About Us
Christensen Architects is a Pacific Northwest design firm focused on residential architecture shaped by purpose and place. Our work begins with intent and is grounded in close collaboration with our clients, whose insight, values, and lived experience are essential to the design process.
We believe the strongest architecture emerges from meaningful dialogue, where deeper questions are explored together and decisions are made with care.
In conversation with climate, landscape, culture, and community, each project grows from its context rather than being imposed upon it. The result is architecture that feels considered, personal, and enduring, crafted to belong to both its owners and its place.
Who we are
C.J. Christensen | Principal
Christensen Architects was founded by C.J. Christensen.
C.J. is a licensed architect with over twenty years of experience in design and construction. He brings a breadth of experience and attention to detail that spans many scales, locales, and levels of technical difficulty.
Locations of projects C.J. has worked on include Washington, California, New York, Florida, Idaho, Utah, Taiwan, and Abu Dhabi.
Project types include an art museum, concert hall, a music school, a floating home, commercial office space, and numerous private residences.
Prior to founding Christensen Architects, C.J. worked for award-winning firms in Los Angeles and Seattle.
C.J. holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Washington State University and also studied at the University of Sydney.
Our Philosophy
Every project begins by asking fundamental questions about purpose and place, not as abstract ideas, but as practical foundations for meaningful design. This approach allows us to move beyond surface solutions and create work that is thoughtful, grounded, and enduring.
Purpose over function
Purpose asks why before what. It is more than mere function. It advocates for architecture that begins with intent, not simply accommodation. Function answers the question of what a thing must do. Purpose asks why something exists and what role it should play in shaping our future. Purpose speaks to intent, meaning, and the outcome a thing is meant to create. Focusing on purpose rather than mere function allows us to ask deeper questions and imagine more impactful solutions.
Place beyond geography
Place is more than a point on a map. It is the full context in which a project exists. Geographically, it responds to climate, topography, light, and landscape, but it also acknowledges cultural norms, local building traditions, and community character. We think a project must also understand its moment in time. Responding thoughtfully to what has come before while expressing the best of what the present has to offer. The result is an architecture that feels both distinctive and inevitable, as though it could exist nowhere else.
When purpose leads and place is fully considered, architecture becomes more than a response to requirements. It becomes a reflection of values, a sense of belonging, and a commitment to longevity. The result is work that feels intentional and specific, shaped by why it exists and where it belongs. Architecture that endures because it was designed to matter.
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