We specialize in environmentally harmonious residential structures and were pioneers in adaptive re-use of historic buildings.
I’m a licensed architect in Colorado and California, and have worked in both states, as well as in Washington State and Nevada.
Being asked to design a new space for human habitation, commercial or educational use presents a vital opportunity to meet human needs while bringing the built environment into closer harmony with the natural one.
In an era when many of us spend so many of our waking hours in the workplace, the design of that working space can have as much of a personal impact on our daily lives as the architecture of our houses.
On Renovations & Adaptive Re-use
One of our civilization’s greatest under-utilized resources is our supply of old buildings. Since pioneering the renovation of historic industrial buildings to live-work spaces with lofts in 1986, we have worked to advance the inventive and efficient adaptive re-use of this resource. Roughly two-thirds of our work over the past two decades has involved renovation and adaptive re-use.
On Making Architecture
Listening
We give a lot of attention to interviewing clients about their lives at home and at work, to identify how the space we design can meet their needs and fit their values.
Conceiving Ideas
We try to make connections between our clients’ priorities and the shaping of form and space, going beyond two-dimensional floor plans by sketching interior and exterior perspectives early in the process. If an existing building is our starting point, we collect as much physical information about it as possible, producing drawings measured from on-site conditions when needed. Where a new building is under consideration, we spend time studying the site, looking at ground contours, vegetation, water features and patterns of light and shadow in the different seasons.
Designing and Detailing
After trying out various schematic ideas and gathering suggestions from our clients, we adjust the form and begin producing details, consulting engineers in the areas of structure, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as energy conservation and solar energy. We also like to obtain information on potential costs from the client’s builder early in the process, in order to keep the project within the limits of funding and time set by the client.
Delivering Results
We produce construction drawings for our projects, and I normally submit them for approval by the local zoning authority, and then for building permit review, in person. We also review construction cost estimates and bids from builders, and monitor progress and costs while projects are under construction.
