade Renovation, The Century Project at the Space Needle
2020
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
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, Entertainment Category, The Century Project at the Space Needle
2019
Seattle 2030 District Vision Awards, Leadership Award, The Century Project for the Space Needle
Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, The Century Project for the Space Needle
2018
AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Honorable Mention, The Century Project for the Space Needle
2013
World Architecture Festival, Display Category, Shortlist, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center
INSIDE World Architecture Festival Awards, Display Category, Shortlist, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center
Communications Arts Interactive Design, Environmental, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center
SEGD Global Design Awards, Merit Award, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center