Elisa Renouard

Associate

Associate Elisa Renouard is a generalist architect who balances technical rigor with poetic expression in her work as a Senior Designer and Project Manager. She particularly enjoys designing custom elements and tailoring residential projects to their unique contexts, developing spaces that are thoughtful, tactile, and interactive.

Born in Italy to a family of architects, Elisa developed a deep appreciation for the interplay between history, craft, and the landscape. She views architecture as a means of connecting with place and extending spatial narratives, a perspective shaped by her academic foundation in literature, art history, and the humanities, as well as a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington.

Elisa joined Olson Kundig as an intern in 2013, transitioning to a full-time role in 2014. As the first recipient of the firm’s Travel Fellowship, she traveled to Rome to study mid-20th-century Italian structures designed to protect historic monuments. This experience, and other projects of archival research, have deepened her understanding of architecture’s role in cultural memory. Her work reflects this ethos, telling stories through space and representation, such as the careful placement of Dalarö House among the rocks.

In addition to her practice, Elisa is a Lecturer at the University of Washington, where she teaches design studios, research seminars, and courses that explore the layered experience of cities and the elusive landscapes of memory. She finds the most rewarding aspects of both architecture and teaching lie in collaboration—listening to diverse perspectives and observing individuals’ unique strengths—resulting in well-considered, nuanced design.