Richard Paul Sundberg, FAIA, “Rick” died on July 12, 2026, at the age of 83. A Seattle architect for more than sixty years, Rick was known for his attention to craft, his fascination with the craft of building, and his belief that architecture should be shaped by the people who experience it.
Rick was born in Seattle in 1942, the oldest child of Dorothy and Thor Sundberg. He grew up in a family of builders. Siblings include Steve, Joan and David. His grandfather, an immigrant from Sweden, was a contractor, as was his father. Rick later recalled that when he was about ten, his father and grandfather decided the family needed an architect and he graduated from the University of Washington School of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1966.
He remained deeply interested in how buildings were constructed and cared deeply about materials, detailing, assembly and craftmanship. He wanted to understand not only how a building should look, but how someone would make it. Contractors and craftspeople were collaborators, not simply people carrying out a design, and some close friends.
His interest in making was central to his work throughout his career. He drew by hand and viewed drawing as part of the process of thinking. Rick wrote about the physical act of drawing as a way of developing an idea over time. He was interested in new tools and technology, and wary of losing the tactile and human parts of design in the process. For him, architecture existed somewhere between thought and hand, idea and material.
Rick began his career at Ibsen Nelsen & Associates before joining Olson/Walker. He later became a partner in the firm that became Olson Sundberg Architects and then Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen. The firm received the AIA Architecture Firm Award in 2009, and Rick was named to the AIA College of Fellows. In 2010, he left the firm to begin a new practice with his daughter, which later merged to become Sundberg Kennedy Ly-Au Young Architects. He remained there until 2023, when he joined Graham Baba Architects. His work included museums, libraries, university buildings, residences, and civic projects throughout Seattle and the Northwest.
When Rick talked about his favorite projects, he talked less about the finished building and more about the collaborative process between architect, client, and builder. The Wing Luke Asian Museum was especially meaningful because of its community-driven process. He valued the opportunity to listen and learn from the museum staff and the communities whose histories the building would hold, and to translate those stories into a place that reflected their past, present, and future.
At the Frye Art Museum, he considered how the building could prepare a visitor to experience art. The entry sequence moves gradually from the city, along a covered ramp and into the rotunda, as the light shifts and dims on the way to the galleries. A reflecting pool brings light and movement into the museum. These decisions were about how the space itself could shape a visitor’s experience and prepare them to engage with the art.
That concern for the person using the building appeared throughout his work. Rick believed public architecture in particular carried a responsibility to welcome people rather than simply impress them, “Our public buildings must invite and inspire all members of our community.”
He believed architects also had a responsibility to participate in civic life.
Rick served as Chair of the Seattle Design Commission from 1996 to 2000 and chaired the Light Rail Review Panel. He served on the Seattle Center Advisory Board, the Seattle Popular Monorail board, AIA committees and numerous design juries. He lectured at universities and professional conferences and participated in conversations about the future of Seattle throughout his career.
His public service was an extension of how he viewed architecture. Buildings are not isolated objects; they exist within neighborhoods, cities and communities.
He believed the architectural expertise should be available beyond conventional clients, and provided pro bono design services for orphanages in Tanzania and later began forming the Sundberg Architectural Initiative, a nonprofit intended to provide architectural services to vulnerable communities.
Rick remained an avid reader throughout his life and kept an extensive architectural library. When once asked what he was reading, he answered that he had the Koran on his nightstand for its poetry and a Henning Mankell novel because he was a “Swedish novel junkie.”
Rick was married to Sharon Sundberg for over 50 years. He had four children, Paul, Max, Mika and Tenold, and five grandchildren, Pascal, Emry, Langston, Harriet and Ona May.
His professional legacy can be found in buildings across the region, including the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Frye Art Museum, Seattle University School of Law, projects at Whatcom Community College, the Pike & Virginia Building, libraries, residences and many others. His work received numerous local, regional and national awards during his career.
Rick’s influence extended well beyond the buildings he designed. He was generous with his time and knowledge, mentoring generations of architects and developing lasting relationships with colleagues, contractors, clients, and community members. He approached these relationships with curiosity and respect, always interested in what he could learn from the people around him. Rick spent his career paying close attention: to how a joint came together, how daylight entered a room, how a person approached a building, how an old structure could carry its history forward, and what someone else at the table had to say.
