Varun Thautam

Varun Thautam, known to the firm as “VT” when he joined the firm 17 years ago as an early participant in Olson Kundig’s International Internship Program, arrived for work on his first day wearing a tie after flying all night to Seattle from his home in India.

He would have been one of our first international interns—and his time at Olson Kundig was the beginning of a series of mentorships he would do around the world that would lead to achieving his goal of returning to his community in India to make buildings, and to teach others to make buildings themselves.

This presentation provides a glimpse into a rare and unusual architectural practice—one example of many—of people that traveled to Olson Kundig’s Internship Program for training, experience, and mentorship, and who subsequently went on to create fascinating work.

Follow him on IG: @varun_thautam

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Every Monday, Olson Kundig starts the week with an all‑office meeting, and once a month this meeting is devoted to an outside guest speaker. The Olson Kundig Speaker Series was created by Alan Maskin over two decades ago with the goal of inspiring staff with presentations from people who work outside the realm of architecture. To date, more than 300 guests have come to speak in our offices. The forum is also available for internal speakers, who share completed project overviews, complex project details, and research findings, all with the aim of increasing our shared knowledge.

The 2024 theme of The Speaker Series is Sorry, I Was On Mute… Sorry, I Was On Mute… is an exploration of narratives that have otherwise been silenced, censored, and hidden from our cultural zeitgeist. These are stories from people who push boundaries and question norms in relentless pursuit of their passions, despite all systematic and social barriers at play. At its core, Sorry, I Was On Mute… is an examination—and celebration—of the human spirit in its most authentic form.