BY KAREN BOSSICK

Only three architects have been honored with the esteemed Gold Medal Award from the Idaho Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and two of them have been Sun Valley architects.

Jim McLaughlin, recently honored, follows in the footsteps of Jack Smith, a Sun Valley architect who received the award in 2023. Charles Hummel, who designed the Idaho Capitol Building, the Egyptian Theatre and St. John’s Cathedral in Boise, received the award posthumously.

McLaughlin, who heads up McLaughlin & Associates in Sun Valley, has been designing beautiful buildings for more than 50 years. His portfolio includes the iconic 12,000-square-foot Our Lady of Snows Catholic Church in Sun Valley, for which he collaborated with an artist in London to design the interior central light fixture.

Other iconic designs include the 35,000-square-foot Blanket Bay Lodge in Queenstown, New Zealand; the 18,800-square foot Lucas Residence in Atherton, Calif.; the 8,700 square-foot Brock Residence on Lookout Mountain, Tenn.; the 8,000-square foot Sander Residence in Hawaii and the 31,000-square-foot Schwarzenegger Residence north of Ketchum.

Local commercial projects include the J.C. Fox building in Hailey and the US Bank in Ketchum.

McLaughlin’s work is celebrated for its integration of sustainable high-quality materials prominently featuring timber and stone.

The oldest of five children, McLaughlin was raised in a modest three-bedroom, one-bath home in Mountain Home where his father practiced law and his mother was a homemaker. Mechanical drawing and art classes in high school sparked an interest in architecture, leading him to major in Architecture at the University of Idaho-Moscow.

His family often visited Sun Valley while he was a youth and he was inspired by the beautiful architecture here. During college he eagerly returned, working in the Sun Valley Challenger dining room as a chef during winter breaks for room, board and, most importantly, a ski pass.

During summers he worked on logging crews as a heavy equipment operator to fund five years of architectural school.

He also served as a professor’s assistant for freshman and sophomore architectural design and participated in ROTC, serving as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery.

One week before he graduated from the University of Idaho, he was hired by Neal Wright Architecture in Sun Valley. He received his architectural degree on a Saturday and joined Wright’s firm on Monday, just two days later.

In 1979, after three years of apprenticeship under Wright, McLaughlin passed his licensing exam and opened his own practice.

He was 29 when he designed his first home—a home he and his wife Willa have lived in for nearly 50 years. Its innovative design featuring a concrete/earth berm exterior and in-floor heating continues to stand as a pioneering example of sustainable, energy-efficient architecture—passively warm in winter and cool in summer, said Kristin Anderson, chair of the Mountain Section of AIA Idaho.

McLaughlin’s knowledge of the Wood River Valley’s unique environment has enabled him to create outstanding buildings well suited for the climate and heavy snow load encountered here, added fellow architect Mark Pynn.

While he loved working on local homes, McLaughlin realized that Sun Valley’s fluctuating economy in the 1970s meant that he had to branch out and find architectural work in other areas. And he did so, developing projects in McCall, Boise, Idaho Falls, Jackson, Wyo., Palm Springs, Hawaii, New Zealand and Costa Rica.

To get to job sites efficiently, he became a licensed pilot.

At home he is a deeply involved member of the Sun Valley community, supplying local government leaders with information they need to make decisions about building initiatives and serving as chair of both the Ketchum and Sun Valley planning and zoning commissions where he oversaw the creation and updating of comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, dark sky ordinances and regulations prohibiting mountainside development.

He also has mentored numerous interns and architects, some of whom have established successful practices of their own.

“Architecture school taught me to think about architecture in the right way, to puzzle through design problems and to push the limits of what was possible. But it didn’t prepare me for the practice of architecture,” said Gretchen Wagner. “During the two summers and then seven years after architecture school that I worked for Jim, he graciously took me under his wing, teaching me how to run a successful architecture firm.

“He involved me in every aspect of the business from design to client and contractor meetings, to developing commercial proformas, to entering competitions, to re-branding and graphic design….I observed Jim create positive feedback loops to make potential clients feel at ease and heard, I learned how to walk away from projects that appeared intriguing when the balance of risk and reward didn’t seem right. And Jim showed me that problems were best solved through collaboration instead of finger pointing.”

McLaughlin has received numerous Juried Architectural Awards, such as Best Use of Wood Award, North American Copper in Architecture Awards and AIA People’s Choice Award.  And he has served as president of the AIA Mountain Section and as chair of the Idaho State Board of Architectural Examiners.

“Part of what makes him so good at what he does is that he has seen everything from historically important architecture to cutting edge design,” said Ketchum homeowner Bob Beyer. “Jim’s very well-traveled and he uses his global education to amplify the exposures and strengths of a piece of land. He is particularly astute of designing structures that not only reflect the uniqueness of a site but actually improve it.”

McLaughlin said it’s an honor to be recognized amongst his architectural colleagues for what he long ago discovered was his calling.

“I have been truly fortunate and am grateful to have begun my career in the Wood River Valley, and in time, have branched out all over the United States and abroad. My goal as an architect has always been to design timeless architecture that embraces its surroundings and complements nature.”

McLaughlin said that gathering a dedicated, inspired team is the fundamental, essential key to a successful project.

“This is a balancing act requiring an acute sense of the clients’ desires, the site and its restrictions, the right consultants, the art of listening (sometimes marriage counseling with a sense of humor!)”

To date, he and his team have designed more than 300 custom homes and numerous one-of-a-kind public buildings, including churches, banks, office buildings and schools.

His passion for architecture shows no sign of diminishing.

“I continue enjoying my architectural journey with each new project, learning to adapt, finding creative solutions for sustainability and energy-saving resources, showing respect to the native lands and its surroundings and the rewarding, successful completion of projects in these ever-changing times,” he said. “This feeds my passion for architecture even more and ultimately offers my clients and their families homes that bring wonderful, warm memories for generations to come.”