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- June 26, 2026
- News and Announcements
Olson Kundig at SDF 2026: IN[FLUX]
We’re thrilled to have Olson Kundig back at the Block Party this year with Big Barrow, a Built Installation in the form of a 20′ long wheelbarrow, carrying a selection of Northwest native trees and plants.
“The otherwise flat, and very open Lake Union Park was once a verdant tapestry like the scene now hitched to this stretched farm implement. Before the Ship Canal was dredged, before Gas Works powered the City, before Denny regraded the area and his mills processed the timber, the Vashon glacier cut the ‘small lake,’ as the Duwamish called it, within a sprawling forest near the Sea. Big Barrow carries with it a bounty of trees and shrubs native to the Pacific Northwest.” – Olson Kundig team
Big Barrow is a celebration of the history of the park it sits in, with the mobile cart aimed at bringing awareness to the benefits of tree canopies in our urban landscapes.
Get to know the Olson Kundig SDF team
Hanna Dean
Senior Architect (she/her)
Hanna Dean knows what it means to arrive somewhere new and find a sense of belonging. Born in Indiana and raised between South Korea and the United States, she has lived in twelve different cities before settling in Seattle. This pattern of arrival and departure has become the quiet engine of her design ethos. Drawn to the tension between permanence, the ephemeral, and how a space holds memory. Today you will find Hanna practicing architecture at Olson Kundig where her work is grounded in praise of slow design: the belief that good design speaks through material honesty, thoughtful craft, and unhurried reflections.
Jeff Sandler
Senior Architect (he/him)
Jeff Sandler is a curious observer, working across project types with a focus on single family residences in remote locations. With roots in the Midwest, he has practiced and taught architecture for over a decade in the Pacific Northwest. For Jeff, every project begins from a place of deep listening, aiming to establish a multifaceted understanding of clients, context, and surroundings as the basis project work. Having studied in Illinois, Washington, and Copenhagen, Jeff remains active in the architecture community as a guest critic and mentor for local students.
Q & A with Hanna & Jeff:
How can design respond to constant change and uncertainty (being IN[FLUX])?
Hanna: Successful designs adapt to constant change and uncertainty through their ability to relate to a dynamic environment.
Who or what inspires you?
Hanna: My greatest inspiration was watching my mother reinvent herself more than once, navigating through new cultures and languages. It taught me that this reinvention does not mean erasure. Rather, learning through these layered experiences shaped how I think about design. The best spaces I know hold that same quality of carrying a story but making room for whatever is arriving next.
My favorite thing about where I live is…
Jeff: I am still amazed by how daily life in Seattle is so tied to our environment. I take advantage of long summer days with early morning bike rides and swims in Lake Washington before work. Winter offers a counterpoint. Wet, dark days are punctuated by thoughtful gathers; sunshine and bright snowy landscapes are only a short drive away.
What design object or story most strongly influenced your interest in design?
Hanna: The Onggi, a simple vessel for fermenting kimchi. I love the idea that you can house a simple thought and through some good ingredients and time, it can change and bubble into a magical concept. This philosophy of fermentation and reinvention is the exciting part of design that always piques my curiosity.
If you could pick one superpower, what would it be and why?
Hanna: Everything, everywhere, NOT all at once! I wish I could have visions into the different universes of all the possible Hanna’s that could have been. Would make decision making a lot easier! Or maybe not…
Jeff: If I had to pick just one… breath underwater or flight. I’d love to experience the world how aquatic organisms or birds do.
How should community influence design?
Jeff: Community more than influences design, it is central to it! The design process allows a diverse group of voices to be heard and synthesized into a clear vision that reflects the end users. It is an evolving dialog between the design team and community it serves.