This past weekend was our first public presentation of the schematic design for the University Cooperative School.  We are working with the school to develop an indoor active space as well as music studio in the basement, while taking the opportunity to improve the entry sequence and experience for the 3rd-5th grade classrooms. Reconfiguring the entry with the new stairs and an eddy space for the kids cubby space helps bring light to the active space below, while a window wall separates the noisier activities of the cubbies and active spaces below from the classrooms. The new entry exposes the admin office to the entry, making it both more public, as well as increasing oversight at the entry.

The open stairs on the south side of the building will help bring light to the back side of the basement, while a translucent wall on the west side brings in light from the on grade entrance, with a new accessible ramp and stair entry from the south west corner.

The Music room is located in the below grade section to the East, taking advantage of the inherent acoustic dampening of the concrete foundation and lid, while allowing for a light well between the cubbies and south window wall.

A view from the new entry, with the cubby alcove, stairs down, and a pattern of translucent colored circular insets in the concrete slab create a playful musical pattern, alluding to the music studio below, while allowing light to be transferred downstairs.

A new stage with sliding white board, allows for visual separation between the upper and lower classrooms, while fostering performance as an integral component of the curriculum. A low bank of cabinets gives privacy between the bathrooms, and classroom, maintaining the openness of the space for public gatherings, and providing additional storage.

The active space, with new beams, eliminates the intermediate columns, increasing the flexibility of the space for larger scale activities.  New rubberized flooring and gymnasium wall pads create a safe environment for physical activities.

The music room with dedicated storage for instruments, and acoustic isolation from the classrooms, allows for music to continue to play a central roll in the school, while minimizing the disruption to the classrooms.

The exterior finishes over at the Clubhouse are almost done... The cladding is a combination of fiber cement panels and a clear cedar rain screen. This is a photo taken from the street, the panels are installed with horizontal anodized aluminum panel breaks at 2' on center:

A master suite is clad in a clear cedar rainscreen, it cantilever's over an outdoor room below:

Closeup of the cedar rainscreen:

The ceilings and soffits will be high gloss white aluminum panels. We installed a plywood underlayment to simplify panel layout and minimize panel distortion.

All photos are courtesy of Phil Dietz / Lost River Construction.

This photo is looking down the entry veranda toward the front door:

Looking from the front door toward the sauna wing and entry veranda:

Completed plywood underlay in the great room:

First panels go up in the Master bedroom:

Master bedroom ceiling complete:

Detail of fasteners:

Recent rendering put together for an advertisement:

After a long and steady labor of love, the Lichtenstein studio is finally nearing completion!

Hereis a view of the loft looking toward a study nook:

The bathroom will feature a Japanese garden adjacent to the soaking tub:

A compact and efficient kitchen tucks in under the ladder to the loft:

We finally have finished our plywood box wall! The light catches the plywood grain a little differently, highlighting the alternating orientation.Custom steel stairs to the mezzanine pinned off the concrete, are the next undertaking.

The depth of the boxes are modulated to create niches for models, samples and audiovisual equipment.

CAST had a great 2012--a mixed use studio, our first prefab houses, a pioneering urban farm, some great residential projects and a fabulous cabin in Mazama are just some of the many projects that we worked on this past year.

Canal Street Studio, a mixed use building, is almost dried in and the interior is starting to take shape. Looking good!

The second modular home at 100th Street is getting installed today! Just how much is done offsite in the factory? As much as possible!  

 Construction on the Saratoga Residence is proceeding very well, and the overall massing is taking shape.  We should have the rest of the steel installed in the next couple of weeks, then all the back up framing can be removed an we'll really be able to show off the open plan, but for now here is a view of the future garden in foreground and mudroom:

A vacation retreat in Mazama Washington that emphasizes a seamless flow between the indoors and outdoors, clean lines, and an indestructible materials pallet. After a long summer of groundwork and extensive concrete formwork the framing has begun - the Sun Meadow Escape is taking shape!

View of the northwest corner of the home. A large covered patio adjacent to the public areas of the home allows activities to flow seamlessly from the indoors to the outdoors.

A private master suite at the southeast corner nestles up against the adjacent aspen grove.