Henrik H Bull
Encyclopedia
Henrik Bull is a founder of Bull Stockwell Allen / BSA Architects in San Francisco in 1967.
, is an illustrator who has regularly contributed to New Yorker magazine since its inception in 1925.
A cousin of Bull’s grandfather, also named Henrik Bull
, designed several of Oslo
’s landmark civic buildings at the end of the 19th century. This earlier Henrik Bull was nephew of the famed violinist Ole Bull
, who began the utopian community of Oleana in Pennsylvania in 1853.
In 1954, Bull moved to San Francisco to work for an Oakland firm until 1956. He then got married and opened his own business. Bull's firm then merged with two other firms to form Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell in 1967.
, Gardner Dailey, Campbell & Wong and Warren Callister. Bull began his studies at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
) in aeronautical engineering, and switched to architecture after the first year. Bull studied with Ralph Rapson
, Buckminster Fuller
, Alvar Aalto
, and graduated in 1952.
As a first lieutenant in the USAF, Bull was stationed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and worked with Buckminster Fuller on developing the geodesic radar domes for the Distant Early Warning Line
(DEW Line) system at the north slope of Alaska. In 1954, Bull returned to San Francisco to work again with Mario Corbett.
On the basis of being commissioned to design several ski cabins, Bull opened his own architectural office in 1956. Bull's early practice included homes, condominiums and later hotels and institutional buildings.
Sunset Magazine published articles on Bull, twice putting his projects on the cover of their magazine, giving him numerous design awards, and enlisting him as a competition judge. In 1962, he was chosen to design the Sunset Magazine Discovery House: a "dream house" limited to 2000 square feet (185.8 m²). Bull designed the home as a series of four skylit pavilions built around an enclosed courtyard. It was the first home built in the newly established town of El Dorado Hills.
In the 1950s and the 1960s, Henrik Bull designed several prefabricated or kit
cabins. He built the very first A-frame
ski cabin in the United States with his friend John Flender in Stowe, Vermont in 1953. The essence of a good cabin, according to Bull, is that it should be simple and economical, but also fun, different and exciting.
In 1967, Henrik Bull, John Field, Sherwood Stockwell and Daniel Volkmann formed Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell. Their first large project together was the planning and architecture for Northstar at Tahoe
, a new four season resort. The firm has continued under the following names: Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell ; Bull Volkmann Stockwell ; Bull Stockwell Allen ; Bull Stockwell Allen & Ripley ; and is now called Bull Stockwell Allen / BSA Architects.
, Julia Morgan
, Greene & Greene, Willis Polk
and Ernest Coxhead
who were influenced by the British Arts and Crafts Movement
as well as the Japanese architecture
.
Because Bull believes that modern architecture
should be warm as well as really sensitive to the topography and climate, he has been classified both in the Northern California Modernism and the Bay Area Style. The question of an appropriate architecture for its location has always been Henrik Bull’s main concern. He feels that a building of quality does not unnecessarily disturb the site and should be comprehensible to everyone. Buildings should expose frankly their structures and be designed in relation to the climate, so that outdoor living spaces are a continuation of the interior. According to Henrik Bull, the timeless value of architecture should be achieved in choosing natural materials appropriate to the site, crafting them well and being conscious of the effect of time and weather so the building can become richer with time. Creating lasting architecture is also achieved by placing priority on client needs and relationship to the site. This should form a triangular relationship: the human with the building, the building with the site, and the human with the site.
The firm has received 75 major design awards including the Firm Award from the AIA California Council in 1989, "in recognition of distinguished architecture in a form’s overall body of work".
His other activities include: Golden Gate Bridge
Design Review Committee (1997 to 2001), President of the Architectural Heritage Association of Berkeley (1975), Citizen Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Urban Design Plan (1970), MIT Education Council (1960 to 1989), and architect representative on the Seismic Investigation and Hazards Survey Advisory Committee of San Francisco (1981–1985).
area.
1957-1967: Single family houses in the Bay Area, several design awards.
1958: Restoration of the Sentinel Building (now called Columbus) in San Francisco, an early example of historic preservation. Featured in Architectural Forum and in several newspaper articles.
1961: Christ Church Parish Hall, Sausalito. Design award from Guild for Religious Architecture.
1962: Sunset Discovery House, El Dorado Hills, CA. Featured in House and Home Magazine and Life Magazine. Homes for Better Living Award.
1963-1966: Tahoe Tavern Condominiums, the first highend condominium project at Lake Tahoe. Governor’s Design Award.
1965: Snowmass Villas, the first condominiums at the new Snowmass resort in Colorado (with Ian Mackinlay). Progressive Architecture Awards.
1967: Formation of Bull Filed Volkmann Stockwell.
1969: Takaro Lodge, Te Anau, New Zealand, a hunting and fishing resort on the South Island. The first overseas project and first using a "charette" process working with the clients and on site.
1971: Northstar at Tahoe
, master planning, design of village and of 400 condominiums. AIA Northern California Design Award.
1978: Winner of invited competition for the planning of the proposed new capital city of Alaska, the site being a 100 square miles (259 km²) of wilderness between Anchorage and Fairbanks. In 1982, the move from the present capital at Juneau was defeated 48 to 52%.
1980: Spruce Saddle Mountain Restaurant, Beaver Creek, CO, the first building at the new Beaver Creek resort. "Best Day Lodge" Snow Country Magazine Award.
1981: Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes
National Seashore, CA. President’s Design Award for Accessibility, California Department of Rehabilitation.
1988: The Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, CA. Article entitled: "Very large hotel respectful to nature and its neighbors" by Donald Carty in Architecture Magazine, July 1988. AIA Monterey Chapter Design Award, Gold Nugget Award, National Association of Home Builders.
Personal life
Henrik Helkand Bull is the only child of Johan Bull (1893–1945) and Sonja Geelmuyden Bull (1898–1992). Johan Bull, a native of NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, is an illustrator who has regularly contributed to New Yorker magazine since its inception in 1925.
A cousin of Bull’s grandfather, also named Henrik Bull
Henrik Bull
Henrik Bull was a Norwegian architect and designer. Among his works are the Paulus Church at Grünerløkka in Oslo, the National Theater, the Historical Museum in Oslo, and the Government Building. He also designed coins for Norges Bank, and participated at the Kristiania Jubilée exhibition at...
, designed several of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
’s landmark civic buildings at the end of the 19th century. This earlier Henrik Bull was nephew of the famed violinist Ole Bull
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
, who began the utopian community of Oleana in Pennsylvania in 1853.
In 1954, Bull moved to San Francisco to work for an Oakland firm until 1956. He then got married and opened his own business. Bull's firm then merged with two other firms to form Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell in 1967.
Career
Bull worked one summer in San Francisco with Mario Corbett. Corbett was one of the leaders of a regionalist architecture movement along with Joseph EsherickJoseph Esherick
Joseph Esherick was an American architect.Esherick was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937, Esherick set up practice in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1953 and taught at University of California, Berkeley for many years...
, Gardner Dailey, Campbell & Wong and Warren Callister. Bull began his studies at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
) in aeronautical engineering, and switched to architecture after the first year. Bull studied with Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson was the head of architecture at the University of Minnesota for many years...
, Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
, Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
, and graduated in 1952.
As a first lieutenant in the USAF, Bull was stationed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and worked with Buckminster Fuller on developing the geodesic radar domes for the Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
(DEW Line) system at the north slope of Alaska. In 1954, Bull returned to San Francisco to work again with Mario Corbett.
On the basis of being commissioned to design several ski cabins, Bull opened his own architectural office in 1956. Bull's early practice included homes, condominiums and later hotels and institutional buildings.
Sunset Magazine published articles on Bull, twice putting his projects on the cover of their magazine, giving him numerous design awards, and enlisting him as a competition judge. In 1962, he was chosen to design the Sunset Magazine Discovery House: a "dream house" limited to 2000 square feet (185.8 m²). Bull designed the home as a series of four skylit pavilions built around an enclosed courtyard. It was the first home built in the newly established town of El Dorado Hills.
In the 1950s and the 1960s, Henrik Bull designed several prefabricated or kit
Kit
-Animals:* kit, a young ferret* a short form of kitten, a young cat* Kit fox, a relatively common North American fox* Kit, a group of domestic pigeons trained to perform together in competitions-Companies and organisations:...
cabins. He built the very first A-frame
A-Frame
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in a 45-degree or greater angle, attached at the top...
ski cabin in the United States with his friend John Flender in Stowe, Vermont in 1953. The essence of a good cabin, according to Bull, is that it should be simple and economical, but also fun, different and exciting.
In 1967, Henrik Bull, John Field, Sherwood Stockwell and Daniel Volkmann formed Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell. Their first large project together was the planning and architecture for Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar California is a year-round resort situated near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, approximately from the San Francisco Bay Area...
, a new four season resort. The firm has continued under the following names: Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell ; Bull Volkmann Stockwell ; Bull Stockwell Allen ; Bull Stockwell Allen & Ripley ; and is now called Bull Stockwell Allen / BSA Architects.
Ideological position
Bull directly relates his design philosophy to the "Bay Area Style" (also called "Bay Region School"). This movement is a continuation of an earlier period of architecture practiced by such people as Bernard MaybeckBernard Maybeck
Bernard Ralph Maybeck was a architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley...
, Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan
Julia Morgan was an American architect. The architect of over 700 buildings in California, she is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California...
, Greene & Greene, Willis Polk
Willis Polk
Willis Jefferson Polk was an American architect best known for his work in San Francisco, California.-Life:He was born in Jacksonville, Illinois and was related to United States President James Polk....
and Ernest Coxhead
Ernest Coxhead
Ernest Albert Coxhead was an English born architect, active in the US. He was trained in the offices of several English architects and attended the Royal Academy and the Architectural Association School of Architecture, both in London. He moved to California where he was the semi-official...
who were influenced by the British Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
as well as the Japanese architecture
Japanese architecture
' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....
.
Because Bull believes that modern architecture
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
should be warm as well as really sensitive to the topography and climate, he has been classified both in the Northern California Modernism and the Bay Area Style. The question of an appropriate architecture for its location has always been Henrik Bull’s main concern. He feels that a building of quality does not unnecessarily disturb the site and should be comprehensible to everyone. Buildings should expose frankly their structures and be designed in relation to the climate, so that outdoor living spaces are a continuation of the interior. According to Henrik Bull, the timeless value of architecture should be achieved in choosing natural materials appropriate to the site, crafting them well and being conscious of the effect of time and weather so the building can become richer with time. Creating lasting architecture is also achieved by placing priority on client needs and relationship to the site. This should form a triangular relationship: the human with the building, the building with the site, and the human with the site.
Awards and recognition
Bull has received 43 major design awards for work he personally designed, or under his direct design leadership. In 1978, Bull Field Volkmann Stockwell won an invited competition for planning the proposal new capital city of Alaska with Bull as co-principal in charge.The firm has received 75 major design awards including the Firm Award from the AIA California Council in 1989, "in recognition of distinguished architecture in a form’s overall body of work".
Activities and public service
Bull has been elected Vice President (1967) and President (1968) of the American Institute of Architects / San Francisco Chapter (AIA SF), and elected to Fellowship in National AIA in 1969. He has also been part of the National AIA’s Committees (Housing Committee in 1967; and Scholarship Committee in 1974).His other activities include: Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
Design Review Committee (1997 to 2001), President of the Architectural Heritage Association of Berkeley (1975), Citizen Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Urban Design Plan (1970), MIT Education Council (1960 to 1989), and architect representative on the Seismic Investigation and Hazards Survey Advisory Committee of San Francisco (1981–1985).
Significant achievements
1955-1960: Numerous award winning vacation houses in the Lake TahoeLake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
area.
1957-1967: Single family houses in the Bay Area, several design awards.
1958: Restoration of the Sentinel Building (now called Columbus) in San Francisco, an early example of historic preservation. Featured in Architectural Forum and in several newspaper articles.
1961: Christ Church Parish Hall, Sausalito. Design award from Guild for Religious Architecture.
1962: Sunset Discovery House, El Dorado Hills, CA. Featured in House and Home Magazine and Life Magazine. Homes for Better Living Award.
1963-1966: Tahoe Tavern Condominiums, the first highend condominium project at Lake Tahoe. Governor’s Design Award.
1965: Snowmass Villas, the first condominiums at the new Snowmass resort in Colorado (with Ian Mackinlay). Progressive Architecture Awards.
1967: Formation of Bull Filed Volkmann Stockwell.
1969: Takaro Lodge, Te Anau, New Zealand, a hunting and fishing resort on the South Island. The first overseas project and first using a "charette" process working with the clients and on site.
1971: Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar California is a year-round resort situated near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, approximately from the San Francisco Bay Area...
, master planning, design of village and of 400 condominiums. AIA Northern California Design Award.
1978: Winner of invited competition for the planning of the proposed new capital city of Alaska, the site being a 100 square miles (259 km²) of wilderness between Anchorage and Fairbanks. In 1982, the move from the present capital at Juneau was defeated 48 to 52%.
1980: Spruce Saddle Mountain Restaurant, Beaver Creek, CO, the first building at the new Beaver Creek resort. "Best Day Lodge" Snow Country Magazine Award.
1981: Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes
Point Reyes
Point Reyes is a prominent cape on the Pacific coast of northern California. It is located in Marin County approximately WNW of San Francisco. The term is often applied to the Point Reyes Peninsula, the region bounded by Tomales Bay on the northeast and Bolinas Lagoon on the southeast...
National Seashore, CA. President’s Design Award for Accessibility, California Department of Rehabilitation.
1988: The Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, CA. Article entitled: "Very large hotel respectful to nature and its neighbors" by Donald Carty in Architecture Magazine, July 1988. AIA Monterey Chapter Design Award, Gold Nugget Award, National Association of Home Builders.
Publications
- Projects by Henrik Bull have been featured in magazines such as: Atlantic, Architectural Forum, Snow Country Magazine, Architecture California, Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, Architectural Forum, House and Home, Housing Architecture, San Francisco Chronicle, Sunset, A&U Magazine (Japan), and Baumeister (Germany).
Articles
Henrik Bull wrote several articles as a mountain building expert. He has been a regular contributor to Ski Area Management (1973–1999) and to Snow Country Magazine (1973–1998). He also wrote articles for Architecture California and Fine Home building Magazine.Conferences
- In 2000, Henrik Bull was invited to present a paper entitled "Lessons to be learned from indigenous architecture" at the Fourth International Conference on Snow Engineering at Trondheim, Norway.
- In 1982, Henrik Bull presented a paper entitled "Potential Seismic Hazard versus certain personal disaster" at a seismic conference sponsored by the National Science Foundation held at the University of California at Berkeley. In this paper Bull suggested that collapse of freeways presented a greater danger than collapse of masonry buildings. In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, 42 people were killed at the Cypress freeway collapse. Eight people died from falling masonry, and no masonry buildings collapsed.
Featured projects in books
- Klaussen Brown Cabin, featured as one of the six American houses in Modern Houses of the World, by Sherban Cantacuzino (London, 1964).
- Sims and Lyon Houses, description by Charles Moore, FAIA, featured in Bay Area Houses, (Gibbs M. Smith Inc, 1988).
- Klaussen Belvedere House and Klaussen Brown Cabin, featured in NorCalMod, Icons of Northern California Modernism, by Pierluigi Serraino (San Francisco, 2006).
- Flender Cabin, Edwards Cabin and Klaussen first cabin in Squaw Valley, featured in A-frame, by Chad Randl (Princeton University Press, 2004)
Books
- NorCalMod, Icons of Northern California Modernism, by Pierluigi Serraino (San Francisco, 2006)
- Bay Area HousesNew Edition, edited by Sally Woodbridge, Introduction by David Gebhard, (Gibbs M. Smith Inc, 1988)
- Recycling Buildings, Renovations, Remodelings, Restorations, and Reuses, by Elisabeth Kendall Thompson (McGraw-Hill, 1977)
- Modern Houses of the World, by Sherban Cantacuzino (London, 1964)
- A-frame, by Chad Randl (Princeton University Press, 2004)
- Cabins and Vacation Houses, A Sunset Book (1967)
- When the Lions Come, Surviving the Architectural Jungle, by Sherwood Stockwell ( Publisher: Xlibris Corporation, ISBN 1413469418)
Magazine Articles
- "Henrik Bull", in Sierra Heritage, December 2007, by Harry Georgeson.
- "Buildings That Belong", Signature Style article of the Home and Garden section in the San Francisco Chronicle, 9/16/2006, by Dave Weinstein.
- "A Piercing Look at Vacation House Design", an interview with Henrik Bull, A.I.A, by Building Product Guide #24, Spring/Summer 1969.
- "Mountain Living... the exciting ski cabins you see in Squaw Valley" in Sunset Magazine, February 1960.
- "Weekends of work for years of play" in Better Homes and Gardens, July 1962, by Barbara Cathcart.
- "Winter Vacation Houses" in Look, 2/12/1963, by John Peter.
- "With its unusual folded roof... the feeling of a mountain lookout", in Sunset Magazine, May 1958.
- "Cabin-in-the-round... built from a redwood wine tank", in Sunset Magazine (and on cover), February 1962.
- "For ski weekends and sun weekends with sleeping room for a crowd", in Sunset Magazine, October 1961.
- "This is Sunset's new Discovery House", in Sunset Magazine (and on cover), November 1962.