Olle Lundberg, the celebrated founder of San Francisco-based Lundberg Design, passed away on October 31 at the age of 71. His death was announced by his architectural firm on social media, marking the end of a distinguished career that spanned more than three decades. "For his wife Mary Breuer and his devoted team, countless colleagues, clients and collaborators and virtually anyone who met him, Olle was larger than life," Lundberg Design stated in their tribute.
Lundberg's recent achievements include his firm earning an Architect's Newspaper Best of Practice Award in 2024. His life's work was recently celebrated in a comprehensive monograph titled "Olle Lundberg: An Architecture of Craft," published by Princeton Architecture Press and edited by Dung Ngo. The book features a foreword by renowned British sculptor and environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy, highlighting Lundberg's significant impact on contemporary architecture.
Born in Cincinnati in 1954, shortly after his Swedish parents immigrated to the United States, Lundberg spent his formative years in Ohio. His path to architecture began unexpectedly during his undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where he initially enrolled in the English program in the early 1970s. It was during his third year that professor Joe Blouin, who specialized in sculpture and craftsmanship, inspired Lundberg to pursue art and design.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Lundberg pursued a Master of Architecture at the University of Virginia (UVA). During his graduate studies, he discovered the works of influential architects Alvar Aalto and Carlo Scarpa, while also studying Scandinavian and postmodern architecture. He gained practical experience working as a model maker for Robert Vickery, a former professor, which helped develop his keen attention to craft and detail that would later define his career.
Lundberg's professional journey took a pivotal turn in 1980 when he met UVA professor Bob Marquis, who operated Marquis Associates, an architectural practice in San Francisco. After completing his Master of Architecture degree, Lundberg relocated to San Francisco to work for Marquis, where he remained for nearly four years. In 1984, he took on a personal project designing a house for his sister in Connecticut, which required him to move to the East Coast for two years to oversee the construction.
Returning to San Francisco in 1986, Lundberg rejoined Marquis Associates briefly before establishing Lundberg Design in 1987. He initially operated his new firm from the same office space as Marquis Associates. His early independent work included the notable Chase House in Napa Valley, which was followed by a series of prestigious commissions including the Ellison Residence, The Slanted Door restaurant, and the innovative Rolling Wall Museum, all located in San Francisco.
One of Lundberg's most visible contributions to San Francisco's urban landscape came through his firm's design of distinctive bus shelters featuring rippling rooflines. These structures continue to serve San Francisco public transit passengers today, demonstrating his ability to bring artistic design to everyday public infrastructure. Lundberg often credited William Stout Architectural Books with helping him build an extensive architecture library focused on vernacular residential design, which significantly influenced his design philosophy.
In 1996, Lundberg made two significant moves that would define the remainder of his career. He built a personal retreat cabin for himself and his wife Mary, located a mile inland from the scenic Sonoma coast. That same year, he relocated his growing practice to a converted 1930s-era mattress factory, where Lundberg Design would remain permanently based. This industrial setting reflected his design aesthetic and commitment to repurposing existing structures.
As Lundberg Design expanded, the firm developed a distinguished reputation for creating high-caliber architectural designs using modest industrial materials such as metal, stone, and timber. Lundberg became particularly known for his innovative use of found objects, including ship buoys, which he skillfully elevated from ordinary items into sophisticated artistic elements. This approach embodied his philosophy of finding beauty and purpose in unexpected materials and objects.
Following his death, Lundberg Design shared that their founder "had a unique take on the profession of architecture, and the ability to describe important ideas about the significance of design at any scale in a compelling way, influencing many practitioners and clients." The firm emphasized that "his legacy of craft and material-focused architectural design work has made an indelible imprint on the practice of architecture which will be carried on by his firm." Lundberg's influence on contemporary architecture, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, continues through his firm's ongoing work and the many architects and designers he mentored throughout his career.
