Accolades — Tom Wiscombe Architecture

There is a connection between Tom and Denis Diderot, located in the vastness of their respective ambitions and in their explicit provocation, both social and cultural. But the difference is also profound and crucial: if for Diderot objects existed outside the contemplating subject, available for the understanding, for Tom objects exist alongside subjects and subjectivities, including his own, which are also objects. This permits lateral connections and altogether unexpected affinities to emerge alongside clearly identified interests and biases: toward the mysterious and ancient, the futuristic and the fictional, and away from traditions and affirmations of all kinds.

- Thom Mayne Pritzker Prize Winner, FAIA 2021

“I am convinced that Tom is one of the most important young architects working in the United States today. I admire his work for its formal and conceptual inventiveness, but also for its deep-rooted constructability. His design for The Main Museum is premised on the idea of weaving existing historical features together with bold, contemporary architecture, creating an incredible resonance."

- Tom Gilmore, Developer Responsible for the renaissance of downtown Los Angeles, client for the Main Museum.

I worked very closely with Tom as the Owner’s representative for the New Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio- a 7-year, $42M project. The Art Museum received his undivided attention throughout—believe me when I say this was not an easy task.

Tom is a great partner who clearly gets how to transform and incorporate the needs and desires of the client into amazing architecture. Through his professionalism and understanding, he gracefully navigated some difficult and trying processes, including challenges from a Board of Trustees and the City of Akron.

- Carol Murphy, Owner’s Rep.Representative of the director and board of trustees for the Akron Art Museum.

Over the past 10 years working in high end custom residential real estate development, I’ve worked with a handful of architects, some very well known. Of these architects and firms, TWA is hands down the most enjoyable to work with. TWA’s level of engagement and attention to detail is unprecedented. The quality of work product they produce reduces stress for the entire build team. TWA does a phenomenal job navigating the sensitive balancing act between client’s needs and architectural design. At this level of high concept architecture, we often find ourselves building prototypes with details and conditions that have not been designed or built before. TWA is among a small group of architects who are capable of designing, and more importantly executing with finesse at this level.

- Charlie Patton, Owner’s Representative, the Dark Chalet

I’ve loved learning from the cornucopian, ecotopian visions of Tom Wiscombe for a long time, and I’m a lot happier for it. He’s the kind of person who makes you know that we’ve got this, and boy do we ever need that as the human-designed stage set collapses around our ecocidal selves. What the world needs now is Tom, Tom Tom.

- Timothy Morton, Ecophilosopher Author of Hyperobjects, Dark Ecology, and Human Kindness. Named one of the 50 top contemporary philosophers.

Tom is one of the most inspiring and engaging architects I have ever worked with. His work is beautiful, relentless, and technologically innovative. As a leader in the solar industry, I am particularly impressed with the 364% energy positive solar system that Tom designed for my project -- an audacious achievement perfectly integrated into the architectural form. Tom is also a true leader: attentive and responsive to me as his client and to the other stakeholders involved, and yet always surefootedly committed to the integrity of the design vision and to ensuring its execution in the world without compromise. I consider him to be a world class talent.

- Tom Buttgenbach, Cofounder and CEO of 8Minute Energy Developer of the largest solar fields in the U.S. 6,092,826,119 kWh of solar energy produced to date...and counting.

Imagine a world where everything exists equally but differently, like a collection of treasures laid out on a table. Against both reductive hierarchies and homogenizing unities, this is a vision for architecture that is radically flat and built from discrete, lively entities.Tom Wiscombe