Architecture is not for selected few but EVERYONE.
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APPROACH

DESIGN

Modern architecture was born in the 1920s to bring great architecture to common people when architecture was dominated by the renaissance of classical and baroque architecture only afforded by the bourgeois society. The idea of bringing affordable architecture by stripping off ornamentations and decorations was made possible by implementing formal compositions found in the emergence of abstract paintings into architecture and providing playful and abundant daylight into buildings to promote the health and well-being of the occupants.

Unfortunately, this great idea has been slowly eroded by the search for a formalistic style. Modern architecture has now become another exclusive architectural style only afforded by the wealthy. It lost its touch with the rest of society.

It is our approach to bring this idea back to its track to provide great architecture for all people. Instead of using only formal compositions in designing, we believe in establishing abstract conceptual idea combined with careful attention to context, materials, detailing, cost, function, and pragmatism as the guiding forces toward great architecture through our creativity.

Architecture is not for selected few but for EVERYONE.

ENVIRONMENT

We strive to take green architectural approach beyond minimizing the embodied energy, energy usage of the building, site impact, and other sustainable strategies. We take it further into ease of maintenance, operating costs, culture and habits of the occupants, and even energy and cost of designing.

Saving energy comes hand in hand with the maintainability and operation of the building. Ease of maintenance and operation are very important design considerations to the long-term success of the sustainability goals of a project.

It is our hope to use our clients’ resources and ours responsibly, not only to save money but also to make them available to be used for others in need.

SOCIAL JUSTICE IN ARCHITECTURE

We seek to bring social justice to architecture by considering those who do not have a voice in design but interact with architecture, such as passersby, visitors, and children, to ensure they are heard.

The focus of architecture shall be problem-solving of social and user issues, in addition to environmental issues, faced by architecture and its context. It is not to satisfy the architect’s heroic formal resolution. Architects shall choose what works in addition to what looks good compositionally in their eyes.

The upper 1% can buy with their wealth, the bottom 5% are taken care of by the government. The challenge for each architect is to also serve the middle from the bottom 5% to the upper 1%. That is social justice in architecture.

It is our desire to use our resources to provide affordable architecture to those in need and those who share our beliefs.

SERVICES

Architecture for Everyone provides a variety of services for any size of project. To us, architecture is problem-solving regardless of size and project type. We have done a variety of project sizes from accessibility upgrade, tenant improvement, remodel, addition, accessory dwelling unit (ADU), new building, to campus design/planning and in different project types from residential, office, dormitory, church/chapel, museum, transportation, education (K-12, college/universities), and others.

We want to work with a variety of clients. It is important to us to work with those who shared our beliefs regardless of budget. We want to take part in solving the problems through design for added value in functionality and aesthetics. We value client relationships beyond the project timeline.

Contact

News

Architecture for Everyone is part of BCRA Design and Korsmo Construction Design-Build team to deliver the Lowell Elementary School replacement for Tacoma Public Schools.

Ko Wibowo presented Texture Materials for Children at Design for Early Learning Conference in Tacoma, Washington State on Monday, January 22, 2024.

Architecture for Everyone and Johnston Architects began designing the Sumner Library for the Pierce County Library System.

Architecture for Everyone was selected as one of the on-call architects for Seattle Colleges.

Architecture for Everyone was selected as one of four architects for the Child Care Capacity Initiative in Pierce County, Washington State.

Sibert Remodel is currently under construction and nearing completion.

Architecture for Everyone is part of TCF Architecture and Skanska Design-Build team to deliver Bryant Montessori School replacement for Tacoma Public Schools. Ground breaking ceremony was May 10, 2023.

Western Washington University Salish Sea Studio at Fairhaven College is now substantially completed. WWU will install acoustical treatments with the projected opening in May 2024.

Thoughts

Architecture is not for selected few but EVERYONE.  The upper 1% can buy with their wealth, the bottom 5% are taken care of by the government.  The challenge for each architect is to also serve the middle from the bottom 5% to the upper 1%.  That is social justice in architecture.
If Disneyland is to Apple Macintosh in its integrated design, Las Vegas is to IBM PC in its open-source method.  But both employ Robert Venturi’s “ugly and ordinary” design approach.
Creativity is to solve design problems, not to creatively force the realization of a heroic design ideal.
We expect our buildings to be flexible and adaptable but fail to recognize that we, humans, are the most adaptable creature. Architecture is heavy and static and, therefore, shall not be expected to be able to be changed too much without significant intervention.
London is historic, Paris is grand, and Basel is organized.
Recent protests on issues of race and inequalities were staged in public spaces: our streets, parks, plazas, bordered by our buildings. While tolerance is built by understanding each other through listening to others, done as individual human beings, the result is a democracy that takes place in public spaces.  Our behavior in these spaces defines how successful democracy will be.  Thus, the design and quality of these spaces, undoubtedly, influence our behavior.  We learned about listening from Slim’s Table by Mitchell Duneier.  We learned how we instinctively behave on the street when faced with a perceived danger in Street Etiquette and Street Wisdom by Elijah Anderson. We learned how buildings can contribute negatively to our streets in Fortress L.A. by Mike Davis. We learned how we can collectively contribute to segregation in Community Becomes Uncivilized by Richard Sennett. We learned how we prepare and deal with potential negative experiences on our streets in The Uses of Sidewalk by Jane Jacobs. Now it is time we care about our public spaces and apply what we have learned to design these spaces so democracy can flourish and spread out.
Between three east Asian traditional architecture of China, Korea, and Japan, the most ornate and decorative is Chinese, followed by Korea and Japan being the least. That is why Japanese architecture can accept and adopt the idea of modernism well, especially minimalism.
The greatest gift architects can give our clients is the added value of their design while they live in and the increased property value when they sell. The increased property value would be much more than the assessed value and beyond the fee they paid for. This could be one of the ways to close the wealth gap.

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