Tsao & McKown is unusual among firms for the breadth of its practice in having a major body of built work and realized furniture and product designs. The firm has earned an international reputation for its ability to transform complex building projects into architecture memorable for its humanity, attention to detail, and embrace of diversity. The work also includes many smaller projects considered significant, among them are hotel interiors; museum interiors and exhibitions; high-fashion boutiques and other retail shops; restaurants; apartment and townhouse interiors; and objects ranging from much-copied sinks and bathtubs to dinnerware, and other homewares. Set designs for dance, fashion presentations, and film design continue to be critical aspects of the firm’s practice. This diversity of practice is not a contradiction. The unity of the work derives not from style, geography, typology, or scale but from a process of distillation wherein all facets of work inform the other. Operating in the arena of life with all its complexity and uncertainty is how the principals find meaning, personally and professionally. This is the core of the firm’s work.
