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 The tiny-house movement (also known as the small house movement) is an architectural and social movement promoting the reduction and simplification of living spaces. Tiny homes have been promoted as offering lower-cost and sometimes eco-frien ...

Biography

Susanka was born March 21, 1957,

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

, 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 university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, she settled in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

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

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

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'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'', the ''

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'', and

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's ''

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

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' and ''The

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

''. 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. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

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 Ale ...

Christopher Alexander Christopher Wolfgang John Alexander (4 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) was an Austrian-born British-American architect and Design theory, design theorist. He was an Professors in the United States#Professor emeritus and emerita, emeritus profes ...

. 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 Stru ...

'', 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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

Powell's Books Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores, based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Their flagship store, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent bookstore, independent new and used bookstore in the world. In addit ...

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