What can you say about the Architect Rick Kintigh? You could say that he has many books and he performs all his own stunts. This is true, but there is more. You’ll never meet anyone just like Rick. Rick is a complex individual with a brilliant mind and a never-ending pursuit for innovation. He’s a successful and busy architect with three jobs, yet he remains grounded, and is surprisingly modest about his accomplishments. His passion and drive are infectious and being around him makes you want to go out and design something, or just have a giggle at his wit. Rick is a creative inspiration and anyone that knows him will say the same.

Wise Elephant (WE): You are a full time architect at the architecture firm Fitzgerald Earles Architects, you teach part time at The Illinois Institute of Technology and you are part owner of the collaborative firm sand_box…when do you sleep?

Rick Kintigh (RK): I do tend to keep a lot of irons in the fire, but it is a product more of playfulness and passion than some workaholic drive. When distilled down it starts with sand_box. This is where my passion manifests; all other interests tend to become absorbed into or subservient to sand_box. It is still a young firm with 5 equal partners which makes it difficult to put in motion. My day job certainly provides stability during the process, but it isn’t just a paycheck. In it’s own way it provides opportunities for interesting interventions. Teaching for the most part is simply there because they let me. It is fun, challenging and inspiring.

WE: What motivates you every day? Most people can barely handle one job, how do you tackle three?

RK: Some days are definitely easier than others, but it is a perpetual motion machine fueled by creation. The process is engaging on every level, it requires both hemispheres of the brain and incorporates all the senses from front to back. It’s a 4 dimensional puzzle with infinite solutions, but only one “right” solution at that moment. I am getting a bit giddy talking (typing) about it.

WE: When did you first know that you wanted to be an Architect?

RK: Pretty early on. I can’t remember ever really considering anything else. My father had a book of heavy timber homes of the American Northwest; that seemed to catch my imagination. The idea probably started or at least gained traction there, and I never fought it. Architecture just seemed to fit.

WE: What is it about architecture that drives you to dedicate your world to it?

RK: Architecture is the most public and permanent of all forms of art. The practice of architecture requires mixing sociology, anthropology, art, and engineering. We are around it, in it, and interact with it every day.

WE: I know that you have a passion for fine art as well, do ever see yourself leaving architecture and doing more fine art? Or do you see them as one?

RK: I don’t think you have to leave the discipline of architecture to participate in the discussion. Although sand_box is a design firm with clients and budgets and all the typical trappings of business, we are equally dedicated to our own self-initiated projects. These tend to manifest as interactive sculptures and installations. We have shown in galleries around Chicago and New York and look at this work as a laboratory for our ideas. Together these two sides of sand_box create a symbiotic loop of funding and innovation that keeps us evolving and growing.

WE: I know that sand_box has been featured in Wallpaper* Magazine, congratulations! And you say that sand_box is your passion, how and when did sand_box happen?

RK: Thank you, yeah, Wallpaper* was a nice honor and a great time. Our photo shoot was on top of the then unfinished New York Times building. You can’t tell from the photo they selected, but there was an amazing view of Manhattan, and it was a little precarious at times. As for sand_box, the five of us (Bruce Engel, Damen Hamilton, Thomas Kearns, Samuel Keller and myself) had worked together on a few competition and installations. We formalized our association in 2002 with the founding of sand_box.

WE: Half the business in Chicago and half in New York, does the split distance cause any strain?

RK: There definitely are compromises, but we have always been distributed amongst multiple cities, so we learned to manage it early on. We utilize Skype for conference calls, our FTP site for active file sharing, email and SMS. Technology has allowed us to communicate with relative ease. We are always looking for new ways to communicate. We are currently designing a new website concept that should make for a more collaborative process, which is very exciting.

WE: What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on?

RK: Wow, tough. They each pretty much have there moments, but two in particular were the Oral History Project at the Hellenic Museum in Chicago, and the Defibrillator installation in Brooklyn. Hellenic was great because it is this incredibly dense, sophisticated, sculpture that we were able to design and build. There are hundreds of unique pieces that had to be fabricated and interconnected to create it, along with custom software, circuit boards, sensors and graphics, each designed and implemented “in house”. It was a true labor of love. As for Defibrillator, it shares many of the same components as far as “in house” fabrication and technology, but it was particularly special because all five of us got to hang out together throughout the construction. We work hard to minimize the communication gap between the cities, but there is nothing like being able to work and hang out together.

WE: How do you guys come up with design concepts between five people? Is there any head butting having five different minds involved?

RK: The head butting is the best part! We have worked together for years so our process has developed a nice rhythm. We each have our individual interests and motivations, but we also have a great deal of respect for each other. It is important that everyone’s voice is heard in argument or agreement. There is no ego (at least amongst each other), so we all know when we have heard or seen a better solution, and can move to the next debate. Every project gets the best of each of us, and we and our projects are better for it.

WE: When it comes to architecture and how to approach design some people are more pragmatic and others more conceptual? Where do you fall?

RK: It changes with the environment and the project. In my day job I am more along the conceptual side of practice, but with sand_box I often fill a more pragmatic roll.

WE: Where do you see yourself in five years?

RK: I try not to paint too firm a picture to be honest. I hope for security without complacency. I want sand_box’s resources and audience to continue to expand and provide new and exciting challenges. We also have a few tricks up our sleeve I hope we can pull off and learn from. I would expect to be down to one or two jobs, but I am not promising that I will get any more sleep when that happens.

*To find out more about Rick and the sand_box crew visit LINK