although he was born in norway, architect casper mork-ulnes was raised in italy, scotland, and the united states ? a diverse upbringing that shaped his design principles and philosophies. with offices in san francisco and oslo, mork-ulnes? firm ? mork-ulnes architects ? is based on built work characterized by both playfulness and restraint, and informed by economies of means and materials.
 
to learn more about the architect, who has just been announced as one of the eight winners in the architectural league of new york?s emerging voices competition for 2020, we spoke with mork-ulnes who discussed, among other things, his dream brief and how he views his role as an architect. read the interview in full below.

mork-ulnes architects? san francisco office | image by bruce damonte (also main image)  
 
designboom (DB): what originally made you want to be an architect"
 
casper mork-ulnes (CM-U): I am not the type of person who can say that I wanted to be an architect since I was a toddler playing with LEGOs. it took a bit longer for me ? and was more a process of transformation during my teenage years.
 
my mother was an artist so I had always been interested in drawing and painting. during high school I attended a summer art program at the california college of arts where I was exposed to architecture. it was not space making, but the craft of drawing and model making that initially sparked my interest. I was drawn to the idea that architecture fulfills a use ? tha...