Hemanshu Parwani

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Hemanshu Parwani—known as “HP” to friends and colleagues—is the principal/owner and CEO of Olson Kundig, aligning the firm’s strategic business and organizational development with their design-first approach. Since joining in 2018, HP has expanded internal capabilities, driving Olson Kundig towards larger-scale projects that illustrate the firm’s global design leadership while preserving our residential roots and distinctive “scrappy” culture.  The CEO at Seattle-based award-winning architectural practice Olson Kundig have their work crafted out in a diverse range of residential, commercial, hospitality and exciting cultural projects from stunning houses & cabins, to luxury hotels and resorts, uniting architecture and design with nature, culture, and art.  HP’s area of expertise is travel and hospitality so we met him one morning in Singapore, on the sidelines of the FIND Design Fair Asia 2024, to understand his views and philosophies and how he navigates the firm to take on exciting projects in this field, working with resorts such as One&Only and Four Seasons.

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Rosette Media : How does you decide on which projects to embark on and why? and how does it help your brand and reputation?

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Hemanshu : Our project selection process is rooted in our firm’s ethos of design and creative problem solving. One of our advantages is the collaborative dialogue that Olson Kundig’s leadership actively engages with to both explore and define the firm’s values, mission, and design ideals. Every opportunity is evaluated through a holistic lens, considering not just design potential or sustainability goals, but how the project aligns with our values and contributes to Olson Kundig’s mission. We ask critical questions: How will this project push us creatively? Does this project provide a R&D opportunity? What challenges are we solving for? Does it take us to new geographies or allow us to explore new materials? What is the impact of this project? We also consider how it builds on existing relationships or fosters new collaborations, as well as the practical aspect of fair compensation.

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Rosette Media : How is the culture in the company, what style of design and innovative leadership do you herald within the firm, and how does that appeal to the Gen Z and Millennials generation designers to join the firm?

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Hemanshu : When I joined Olson Kundig as CEO, I brought my expertise in business and operations to the firm. Taking on this kind of leadership role allows my partners – Tom Kundig, Kirsten Ring Murray, Alan Maskin, and Kevin Kudo-King – to concentrate on leading the design side of the firm. This means our design teams can focus on pursuing the surprising and unexpected projects that attract Millennial and Generation Z talent. Additionally, Olson Kundig’s office expansion in NYC and

Chicago, cities renowned for their vibrant arts, culture, and lifestyle opportunities, are attractive locations to these younger designers.

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Culturally, Olson Kundig continues to draw Millennial and Generation Z talent because growth is embedded in our DNA. We host weekly Crits, where everyone can discuss design ideas or explore social and cultural topics. Our Internship program provides paid positions to emerging designers, while our Design Mentorship initiative supports design education for K-12 students as well as staff. Lastly, our Speaker Series, mainly organized by younger staff, connects the firm with creative thinkers and doers who work outside the field of architecture.

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Rosette Media : Which are the main consumer markets and countries driving the business and why? The top 3 destinations or cities.. and will this continue or evolve to other cities in the next 5 years, based on demand or client dynamics?

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Hemanshu : We are a diversified practice with a six-decade history of working across a broad range of project typologies, from single-family residential—where our roots were established—to hospitality, commercial, cultural, sports arenas, and public works. This foundation in residential design has allowed us to hone our attention to detail and craftsmanship, a focus we apply to all project types. Our portfolio includes projects in branded residences, multifamily developments, museums, placesof worship, and retail, and we have had the privilege of working on every inhabited continent, with current projects spanning the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

 

As consumer demands evolve, we are seeing the merging of typologies and the rise of mixed- use projects driven by behaviors around living, working, playing, and shopping. Adaptive reuse has also gained momentum, offering new opportunities for transforming existing building assets. The future of our practice will continue to see strong demand in residential and hospitality sectors, with a focus on health, wellness, sustainability, and wellbeing. Markets are moving away from individual cities or countries to more regional demand patterns. Geographically, Asia remains a key growth driver, while Latin America is seeing significant activity in the near term. With our additional offices in New York and Chicago, we are well-positioned to serve these global projects and markets

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Rosette Media : How do you stay relevant and purposeful in managing ESG-driven and sustainability projects in the marketplace today? Give 2 examples of the proficiency focus and detail out the specific sustainability initiatives to win the customer’s heart and manage consumer expectations?

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Hemanshu : I often use the term “Affordable Sustainability” to highlight our approach to balancing sustainability goals with budget constraints. While sustainability can involve upfront costs, we work closely with clients to evaluate life cycle costs and find long-term, cost-effective solutions. Almost a decade ago, our firm established an in-house Sustainability Group, which has since evolved into the Building Performance team. Our goal is to ensure that 100% of our projects are approached through a sustainability lens, and we are well on our way to achieving that. Every project begins with environmental studies, allowing us to leverage natural conditions to guide key decisions—such as building location, orientation for natural heating and cooling, potential for renewable energy, material choices, and long-term operational costs.

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Our Building Performance team has even developed a proprietary software tool to assess a building’s carbon footprint from the early design phase, helping us make informed decisions about materials and sourcing. We also conduct post-occupancy studies to ensure our sustainability goals are met.​ Aro Homes are climate-friendly, ultra-low-carbon homes that replace aging housing stock. The design uses repeatable, hybrid off-site/on-site construction strategy to shorten the delivery timeline from 18 months to just 90 days. They were initially designed to adhere to building codes in the Bay Area, but they have the versatility for widespread adaptation in other markets.

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The Center for Wooden Boats is a living museum with entrance for equitable access and hands- on education, all while engaging with its surroundings. Movement throughout the building is designed to encourage easy indoor/outdoor connections. And its orientation along the lake as well as the user-directed conditioning—such as windows, doors, and skylights—passively circulate air.

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Rosette Media : How does Olson Kundig optimize your processes within the design framework to deliver operational and maintenance excellence, so as to drive innovation; please share some examples.

 

Hemanshu : Two phrases continue to define our practice— “being scrappy,” and “ski the trees.” These embody the core of our DNA, driving us to stay nimble, embrace risk, and push creative problem solving. “Being scrappy,” keeps us focused on incremental innovations, from how we draw to how we integrate design and engineering disciplines, with an emphasis on both building and project performance. This approach fosters innovation at both the micro and macro scales, continuously improving our processes and results.The mantra, “ski the trees” reinforces our commitment to adaptability and quick decision-making.

 

We embrace the idea of “failing fast” and learning from challenges to allow us to pivot and keep moving forward. As Olson Kundig’s portfolio has expanded in diversity and scale, our team has grown from 130 to over 400 design professionals. This growth is fueled by a relentless pursuit of excellence and the development of specialized disciplines, such as Building Performance and Project Delivery, which enhance project outcomes.

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To support this evolution, we’ve also added technical directors to streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and ensure efficiency across the firm’s designs and operations. By focusing on the areas that have the greatest impact, they optimize project delivery and continually refine our firm-wide best practices, allowing our design teams to achieve greater quality and innovation in every project.

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Rosette Media : Thks Hemanshu, see you again, very soon, at the next resort development project!​

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