BACKGROUND

Conner & Perry Architects was founded in 2015 in Santa Monica, California by partners Kristopher Conner and James Perry, who came together while working with Architect Duncan Nicholson.  There they both were trained in the philosophy and tradition of Organic Architecture as it was taught to Duncan by world-renowned master of modern Architecture, John Lautner.  The legacy of this Architecture can be traced back through Lautner to his predecessors, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan.  Conner & Perry Architects applies this philosophy of design to a contemporary practice that addresses the challenges and concerns of today’s clientele and marketplace, while maintaining a sense of timelessness that is inherent in an Architecture that is at once unique, profound, and useful.

PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICE

The philosophy of Organic Architecture is rooted in the individual calculus derived uniquely for each and every project from three overriding aspects.

The Site:  Architecture is in and of its environment.  The site and it’s varied topography, flora, fauna, weather patterns, orientation, climate, geology, views, light, and context (built and natural), all inform the ultimate design of the building and its connection to the surroundings.  Materials, form, and details are inspired by and relate to the milieu of the building’s ecology.

The Program:  Architecture is of use.  It should fulfill the needs for its intended purpose through form and organization, creating space that is in harmony with the human proportions of its inhabitants and their functions therein and throughout.  These functions are an extension of the pervasive connection to the environment and nature.

The Client: Foremost of these criteria is the client.  Without the client, their unique personality, desires, dreams, and means, there is no Architecture.  Architecture is a reflection of the person(s) for whom it is designed.  A client with courage, passion, and vision will elicit Architecture to match.

As the Architect our purpose is to invent a structural and formal solution that marries these three aspects into a complete work of art, and to provide a clear path forward that makes that vision a reality.  The core idea behind this solution should permeate every aspect of the project, from the overall site strategy to the smallest details.  Our goal is to provide a design for each client that will exceed their imagined possibilities while meeting their concrete expectations.

BIOS

Kris is a professionally licensed architect in the States of California and Washington, member of the American Institute of Architects, and accredited by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards, with over 30 years of experience in the fields of construction, fabrication, and architecture. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia in 2001 and his Masters in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in 2007. He grew up on construction sites working with his father, who is a carpenter and general contractor.  After finishing his undergraduate education he went to New York City, where for five years he worked in theater planning and acoustics, as well as design-build, specializing in metal working and digital fabrication. He moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue his Masters degree and after graduating continued the investigations begun in his thesis project by working in the realm of high-end, modern, pre-fab homes. He began working for Nicholson Architects in 2009 where he was introduced to the philosophy of Organic Architecture. Since the formation of Conner & Perry Architects in 2015 he continues to explore what it means to practice Organic Architecture in the 21st Century.

James is a seasoned architect, licensed by the State of California and accredited by the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards, with over two decades of experience in the fields of architecture and construction. He hails from Texas, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas at Arlington School of Architecture. Prior to joining a small architecture firm that specialized in financial institution projects, he honed his skills in construction by working for several years under carpenters and a general contractor. In 2006, James began working under the guidance of Architect Duncan Nicholson, learning the principles of organic architecture from his mentor. In 2015, he and Kris Conner established their own practice, where they strive to continue the legacy of their predecessors in the field of architecture.