Hello
My name is Will McCollum.
I am an architect living and working in Oakland, CA. Originally from New York, I moved to the Bay Area to attend graduate school in the fall of 2000, and I haven’t left. Combining school and work I have been in the field of architecture for over 25 years.
The work I do professionally is not represented here. Though it is relevant given the influence the profession has had on my outlook, design style & appreciation of aesthetics. In my free time these qualities have manifest into the design work and photography shown in this website.

Handcraft
In early 2005 I was leaving one architectural firm to join another. In the week between jobs I decided to design and build a small end table to go with a recliner I had. With no real pre-conceived notion of a design, I wandered a hardware store for half a day going from idea to idea until finally settling on a rough concept. Ultimately, the design became the PVC Table; a cantilevered glass shelf/task light supported by a wall mounted PVC frame with one leg. The fulfillment I got from this design inspired me to pursue similar handcrafted projects. To create designs where I was able to apply architectural concepts, like the dynamics between function and aesthetics, but on a smaller scale. At the time I was living in a San Francisco flat that happened to have a large unused storage room in the back of the garage downstairs. I cleared the space and converted it to a small workshop. Over the next several years I began amassing my tool collection to design & build lamps & small furniture. Some from scratch, some were sourced from discarded items found on the city streets and some were from parts discovered from trips to Ikea. The environment I created was reminiscent of my years in design school where many hours were spent at a work desk drafting plans & crafting models. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the tactile, hands on work until I went down this new path. 15 years later, I have long since left that original workshop in the back of the garage, but my enjoyment of this pastime has continued & was the primary inspiration for my building this website.

Photography
My approach to photography has also been greatly influenced by the profession I am in. My appreciation for this medium goes back to design school where I was constantly looking through architecture books and magazines. Taking note of how these buildings and places were portrayed by the manner in which they were documented. An attention to characteristics such as light, perspective, depth of field, organizational patterns, dynamics of form, scale & materials, etc. From this I’ve developed a tendency to look at the natural & built environment as the subject matter rather than just a background. Over the years when I’ve been able to travel, one my favorite activities is simply to walk and take in the surroundings of these new places I am seeing. The experience is made even better when I’m intent on taking pictures, because it motivates me to pay attention to the surrounding environment even more so. For me, looking back through these albums bring me back to those moments far better than any souvenir could, & It is about time I consolidated these photos and shared them with the world.