Pb elemental architecture

Keanu sitting on the steps of Midvale... thinking

You may or may not have heard of the Internet meme movement of “Sad Keanu” which was spawned over a year ago. It features downtrodden pictures of every one’s favorite actor Keanu Reeves photoshopped into various locals. It started with an actual photo of Keanu on a park bench eating a sandwich and contemplating life. From there thousands of images have been created depicting the actor in various and sometimes hilarious situations. As photoshop is a huge part of what we do as architects (while creating renderings, presentations and websites), we have jumped on the Keanu train and have created a series of the actor gracing a few of our new designs. Below you can see a few examples. Sad Keanu spawned a Facebook movement — whose 14,000-plus members celebrated Cheer Up Keanu Day on June 15 — and a URL shortener — http://kea.nu — that lets fans share Sad Keanu pictures while benefiting the charity Stand Up 2 Cancer. Enjoy!

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LEED BeachHaus I & II - White Rock, BC

We are pleased to announce our latest prefab project. We have the distinct honor to be working with Inhaus Development Ltd.in British Columbia. The project consists of two homes designed around the principals of Inhaus; “Live Smart, not Large”. The project will be the first LEED certified residences built in the City of White Rock and feature a myriad of sustainable materials and design features.

“These two individual “small footprint”, thoughtfully designed homes are “green/sustainable” due to the nature of their construction, design, orientation, insulation & efficiency. Prefabricating the majority of the project in an offsite, climate controlled facility allows us to produce high quality dwellings at a reasonable price, all while greatly reducing on-site waste, local impact & build times. These homes will serve as a model for a number of planned projects in the area that will directly follow the completion of this project.”

“Finish Levels: Designed to a modern aesthetic / minimalist, simple in nature yet high quality in construction. Rather than waste money on elaborate finishes and interior fixtures, we have chosen to stick to our ideals. Both homes feature simple cabinetry that is modern in style, locally built, with no VOC or harmful chemicals. All finishes and fixtures have been selected to meet LEED standards. The homes feature an ultra-efficient in-floor radiant heating system, and are centrally controlled via the built in “smart home” technology. All appliances are top Energy Star rated and were selected for their intrinsic efficiency. The modern quartz countertops incorporate over 75% recycled content, and glass railings / open stairs are used throughout, providing corridors for natural light throughout the homes.”

The homes will be built by Method Homesof Bellingham, WA (builders of our Lid Park). Site work is set to begin June 1st with modules being installed in August. Stay tuned for frequent updates on the construction of these homes! For more information please Visit www.inhaus.ca 

Update: Project is slated for LEED Platinum!

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Featured in Seattle Metropolitan magazine’s “Best of The City,” past clients are making a studio + den apartment available for a responsible and stylish tenant in Central District/Judkins Park.

In addition to numerous architectural finishes, the 700-sq ft apartment includes:
· Studio with sliding floor-to-ceiling windows
· Full chef’s kitchen
· Modern bathroom with luxe shower
· Sleeping den
· Radiant Heat Concrete Floors (warm feet in the winter!)
· Washer/Dryer
· Private Entrance / Patio
· Lots of free parking
· Views and access to nearby park
· Easy access to freeways and public transportation

Available May 1.
12-month leases only.
For questions, please call (206) 605-2976

Phinney Ridge Master Bedroom

If you have ever attended a design meeting with me in the past then you know the color choices I prefer on the interior of a home. White. Bright White. It’s not due to a lack of liking color or not, but the home is a background to life. It should be light and bright and provide a canvas for you to frame what is important to you. That being said I have to admit over the past two years I have grown a foundness to maybe whats considered the most dreadful material to a modernist, wallpaper. This may have spawned from the fact that I grew up with a series of colorful kite wallpaper, which for a seven year old (which I was when it was installed) was pretty cool but for an eighteen year old didn’t really reflect my tastes. More recently I have grown found of the contrast between modern and texture. My prefered wall papers are still generally monochrome but in some applications (like the Phinney Modern) I love the character a bright color adds to a room. With the technological tools we have today we can also create our own designs and have them printed into a mural or pattern. I have attached a few pictures of wallpaper I love and some we have used or have been used by our clients.

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Readers Choice "Best Young Architect" Nominee

We have been honored with a nomination as “Best Young Architect” by Treehugger (a Discovery Company) in their annual Best of Green awards. In their words  

“Every day, TreeHugger scours the planet looking for the people, ideas, projects, and memes that are pushing green into the mainstream. There are no shortage of great examples, for sure, but, once a year, we like to round up the best of the best, to present our Best of Green Awards.

In 2011, we’re presenting our third annual awards, and this year promises to be the biggest and best yet. The full complement of awards will be presented soon, but we wanted to start by including you, our dear readers. Our second annual Readers’ Choice Awards are now underway; between now and April 1, you can vote for your favorite electric car, green smartphone app, and more — over 50 awards in all eight of our main categories.”

Our category is “Best Young Architect” : ”

Architecture used to be an old man’s profession; nobody ever heard of Frank Gehry until he was 60.

For architects to make an impression under the age of 40 is rare. Buildings take time to build and a body of work can take a lifetime to create. But some young men and women are having a profound effect on the profession and have made big impressions on us.”

Over the past seven years since we started the firm we have strived to make “green” become a component of design (always present) rather than a marketing term. Good design has sustainablility built into every design decision and should be thought of as just that, a item neccesasry in building anything as important as the wood or steel that supports the home.

We would appreciate your vote, but being selected among the two other nominees who have made amazing strides in design and sustainability is honor enough.

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Schematic Design front elevation

There are many phases or progressions of a design. A common term you will hear when working with an architect is “Schematic Design”. This phase is early on in the design process when the building is taking shape. Schematic Design establishes the general scope, conceptual ideas, the scale and relationship of the various program elements. The primary objective of schematic design is to arrive at a clearly defined feasible concept based on the most promising design solutions. We prepare a series of rough plans (schematics) which illustrate the general arrangement of rooms and how the building is positioned on and within the site. 3-d models, drawings and other illustrations are prepared to help the owner visualize their new home. Basic ideas on materials, massing and window placement can be realized. Some schematic designs are very close to what the finished product will be while some are just rough masses explaining a concept. I have attached a few schematic designs we are currently working on, a few are beyond schematic design and have reached “Design Development” (a process of refining the design and details of the building). Schematic design is an exciting period of seeing the custom home you have been dreaming of realized in images.

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The scaffolding came down today at Phinney Modern. It is our first chance to see the facade unencumbered. Thought we would share.

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Lark Modern addition/Remodel

The Lark house is a substantial (existing building recycled down to the foundation) remodel/addition located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The home was designed for a young family that desired more open spaces than the existing tworoom home provided. The new design emphasises natural light from the Southern exposure, connection to and creation of outdoor spaces and a blurred line between exterior vs. interior. The clients have taken the concept of deconstruction seriously, working evenings and weekends dismantling the existing home. This processes allows for the greatest amount of recycled and reused materials. The construction of the new home is set to start in March. Watch for up dated photos!

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