Anderson Anderson, Architecture and Construction

Book excerpt: Brothers Mark and Peter Anderson have been building things together since their boyhood days in Tacoma, Washington. Their work as architects, carpenters, builders, and general contractors encompasses the design and construction of residential, commercial, and public art projects. Anderson Anderson is noted for its highly customized work and its prefabricated systems for large-scale production. Informed by their experiences as carpenters and influenced by place and landscape—mud, clouds, and rain, in the case of the Pacific Northwest—the work of Mark and Peter Anderson highlights experimentation and adventure. Anderson Anderson: Architecture and Construction delves into the process of construction as a source of creative imagination and discovery—from the hands-on material process of making things, to the lessons learned from large-scale projects, to the development of new construction technologies. This book explores the simple beauty of their finished products as much as the process of getting there—the unglossed stories of young architects working, learning, traveling, and having fun. The book features over 25 projects in the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, and Japan.