We had about 15 at the AIA/CORA Pro Bono Design panel discussion.  Joining me on the panel was Rachel Minnery from Environmental Works, and Geoff Piper from Global Studio.

A couple of valuable points that came out of our discussion:

1.  Pro bono work is different than being a volunteer.   Pro bono service is the application of our professional abilities, judgement, experience, creativity to work for the public good.  Volunteering is a valuable component of civic life, such as working for Habitat for Humanity, but is probably relatively unskilled labor.

2.  Vet potential clients--they need to have the community connection, stability, and personnel to carry out the mission, because our work as architects is really just the beginning for any pro bono project. Our work may be the seed, but it takes a committed organization to make the investment a reality.

3.  Treat pro bono projects just as you would any other project in the office.  Otherwise, you're doing both your client and our profession a disservice by treating it as a less than serious undertaking.  That means contracts, liability, life safety, and solid construction documents.

4.  Work on projects/issues that you are interested in.  First it will help make the commitment easier to make, help you build experience in that area, and help to show people (and potential clients) where your heart lays.

As architects, we're often not in the driver's seat with regards to the project, but with pro bono, you have to take up the mantle of a shared mission with that community group or cause, and part of the compensation for your investment in time is taking the project where you think it should go.  Your vision may be underrated in the private sector, but essential to many non-profits trying to raise funds.  It is a wonderful opportunity to be entrepreneurial,  make connections with a larger community, and act not only as problem solvers, but problem identifiers.

Thank you to all our friends and colleagues that came out last night to help us celebrate our new office space!  Standing room only!  Now if only one of us had thought to snap a picture when the crowd was actually there....

Since we haven't decided what to do with the big wall that separates the desks from the conference/copy space, we took all the recycled moving boxes, cut them down on the table saw, then glued them up, thus recycling them again.   Perfect for the party!

Join CAST and 89 other exhibitors at the Phinney Ridge Home Fair!  Always a good time to pick the experts' brains about whatever home improvement issue you may be having.  Plus, there is a special emphasis on green companies and services, including landscaping, solar tech, 'passive house' (super insulated/energy efficient construction--not 'passive solar')

See you there!

Our new office at 115 North 36th Street is fully operational.  Now back to work....

Congratulations to Randy and Sage! Their renovation is featured in Seattle Homes and Lifestyles, and even made the cover!  Here is a link to the article:

Victorian Revolution

After 10 years in our Leary and 6th location, CAST architecture has completed our move to a brighter, larger space at 115 N. 36th Street in Fremont  (98103), overlooking the Canal.   Our phone number is staying the same, but we've been having a few snags with the new phone service and should have it worked out today.

Happy New Year!

The cottage in Phinney Ridge is taking shape--it is all dried in and the drywall is up.  One of the owners is pictured above savoring being on the cutting edge of increased density in Seattle's single family zoning!

Sunset Substation Park will be included in an article on pocket parks in Sunset Magazine in February, and in a themed issues of AIA Seattle's magazine, Forum, on the 'Renewable City.' Hopefully this extra publicity will bolster the idea that creating public parks out of surplus, city-owned, urban land is an obvious solution to increasing the sustainability and long-term livability of our neighborhoods.

Illustration by James Yamasaki for The Stranger "On December 13, the Seattle City Council passed new rules for buildings in high-density residential neighborhoods. The decree has drawn predictable criticism from some activists, who complain the new rules will change the city's character, but in fact the gripes of these activists hit on exactly what's great about the new rules: They allow more housing." -Dominic Holden for The Stranger

Read more at the Stranger: Ditching Town Houses

A triumph for the 'Seattle Way'--years of contentious hearings, studies, tweaks resolve into ultimately a unanimous decision.  There is a certain super-tanker inertia about the city process that eventually prevails but it does it take a quite a while to steer the ship of state toward higher goals. Big thanks to Councilmember Sally Clark, the DPD staff, and CORA supermen:  Brandon Nicholson, Bradley Khouri, and David Neiman.

The new Multifamily Code is scheduled to come up for a vote before Council on Monday.  After years of process, hearings, and work shaping the outcomes, the new code will have some new attributes geared toward more flexibility in heights, parking, setbacks, and density.  It disincentivizes the '6 pack' townhomes everyone dislikes and gives out bonuses for green building, designs that hid parking and give a better streetscape.

For those of us who participated in the sausage-making legislative process over the years, it is great to see that it will finally come up for a vote.  If you want to see the vote, and who wouldn't, it will be at City Hall at 2pm Monday.

I will be participating in a panel discussion put on by the AIA to discuss different aspects of pro bono work, such as benefits, management, and liability.  Geoff Piper of The Global Studio, and Rachel Minnery of Environmental Works will also be speaking.  It will be informal, informative, and hopefully, inspirational. Geoff used to work at CAST a few years ago, and has clearly moved on to bigger and better things: His Global Studio is working with communities around the world to build schools and community centers.

The discussion is sponsored by the AIA Small Office Roundtable and the Congress of Residential Architects (CORA)