ORAL HISTORY OF JOHN LUND KRIKEN Interviewed by Suzanne ...

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Riess: Yeah. time they have to spend on subjects other than design; it would be more than fifty percent, for sure. Kriken: And then if you add promotional work, to get new business, it would get down to about twenty percent that could be spent on design. So, [as students] we had a feeling for the kind of quiet time to design, and then the time that we had to present our ideas to other people, and have them review it, and then respond to their reviews. They gave us a feeling for construction documents, making the drawings to construct it, as opposed to thinking of the ideas in the first place. There was something on business practice we had to learn, but it just pales compared to what the reality is. Riess: Structural engineering. Kriken: Structural engineering and mechanical engineering, acoustical engineering. Let me think. Riess: How about the landscape? Kriken: And landscape: we had landscape courses. Yes. All that. Riess: Yeah, it’s a lot. 25
Kriken: And it never did get simpler either. Riess: Okay. You told me that during the summers you worked as an ordinary seaman on merchant ships, traveling to Tahiti, Pago Pago, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, and the like. Those was college summers? Kriken: Um-hmm. And it was something I had the privilege of doing, because my father could get seaman’s papers for me. The maritime industry was constricting, not expanding, so it was not an easy thing. But I am happy I could. Riess: What was your job on board ship? Kriken: Well, there are two positions at the bottom--one is ordinary seaman, as it’s called. And the other low- down term is wiper. And the wiper works in the engine room, and basically cleans up and keeps everything oiled. Riess: Were you a good sailor? Kriken: Oh, I could do that part. Riess: You didn’t get sick. Kriken: Yes, I did get sick. But I really did enjoy the travel. And I don’t know, it just gave me a feeling for what my father had been doing all those years, and 26
Page 1 and 2: ORAL HISTORY OF JOHN LUND KRIKEN In
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface iv Outlin
Page 5 and 6: When I met Kriken he was finishing
Page 7 and 8: Diversification of projects and sta
Page 9 and 10: Kriken: But, my father told us that
Page 11 and 12: and my artwork. I got to be the cla
Page 13 and 14: gathering. I guess by the time I go
Page 15 and 16: knowledge was pretty much the Berke
Page 17 and 18: and urban design career. But rememb
Page 19 and 20: [Tape 1: Side B] notable that a lot
Page 21 and 22: Kriken: Yeah. It is. Riess: Who rep
Page 23 and 24: Riess: So you’re thrown right int
Page 25 and 26: Kriken: Yeah, we were seeing it in
Page 27 and 28: Riess: Telesis. interested in the p
Page 29 and 30: Riess: Interesting. Kriken: I can
Page 31: Riess: Do you have a feeling about
Page 35 and 36: and how there was just enough Europ
Page 37 and 38: Kriken: Yeah. They would make the d
Page 39 and 40: with Peery and his wife [Mimi], the
Page 41 and 42: interesting people were visiting Sa
Page 43 and 44: of temperature variation. But you r
Page 45 and 46: lock units of office buildings. So
Page 47 and 48: Riess: And did that happen among th
Page 49 and 50: Kriken: I actually got together wit
Page 51 and 52: of information you had to put toget
Page 53 and 54: one positive place versus another d
Page 55 and 56: Kriken: We had three publications.
Page 57 and 58: Kriken: Well, I guess it depends. Y
Page 59 and 60: Riess: I guess it was more a time w
Page 61 and 62: Kriken: There were certainly things
Page 63 and 64: Kriken: Oh, yeah. Because everythin
Page 65 and 66: projects with repetitive building t
Page 67 and 68: Kriken: Yes, they were. Just a coup
Page 69 and 70: show. It’s so wonderful. They mad
Page 71 and 72: neighborhood, whatever scale you’
Page 73 and 74: necessarily worse. Is that true? Or
Page 75 and 76: Riess: Roger Montgomery was an urba
Page 77 and 78: Kriken: I don’t know. He doesn’
Page 79 and 80: Kriken: …consulting but very spec
Page 81 and 82: Kriken: About part of this project,
Page 83 and 84:
the science and engineering labs, a
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conceptually. They all came one aft
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to pin up policy or ideas in this m
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Riess: Okay, changing the subject b
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Kriken: Probably. That’s true. Al
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Kriken: Seriously? I think, for me,
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our presentations always had to hav
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Kriken: Clear Lake, yeah. And one o
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Kriken: I guess. Or his partners ma
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Kriken: You mean just in doing the
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Kriken: That’s a very Skidmore th
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Riess: Once you could see your spec
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architectural firms--had tried to n
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Kriken: Well, every ten years, the
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kind of reminiscing and talking abo
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Riess: So the first firm award was
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Riess: How about Hispanic? Kriken:
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Riess: But did you feel at some poi
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Riess: What does Class A office bui
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Kriken: And I remember we talked ab
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Riess: You are an urban design part
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there--but it was so interesting as
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Kriken: Right. The peculiarity ther
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And I’m just there to provide a w
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Riess: Yeah. minimized. This makes
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seen so much building in this city
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Kriken: No. It’s proprietary, and
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so it is a connecting on a social b
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good team players. I can think of a
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maybe the social aspects are not--t
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Kriken: Yeah. And then we had assoc
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Riess: They are called to go there?
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Kriken: I don’t know that. Riess:
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Kriken: Yeah. It’s terrible when
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Riess: Ouroussoff doesn’t deal wi
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Riess: Really. There may be landmar
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seems like such a great investment
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Riess: Oh yes. Where are they based
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[Tape 9: Side A] Kriken: Frequently
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center of downtown, stepping down t
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Bay Area region. Hong Kong is so de
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Riess: It sounds like you really be
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void. It was just a complete flip-f
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Kriken: The North of Market Plannin
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Riess: Yes. In that case your exper
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Kriken: You could have all of your
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instead of being just some kind of
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Riess: When you meet people, do you
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architecture begins. But it seems t
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Riess: So where is the credit seen?
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when I get some notice in one of th
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walking. It was after the first Ira
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problems is that it begins to narro
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linear single street. It didn’t r
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hadn’t made a lake in Shanghai in
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Riess: That’s what I wondered. Kr
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Kriken: Yeah, well, just say there
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away to some place where it is prop
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why we hear stories that in India e
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in Shanghai is an example of trying
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Riess: Yeah. Okay. Kriken: I’m no
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part of the identity of the place t
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Kriken: Well, yes. In that instance
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Riess: I don’t understand how LEE
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Kriken: Well, a little bit what I
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Kriken: …protective. It’s almos
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could imagine putting this campus i
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there was a time when I said, “We
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think of an example, somebody could
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separating uses, and so they lost a
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document your thinking in such a wa
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wiggle this path just to get the ex
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elsewhere in the world is the state
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production should compete with hous
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[End of Tape 12; Tape 12: Side B is
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Riess: Of the city. as a joke, beca
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the beautiful French silhouetted bu
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have this impression, and in actual
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Riess: Yes, yes. him when we were p
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Kriken: Let me see. Oh, TEDA, okay,
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They didn’t think about the real
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Riess: That’s interesting. What y
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Kriken: It is; it looks like one of
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the Sunday Afternoon Watercolor Soc
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Riess: That part of the job many pe
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Kriken: And then I would spend a we
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Kriken: I think it is gaining the r
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Kriken: These could be design partn
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Kriken: Well, it’s probably a lit
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Riess: That’s good. Kriken: Or ad
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256
Page 265 and 266:
Urban Design: Process, Products and
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JOHN LUND KRIKEN Born: July 5, 1938
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Adams, Chris 80, 82 Alexander, Chri
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ORAL HISTORY OF JOHN LUND KRIKEN Interviewed by Suzanne ...

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