The Artful Designer
Chris Haddad brings to life the modern designs of some of the Northwest’s most desirable homes—when he’s not making sculptures.
Back on that hilltop in Sonoma, Haddad spends the first hour of his day “walking the site,” and chewing absentmindedly on a sandwich he’d bought en route. Wearing his standard attire of black pullover sweater, gray trousers, and snub-nosed black leather shoes (“I hate shopping”), his trim silhouette moves around the busy workmen and through the emerging structure, still in the framing stage and rising among grapevines and old, multitrunked oak trees. He keeps to the periphery of the action for the time being, using these quiet moments to take mental notes of what has changed—for -better or for worse—since his last visit. Transcribing these on paper, he prepares for an afternoon that includes checklist meetings with the subcontractors and craftsmen. He’ll then visit his room only to drop off his bags and prepare for a working dinner with the clients. The day ends shortly after the meal, back at his room where he finally surrenders to fatigue. He’ll rise early the next morning to discuss further solutions and resolve remaining issues before flying back to Seattle and reporting his findings to the office.
It’s not all good news. Haddad, whose eye is calibrated like a micrometer, notices a problem with the way an exposed wood beam meets the walls at either end. The plans called for a small reveal consisting, in this case, of a narrow gap between each end of the beam and the face of the sheetrock wall. The resulting intersection appears crisp and visually distinct when done correctly. Haddad spots that the reveal measures one-eighth of an inch at one end and three-eighths of an inch at the other. He speaks to the foreman, and suggests a solution—a visual one versus a structural one—that costs a small fraction of the thousands of dollars at stake. These types of issues are usually resolved without incident, but that isn’t always the case.
Though he never relishes confrontations, Haddad isn’t afraid to assert himself for the sake of his work. He recalls a project in which the contractor had completed a huge 20-foot-high section of concrete wall without installing the specified amount of reinforcing steel. He and the contractor hadn’t gotten along well, and this would only increase the friction. “I told him it wasn’t right; he’d have to tear it out,” Haddad says. “It’s hard, but it’s part of the process. They have their pride too.”
“I don’t feel productive unless I’m making something with my hands,” Haddad says. “Creating something and craving to see how it will work out.”
He has even been threatened with bodily harm, but not once has a builder walked away from a job following a flare-up. It’s a testament to Haddad’s diplomacy and levelheadedness. In fact, once he defuses the situation, builders often compliment Haddad’s skills as an architect and project leader. “Chris is really the workhorse,” says George Schuchart, an established Seattle contractor who has worked on projects for Suyama Peterson Deguchi. “He’s the one who works out all of the details and does the administration of these complex designs. He’s very careful, deliberate in his thinking, and calm under fire. When a problem arises in the field and you find Chris to discuss it, he’s already drawing the solution. I have often wanted to take that drawing and frame it; it’s always the perfect iteration of the issue at hand.”
Haddad is quick to point out that architecture is a collaborative process, synthesizing and refining the skills and inspiration of dozens of people and countless hours of collective decision-making to arrive at the finished product. “There’s this romantic idea about the architect being the one who designs and conceives of the whole thing,” Haddad says, “but in reality there are so many people and elements involved—the client, contractors, consultants, building departments, suppliers, materials, not to mention our staff—and then all of the restrictions on what you can do with the land. We’re always trying to make a site better than it would be without any buildings on it,” Haddad says, “and I think that’s the struggle—enhancing the site and making it a better place…without ruining it.”
Published: March 2008
