Dan Brunn

Background

About Dan Brunn

Dan Brunn, FAIA, has developed commercial and residential projects worldwide since establishing his firm in 2005. He believes an architect’s role is to craft spaces that respect the site, provoke sensuous interaction, and heighten the user’s connection with the space. As a very young child, Dan was drawn to Legos as a means to explore building structures and continues to play with the balance of complexity and minimalism in his work. Born in Israel and raised in Los Angeles, Dan embraces an international and experimental approach to design. “In Tel Aviv, I was surrounded by Bauhaus- style architecture,” Dan explains. “The restraint of these buildings taught me that space and how we experience that space are of paramount importance.” As a young architect, he has produced remarkably diverse projects— from award-winning restaurants to single-family residences and commercial showrooms. Consistent throughout each is an honoring of materiality, the ability to infuse ethereal natural light, and a tactful “hiding of mechanics.” His portfolio also includes furniture design in a variety of sleek, highly functional pieces offering streamlined solutions for the living room, bedroom, and bath. Prior to establishing his firm, Dan was Lead Project Designer at JFAK, where he served as project architect on the National AIA award-winning design of the Los Angeles Design Center. He also taught a Masters studio at the Boston Architectural Center, and served as design studio instructor at Harvard GSD and the USC School of Architecture. Dan earned a BA in Architecture from USC in 2001 and an MA in Architecture from Harvard University in 2005. To draw inspiration from movement and rhythm, he composes music and performs with his band. Explaining the relationship, he notes: “Architecture should capture the rhythm of a client’s inner being, propelling the user through the space with movement. Good architecture is temporal and evolves as needs and technologies change.”