Women in Design: Petra Sattler-Smith

THE MINIMALIST: Petra Sattler-Smith, Mayer Sattler-Smith, Anchorage, AK

Alaska is known for big scenery and open spaces. How does that environment affect your designs?
For one, I think we’re always trying to incorporate the natural environment into architecture and through architecture. That’s a modern theory, and particularly in our environment up here, it’s so important. It’s the simple things: for example, that you should have a space in the house that faces south so you can feel the warmth during the few hours of daylight in the winter months. 

How does your German background shape your designs?
Our projects are typically not as big as traditional houses that you would see here. We’re trying to educate our clients that you should put money into materials and not into the larger house components that you hardly use anyway. I think that comes out of our [German] background, because we come from places where you had to be efficient in the use of space, because it’s tight. Every meter has a purpose. You come to Alaska, and gosh you have land, but that doesn’t mean just because we have it, we should we use it; that’s not our approach. We have to be sensitive to the use [of land], and because of that, our buildings are functional. We try to look at how can we minimize the project and still make it sustainable. And the money we save by doing that, we try to put into materials. 

Tell us about your approach to ornamentation (or lack thereof).
There should be more than just ornament; there should be a purpose for it. It’s not part of our repertoire—it’s not something that we wouldn’t do, but there really needs to be more than just ornament [for ornament’s sake]. I think throughout our work you see that we’re trying to be honest with materials. We’re trying to use materials as they are. We use a lot of wood and steel that’s exposed and not sheet-rocked over. 

What’s the most inspiring thing you’ve seen lately?
Probably the painting my daughter did last night.  

What fuels your passion for architecture?
In Anchorage, we still haven’t even hit our 100-year celebration yet, so there’s a lot of opportunities and that is really exciting—to be able to participate in the process of growing up to the next level. We just like to be part of this, and step by step, people are becoming more aware of good design up here.

I believe I’m in a profession of happiness and optimism. I try to create positive spaces and architecture. The built environment should be secondary to the feeling you have when you enter a space.