March 2011

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CAST architecture in the news

March 28, 2011 in News, Press by Matt Hutchins | No comments

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CAST architecture was featured in a couple of articles in the latest Forum magazine (published by AIA Seattle):

Sunset Substation Park was highlighted in an article, Ideas Toward a Renewable City, by Kate Cudney and Tom Mulica.

In a second article, New Edge/New Blood:  Refreshing reminders from ten young firms on keeping your competitive edge, by David Spiker, I talk about our use of blogging as a tool to highlight recent work and causes such as Backyard Cottages and reforming the Multifamily code.  Hopefully it is giving people a broader understanding, beyond the glossy portfolio, of the values that drive our designs.

Ryan and Alicia’s Passive Solar Remodel Construction Blog

March 21, 2011 in CAST Projects, Sustainability by Matt Hutchins | No comments

One of our clients is documenting the process of transforming their bungalow with passive solar addition  (Design brief here) with a image laden blog.

Check it out!

Alternate views of the Passive House conference in Olympia, March 18

March 20, 2011 in Architecture, Passive House, Sustainability by Matt Hutchins | No comments

Stefan and I attended a conference put on by Passive House Northwest at Evergreen State College on Friday and I feel like we got a bit more of the nuance of the standard, understanding of more of the nerdy building science, as well as a chance to look at first hand some of new projects being brought to the US market.

A little more background: Passive House is a concept developed by the PassiveHaus Institute in Germany.  They developed the tools that are used to model performance, and do the training and certification of Passive House consultants.  While there are about 30,000 PH projects worldwide, the US rollout has led to a few complications. Read the rest of this entry »

On the Boards: Urban Olympic Passive House

March 11, 2011 in Architecture, CAST Projects, Passive House, Sustainability by Matt Hutchins | 10 comments

Urban Olympic multifamily Passive House

Urban Olympic multifamily Passive House

Urban Olympic is a community of 9 townhouses, and will  mark a couple of firsts for us:  our first Passive House project and also our first project under the new Seattle multifamily code.

Passive House is a rigorous green building standard focused on exclusively on energy consumption, energy efficiency and air quality. They are super insulated, almost airtight, and therefore need very little energy input to heat (up to a 90% reduction of the energy used by a typical code compliant house).  The heat from equipment, people and lighting retained within the insulated building envelope essentially replaces the furnace/boiler as the primary heat source. Fresh air is conditioned through a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) with the exhausted air.  Although solar gain does factor into the equation, Passive Houses are not passive solar houses.

Urban Olympic, to my knowledge, will be the first multifamily Passive House in the United States.

AIA — How To Work with an architect

March 10, 2011 in Events by Stefan Hampden | No comments

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Matt Hutchins from our office will be leading the AIA how to work with an architect discussion at the seattle AIA office this Saturday.  If you are considering a remodel, addition or new construction, and are interested about the process and value proposition of working with an architect please consider attending this talk from 9:30 to noon on Saturday the twelfth.  See below for more info:

Making your Project Happen:

How to Select and Work with an Architect

Trying to figure our how to make the most of your budget? Dreaming about a project and not sure where to start? Curious about green design or how to plan for your family’s changing needs?

Whether your project is a small remodel or new construction—or if you are just curious about the design process—AIA architects can help. Join Matt Hutchins AIA and Don Larkin AIA for an information-packed seminar on the basics of the design and construction project including budget advice, tips for hiring the right contractor, what to expect, and how you and your architect can work together to make the most of any project.

Saturday March 12, 2011
9:30am – noon
AIA Seattle, 1911 First Avenue
Cost:  $15
To register, click here: www.aiaseattle.org/node/5311

PRESENTERS

Matt Hutchins

Matt Hutchins is a licensed architect who graduated with Honors from the University of Colorado and Arizona State University. Prior to CAST, Matt practiced in Boulder, Aspen and Phoenix, designing custom residential, mixed-use and commercial buildings. He has taught design drawing at the University of Washington School of Architecture, undergraduate design studios at Arizona State University, and has written articles for Building Edge Magazine. He is an artist with a primary focus in wood block printmaking. http://www.castarchitecture.com

Don Larkin AIA

Don Larkin is a licensed architect specializing in custom residential architecture.  He is the owner of an architectural design firm in Newcastle, Washington, and designs custom homes and remodels throughout the state of Washington.  With over 20 years of residential experience, he designs projects of all styles, sizes and budgets to meet the unique needs of the client.  He encourages client participation throughout the design process and considers the client the most valuable member of the design team.  To view photos of his work, please visit his website at www.DonLarkinArchitect.com.