Daniel Ralls, principal/owner at Olson Kundig. Photo by Elizabeth Rudge.

This November, architects and designers will flock to Sarasota for the Sarasota Design Conference. The conference, which has taken place every two years since 1988, is themed Duality: Harmony in Contrast and will take place in St. Paul Lutheran Church, a Victor Lundy-designed campus and a sterling example of the Sarasota School of Architecture. Organized by the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the conference’s focus has always been firmly on design. Featuring lectures and a panel discussion with four prominent industry professionals, the conference intends to inspire and creatively invigorate the minds of those in attendance. Below is an excerpt from an interview with one of the conference’s keynote speakers, Daniel Ralls, AIA, a principal/owner at Olson Kundig, set to appear in the January 2027 issue of SRQ Magazine.

SRQ: Why do you find it important to create close working relationships with local tradespeople and to incorporate their building traditions when working on larger projects?

Ralls: Architecture is a collaborative process, and some of the best ideas come from the people who know a place and its materials firsthand. Local tradespeople bring a depth of knowledge about regional building traditions, climate and craft that you can’t get from drawings alone. Building those relationships helps us make better decisions, but it also creates a sense of investment in the work. During a project in Southeast Asia for instance, we worked with our local partners to develop a method in our drawings to better communicate crucial details to achieve the design. It gave them agency and an invitation to collaborate, but also reassured them that we would be there to support with the expertise we bring. Building these relationships is about respecting what’s already there, learning from the people who understand it best and finding ways to carry that knowledge forward while still exploring new possibilities.

Sarasota Design Conference, November 12-14, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Sarasota.

Daniel Ralls, principal/owner at Olson Kundig. Photo by Elizabeth Rudge.

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