It was great to see a solid turnout for the opening. It was so packed I couldn’t really spend time looking at the work, amongst all the starving architects jockeying for free wine, beer and food!

Kate and Ric have begun construction on their backyard cottage… They have been working hard the last few weeks and have enlisted the help of a few friends and colleagues along the way. A few key players have been helping guide us through the process:

• Rusty Borromeo of Borromeo Construction LLC is providing his general contractor and construction expertise
• James Jenkins of O’Brien & Company is contributing his green building knowledge and will be our Built Green Verifier  – we are aiming for 5 star Built Green certification
• Cory Fraser of LFD Structural Engineering LLC provided the calculations and engineering for our plan set

Ric has been doing a wonderful job of photographing the process and has put together a few galleries of the construction process thus far (all images in this post are © 2010 Ric Cochrane). He has also agreed to write up a blog post on the experience thus far – so stay tuned for that!

DECONSTRUCTION GALLERY
An existing shed (that was a bit worse for wear) was painstakingly deconstructed and all reusable and recyclable materials were sorted and stacked

LABOR OF LOVE – THE FOUNDATION
Digging in the dirt and other fun activities – the true definition of ’sweat equity!’

LUMBER FROM THE BONE-YARD
Salvaged beams, columns and decking are being purchased from Bruce Borjesson of Pacific Resources

capitol hill after

We just heard that one of our past projects is going to be featured in Seattle Homes and Lifestyles next year!  The project was a remodel of a classic victorian on Capitol Hill. The original house was well kept, but overgrown, dark with a tiny kitchen:

capitol hill kitchen: before the remodel

before the remodel: the dining room

The walls in the dining room were forest green, but you couldn’t even really tell, because of the heavy drapes, and the 15′ hedge that was gradually consuming the site.

We took down the hedge, pulled the drapes, then started cutting into the house to open up the spaces, and connect the house to the outside world.  We added an elegant back porch, perfect for grilling, using all the period details down to the last dentil.  Even though we maintained the perimeter of the existing house, by using the space better, we were able to triple the kitchen’s size, and put in built-ins to maximize every corner without altering the character of the house.

capitol hill kitchen: after

capitol hill dining room: after

new bench seat following the big bay window, with concealed storage for kids'

We’ve been selected as one of the up and coming Seattle architecture firms shaping the future of our fair city.  The exhibit will be up at AIA Seattle in July with a reception on the July 1st from 5-7 pm.

The exhibit will highlight ten or so local firms, and will be a great chance to see some fresh design thinking from around town.  The AIA hasn’t published the full list of firms included yet, but when they do, I’ll link up to their websites.

video clip 1:

video clip 2:

The proposal (found here), is for a Seattle Design Commission competiton called “Holding Pattern” to create temporary uses for vacant land spread throughout  the city, with the goal to activate these urban spaces.  We’ll find out next week if the ParkOurPark is going to get the green light!

From the International Living Building Institute:

“Living Building Challenge 2.0 is a cohesive standard – pulling together the most progressive thinking from the worlds of architecture, engineering, planning, landscape design and policy.

It challenges us to ask the question: What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?

What if every intervention resulted in greater biodiversity; increased soil health; additional outlets for beauty and personal expression; a deeper understanding of climate, culture and place; a realignment of our food and transportation systems; and a more profound sense of what it means to be a citizen of a planet where resources and opportunities are provided fairly and equitably?

Indeed, “Living Building Challenge” is not a merely a noun that defines the character of a particular solution for development, but more relevant if classified as a series of verbs – calls for action that describe not only the ‘building’ of all of humanity’s longest lasting artifacts, but also of the relationships and broader sense of community and connectivity they engender. It is a challenge to immerse ourselves in such a pursuit – and many refer to the ability to do so as a “paradigm shift”.

The Living Building Challenge is comprised of seven performance areas, or ‘Petals’: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. Petals are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence. “

This is a relatively new standard, one-upping LEED standards, to think more holistically and less prescriptively about the impacts our buildings have on the greater environment.  I encourage all to check out their website and find out more about this program.  There is a broad overview of the Challenge, but the nitty gritty technical requirements are behind a paid registration firewall.

As we go through it, I’ll be posting more information about our experience and the techniques that we’re going to employ to meet the Challenge.

]]> http://www.castarchitecture.com/blog/living-building-challenge-architecture-that-makes-the-world-a-better-place/feed/ 0 http://www.castarchitecture.com/blog/sunset-substation-update-2/ http://www.castarchitecture.com/blog/sunset-substation-update-2/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:14:43 +0000 Matt Hutchins http://www.castarchitecture.com/blog/?p=973

Check out the Substation blog for the latest!

The Artalejo-Lacas Residence has been featured in the Fine Homebuilding “Houses 2010″ issue! It is on the newsstands now, check out the article which starts on page 45…

Artalejo-Lacas residence