“Design process is really my strength. I enjoy working with people that have an interest in the design process, especially younger people in the firm. I tell them, ‘Don’t think about doors, windows, or toilets, just think about space and volume and that’s where you start. Don’t try to design in all one shot. Let it marinate. You need to think. The thinking part is just as important as the drawing part.”

Meet the Team | Ruben

Associate Ruben Nunez eats, sleeps, and lives design. Growing up in Los Angeles, he found that he possessed an innate ability to enter a space and visualize how it came together. When he discovered the work of Frank Lloyd Wright in high school, he naturally decided to study architecture at the School of Architecture at Taliesin in Albuquerque. After graduating, he returned to LA and interned with Frank Gehry in Santa Monica where he built models for the influential architect’s studio. An opportunity to join Arthur Erickson’s new LA office brought him to Washington to work on the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. From there, Ruben joined a multi-family development firm, giving him exposure to the quick pace of construction in Seattle and Bellevue. With this foundation in construction, Ruben started his own design-build firm to design and execute high-end residential projects along the west coast with homes ranging from $200,000 to $15 million. Throughout his career, Ruben has been motivated and inspired by the interaction between design and building performance.

“With the route I took in my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work with good designers, very creative artists, builders, and I’ve met a lot of people along the way. I feel pretty blessed by that.”

A chance encounter at fellow associate Matthew Kaphan’s annual Christmas party introduced Ruben to KMB architects. Since joining the firm, Ruben’s diverse perspective has elevated our designs and challenged us to evolve our process. He engages his colleagues in healthy dialogue and encourages us to think differently, always with the goal of elevating the work from good to great. As partner Bill Valdez says, “Everybody wants a little bit of Ruben on their project.”

Ruben’s approach to design centers around two basic principles – an idea and a concept – which culminate in a building or structure. He believes that by following these principles, they have the ability to lead the entire design process, providing checks and balances along the way to ensure the design is delivering on the original vision.

As an associate, Ruben leads the “Inside the Designer’s Studio” monthly program. The program is an opportunity for the whole office to come together and discuss the design process for the firm’s projects – from preliminary concepts to construction. Everybody speaks openly, discussing both successes and challenges, sharing information so that each individual can apply the firm’s collective knowledge to their own work. For Ruben, the program is a source of inspiration and complements his personal growth as a designer. 

For Ruben, his life is all about design, whether he’s in the office or not. If he’s not designing buildings, you will find him drawing, painting, or casting. He keeps a sketchbook on his nightstand should an idea strike in the middle of the night. To promote architecture in the Olympia community, he started design month for O-POP (Olympians for People-oriented Places), where he and other Olympia-based architects share their influences and inspirations.