Sarah Susanka (born March 21, 1957) is an English-born American-based

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, an author of nine best-selling books, and a public speaker. Susanka is the originator of the "Not So Big" philosophy of residential architecture, which aims to "build better, not bigger." Susanka has been credited with initiating the tiny-house movement.

Biography

Susanka was born March 21, 1957,

Knockholt Knockholt is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. It is located north west of Sevenoaks & south of Orpington, adjacent to the Kent border with Greater London. The village is mostly a ribbon development, sur ...

, Kent, England, and moved to the USA in 1971.Chris O'Leary
Sarah Susanka Interview
/ref> After graduating from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, she settled in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota. She pursued a master's degree in architecture from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

while working for several architecture firms. Her thesis was the basis of her "Not So Big" books. She was a founding partner, along with her thesis advisor, of the

-based residential architecture firm, Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners (now known as SALA Architects) before leaving to pursue her writing and speaking career full-time. Her company is Susanka Studios. She has been featured on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

'', the '' Charlie Rose Show'', and

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's ''

Diane Rehm Show ''The Diane Rehm Show'' was a call-in show based in the United States that aired nationally on NPR (National Public Radio). In October 2007, ''The Diane Rehm Show'' was named to the Audience Research Analysis list of the top ten most powerful nat ...

'', and her philosophies have appeared in various publications such as ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' and ''The

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. Susanka was dubbed "one of 18 innovators in American culture" by '' U.S. News & World Report'' in 1998. In 2004 ''Builder Magazine'' ranked her as No. 14 out of 50 "Power Brokers". She appeared on the "Environmental Power List" in ''Organic Style'' magazine that same year. In 2007, she received the

Anne Morrow Lindbergh Anne Spencer Morrow Lindbergh (June 22, 1906 – February 7, 2001) was an American writer and aviator. She was the wife of decorated pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, with whom she made many exploratory flights. Raised in Englewood, New Jerse ...

Award, an award given periodically to recognize ''"outstanding individual achievement, a spirit of initiative, and work that exemplifies great dedication toward making positive contributions to our world"''. She is a registered architect and certified interior designer as well as a member of the College of Fellows of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and a Senior Fellow of the

Design Futures Council The Design Futures Council is an interdisciplinary network of design, product, and construction leaders exploring global trends, challenges, and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the industry and environment. Members inclu ...

Design language

Susanka has proposed an approach to housing that values quality over quantity. She outlines a design language for homeowners, builders and architects that is based on architectural elements such as framed openings (windows, doors or doorways that are framed or nested in certain ways), spatial layering, visual weight, diagonal views, and variations to ceiling height, all of which are intended to let the interior of a house feel comfortable and more spacious. They are tools used to create a subjective feeling of separation and shelteredness, yet interconnection with other parts of the house. In her work she refers to the

pattern language A pattern language is an organized and coherent set of ''patterns'', each of which describes a problem and the core of a solution that can be used in many ways within a specific field of expertise. The term was coined by architect Christopher Alexa ...

of Christopher Alexander. In the acknowledgements section of her book ''Not So Big House'' she refers to his book ''

A Pattern Language ''A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction'' is a 1977 book on architecture, urban design, and community livability. It was authored by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein of the Center for Environmental Struc ...

'', published 1977, as "inspiration for a generation of architects" as well as to her work.

Books

The basic philosophy of quality over quantity, or "build better, not bigger," is described in great detail in Susanka's first book, ''The Not So Big House'', which discloses her conceptual principles, and in seven of her following books, including ''Creating the Not So Big House'', ''Not So Big Solutions for Your Home'', ''Home By Design'', ''Inside the Not So Big House'', ''Outside the Not So Big House'', ''Not So Big Remodeling'', and ''More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home''. She expands on her philosophy into how we live our lives in her seventh book, ''The Not So Big Life'', focusing on "quality, not quantity" of time and life experience.

Personal life

Susanka resides in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. She is a breast cancer survivor.Sarah Susanka
The Not So Big Life
,

Powell's Books Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores in Portland, Oregon, and its surrounding metropolitan area. Powell's headquarters, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. Powell's City ...

Bibliography

* (2008 10th Anniversary Edition) * ''Creating The Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home'' (2000) * ''Not So Big Solutions for Your Home'' (2002) * ''Home By Design: Transforming Your House Into a Home'' (2004) * ''Inside the Not So Big House: Discovering the Details That Bring a Home to Life'' (2005) * ''Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home'' (2006) * ''The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters'' (2007) * ''The Not So Big House: Home By Design'' DVD (2008) * ''Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home to Fit the Way You Really Live'' (2009) * ''More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home'' (2010)

References

External links

The Not So Big House

About Sarah Susanka
(official web site)
The Not So Big Life

Video
of Sarah Susanka talking about her ''Not So Big'' philosophy *Sarah Susanka. “About Sarah Susanka.” Accessed October 19, 2021. https://susanka.com/about-sarah-susanka/. {{DEFAULTSORT:Susanka, Sarah 1957 births 21st-century American architects 21st-century English architects New Classical architects Living people University of Minnesota School of Architecture alumni University of Oregon alumni American non-fiction writers British women architects Architects from Kent British expatriates in the United States 21st-century British women artists Fellows of the American Institute of Architects