lumen design is an award-winning architectural practice in Anchorage, Alaska.

The studio seeks creative solutions that result in simple architecture. The practice is centered on the physical and emotional wellbeing of users and our collective future, with a focus on developing sustainable, responsible buildings for the north.

Petra Sattler-Smith

Petra is owner and design principal of lumen design. She works closely with clients to develop the design vision for each project. She is a licensed Architect in Alaska and Washington State.

After graduating from the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany, she moved to Alaska and developed quickly an appreciation for living in the north. Her german upbringing combined with the understanding of the Nordic environment influences her design and approach to architecture.

Her work has been published and received design awards.

Awards
2023 AIA Alaska Citation Award Bootlegger’s Landing
2022 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Merit Award Cork Cabin
2021 AIA Alaska Honor Award Cork Cabin
2021 Alaska Chapter ASLA Urban Design Honor Award Tidelands
2020 AIA Alaska Merit Award Chicken Shack
2016 AIA Alaska Citation Award Ridgeline Terraces
2015 AK Division of Economic Development Sustainability Award Cork Cabin
2014 AIA Alaska Honor Award H house
2011 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Honor Award House for a Musher
2011 AIA Alaska Honor Award Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic
2011 AIA Alaska Citation Award Core Pilates
2010 AIA Alaska Honor Award House for a Musher
2006 CIHA Housing Competition 1. Place Ideal house
2005 AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Merit Award Kotlik K-12 Replacement School (KPB Architects)
2004 AIA Alaska Honor Award Kotlik K-12 Replacement School (KPB Architects)
Press
Gray April 2019 Chicken Shack, Anchorage, AK
Monocle special edition 02 2015 “Call of the wild” by Tomos Lewis
Dwell July/August 2013 “View master” by Amara Holstein
House for a Musher, Big Lake, AK
Alaska Home Winter 2012/13 House for a Musher, Big Lake, AK
Architectural Record September 2011 Featured House
House for a Musher, Big Lake, AK
Dwell Special Issue 2010 “100 houses we love- 10 years of dwell”
Phelps/ Burke residence, Anchorage, AK
Wallpaper* 2008 One of 50 of the world’s young architectural practices
Phelps/ Burke residence, Anchorage, AK
Azure July 2009 Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic
Dwell Oct/Nov 2005 “Alaska: The final (architectural) frontier” by James Nestor
Phelps/ Burke residence, Anchorage, AK
Publications
Architects of the Pacific Northwest Francesc Zamora Mola booq publishing 2022
West Coast Modern Zahid Sardar Gibbs Smith 2012
Starchitects Julio Fajardo Harper Collins publisher 2010
Modern North Julie Decker Princeton Press 2010
True North Julie Decker Braun Publisher Berlin 2010
1000x Architecture of the Americas Michelle Galindo Braun Publisher Berlin 2008
Modern Shoestring Susanna Sirefman Monacelli Press, New York 2008
200 Outstanding House Ideas Esther Moreno Loft Publisher 2008