Our SPD cabinet shop recently sent a significant commercial cabinet package down to our creativeLIVE project in San Francisco. With two large shipments sent and one more about to go, our shop has been operating at a fever pitch. A cabinet job this large, complicated, and distant provided a unique challenge. The whole experience caused us to re-think how a cabinet package like this is constructed and then disassembled for shipment, along with the method of delivery, and how the cabinets can be reassembled on site by an entirely different group with sensibility and efficiency. And since we practice architecture with a capital ‘A,’ maintaining the uncompromisingly clean, modern aesthetic of the cabinets themselves is key to the success of the overall project.

The creativeLIVE San Francisco job is a 10,000 SF tenant improvement within a 1927 brick building (and former cannery) located in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, just south of downtown. It’s a beautiful, light-filled building with an open truss saw-tooth roof, a 1,500 SF loft area, and a sunny, 1,400 SF rooftop terrace. The design focuses on a sophisticated interiors palette, and the cabinetry plays an important role in the design. The cabinet package includes work stations for 76 people, eight conference rooms, control rooms, a green room, editing rooms, a lunch area with a full kitchen, reception, bathroom vanities, and general storage. Given the quick-paced nature of start-ups, particularly in San Francisco, the construction timeline is rigorous (read: lots of tight deadlines). Throw 800 miles of freeway between the shop and the project into the mix, and you’ve got a tremendous opportunity for growth and learning. Here are 5 key items that have led us to success:

1. Do a local test-run.
We had the fortunate opportunity to use the creativeLIVE Seattle headquarters as our laboratory and to dial in how the company functions and what their exact needs are. We’ve been honored to work closely with a dynamic company that has developed a fresh approach to delivering education. Working with the creativeLIVE team for the past three years, we’ve had a front row seat in witnessing them grow: the changing needs of their ever-expanding team, the evolution of their operations both in scope and location. It’s been exciting. We now have a firm grasp on their broadcast model, which demands high levels of concentration and socialization among the staff, production crews, and instructors. The close relationship has also helped us understand the details that make their operation hum; we’ve designed and built (and occasionally recalibrated and rebuilt) components along the way to meet the specific needs of creativeLIVE. The exacting approach at creativeLIVE towards the process and delivery of their craft strongly resonates with the values held at Special Projects Division and at BUILD. We’re all on the same page, and hold each other accountable for the high bar we’ve all set. The relationship works, and it’s made the difference in the project’s success.

For example, the role of reception is a much more rigorous position. There are the traditional welcoming/gatekeeping/organizing roles for this person, but Julie in Seattle balances these and juggles critical financial and scheduling requirements. This pushed us to fabricate a much more machined and robust station for such a machined and robust role. In our Seattle expansion, a generous lunchroom was included in the scope, and was eventually added onto as we witnessed the high level of interaction around shared meals. In San Francisco, we’re re-calibrating our design to (comfortably) seat twice as many people in roughly the same amount of space.

2. Design the shop around the projects.
We’ve allowed project types and scopes to inform the most efficient flow of work at the SPD shop. A previous post outlines the specifics. With the San Francisco package, we also fast-tracked some wish list improvements to the shop. Not only was material flow recalibrated and equipment reoriented, but the manner in which the high-touch hand-work is performed was reworked to maintain efficiency, even with so many more parts involved. SPD has always taken immense pride in the quality of all the hands involved, and in this case, each member has stepped up to personalize their work area in order to get those hands on the quantity of items this project called for.

3. A set of well thought-out jigs.
Once we finalized the design of pieces like the worktables, David meticulously made a series of jigs to guide the cutting and assembly of every single piece. With the math and geometry largely addressed, the guys could hone in on the craft and beauty of each cabinet. Though we joke that the most high-touch and precise of projects should be done without a tape measure, in this case we actually realized that goal.

4. Limited and time-sensitive outsourcing.
SPD prides itself on creating a hand-crafted product carefully joined with machined precision. When designing and building bigger packages of work (like 76 work stations, for example), there are components more suited for fabrication in shops that can deal with larger volumes of product while maintaining the speed and precision required. Here, the job involves 212 bamboo laminated panels and 81 laminated aluminum table tops. At 1” thick per sheet, the panels are cumbersome and tricky to circulate around our shop. We teamed with KML in Tacoma on the lamination process as they are set up for bigger orders. Since we’ve worked with them in the past, we knew they were on the same page in terms of quality. This allowed for consistency with each panel and allowed the SPD shop to focus on the workmanship of the cabinet components and details. For example, edge-banding is one of the more delicate and high-touch portions of the work, so we take care to perform this in-house.

5. In-house assembly demonstrations.
There is nothing quite like a full-sized mock-up that lets our clients get up close and personal with the key components of our pieces. For the workstations, we assembled a test run to further dial in the details: precise locations of inconspicuous power and data desktop plug-ins, wire management, panel heights for privacy and interaction, proper ergonomics — all while striving for clean efficiency that aligns with our client’s mission. While mocking up these key components, it became apparent that we needed both sitting and standing stations. And as a measure of exacting quality control, every tenth station is being assembled at the shop to ensure every component maintained consistency and the pieces always fit together when assembled.

Certainly not the least of our secret weapons in this mission, a HUGE thanks goes out to all the guys at the shop working tirelessly on the project: David, Aaron, Mike, Robert, and Noah. Their commitment to the quality (and quantity) of work being produced out of our little SPD cabinet shop is the unquantifiable component in the success of every project we do.

Cheers from Team BUILD

BUILD is wrapping up the design package for our creativeLIVE San Francisco project and we saved dessert for last. The project includes a 1,400 square foot rooftop deck where some serious sunshine and fun will be had after the long workdays ahead. In designing the outdoor lounge area, we’ve sorted through hundreds of outdoor furnishings and we’ve landed on a handful of solid finalists — just in time for summer. Rationale drove the selection process and we used a rigorous list of criteria for the selections. Here’s our top 10 decision-making factors:

Comfort
Availability
Cost-effectiveness
Exterior rated materials
Flexibility for layout and orientation
Agreement with the BUILD modern aesthetic
Capability to cover or protect them when not in use
Resistance to wear and tear based on commercial usage
Ability to stack, store and get the pieces out of the way when necessary
Last, but certainly not least, wicker-free furniture (ye olde wicker just doesn’t do it for us)
(And bonus points for furniture pieces that would look just as good indoors)

SEATING
For lounge sectionals that can create a cozy outdoor living room with clean lines we like the Casbah Seating from CB2.

We wanted something highly functional to complement the sectionals and maintain flexibility in the seating arrangements. We chose the Acapulco chairs because of their colorful accents and their ability to accommodate gatherings of different scales.

Cafe style chairs are always handy (both inside and out). We’re big fans of the playful Heller Bellini chairs which are very durable and also stackable.

To balance out the equation we threw in a handful of Salmela Taavi by Loll for the down-to-earth simplicity. This low-slung lounger just begs you to put some sandals on and kick back with a beer.

TABLES
For a simple, easy to move around design that matches the lounge furniture, we went with the Zuo Modern Golden Beach in gray. It’s everything it needs to be and nothing more.

ACCESSORIES
A 75′ extension of rectilinear zinc planter boxes becomes an important element to the deck design as it conceals the less than appealing rooftop elements and softens up the deck with a splash of greenery. These simple boxes do their job without taking attention away from the bamboo that will be growing in them.

For lighting, the plan is low maintenance and straight-forward. The Solar Buds by Luceplan offer way-finding on the deck and provide accent lighting to the planters — all without hardwiring.

For protection from that Californian sun, the Tuuci Hexagon Shade in aluminum by DWR is super-functional and sleek. It has a large coverage and looks stellar when it’s open.

That’s the short list from the BUILD research department. With summer quickly approaching, we’re looking forward to field testing this furniture — which may involve tipping back a few cold ones. Cheers from Team BUILD.

We’ve been receiving a healthy dose of emails lately from friends and fans of BUILD asking about the inner-workings of our design-build firm. Questions have come from as far away as Medvode (we’re huge in Slovenia!) to as close as just down the street. We think the answers may have a broad appeal or, if nothing else, they’ll provide our readers with some good blackmail material. So today’s post features the questions that we think are most relevant for architects, designers and builders. Take our answers with a big grain of proverbial salt. They’re not necessarily right, wrong, good or bad, but they’ve been producing results for us. So we’re here to share what we’ve learned.

How did the firm come to be?
We, Kevin Eckert and Andrew van Leeuwen, met in 1993 while studying abroad in Denmark, and as luck would have it, Scandinavia is the epicenter of modern design. Years later, we each graduated from our respective universities, and went to work for a variety of firms. The most notable of these offices was Swenson Say Fagét where we worked as structural engineers and — literally — learned the nuts and bolts of the industry. In 1999, Kevin started BUILD LLC to build a house for Eric Cobb and family as well as to design and build a modern cottage for long-time friends Greg and Margo Plaunt. During this start-up, Andrew went off to graduate school in Manhattan, returning a year later to put that master’s degree to good use at BUILD.

While working at other firms, we each became increasingly disturbed with the frequency of architecture projects that died very late in design because they couldn’t hit the budget. We decided to start an architecture and construction company that directly addressed that. Our company was deliberately named BUILD because we do whatever it takes, with a high level of intentionality, to realize (see: build) projects. That process involves listening to our clients, being conscientious of the budget, and designing with practicality. We keep both feet on the ground.

What is the history of the firm?
Over the last 12 years there have been some stellar people working and interning at BUILD. The current staff includes Duff Bangs, who was plucked out of his undergraduate architecture studio; he’s since gathered a handful of degrees and has been with the firm ever since. Construction Manager, Bart Gibson, was working with BUILD for years and finally became a card carrying member of BUILD in 2005.  Charles Caldwell came on board in 2011 and Sandy Ha joined BUILD in 2012. There are five of us predominantly in the office, one in the field and a rotating intern position. (Tip: if you’re sending us a resume we highly recommend reading this and this.)

While the office has changed locations over the years, Seattle has always been home base with our stability really coming into place once we completed and moved into Park Modern nearly six years ago. This is in pretty stark contrast to the first BUILD World Headquarters which was an ’86 Volkswagen Syncro. It was an awesome vehicle — driving the thing was like an extension of the body — and while we miss it, the six of us would have a difficult time being productive in its cramped 60 square feet. Plus, it just wouldn’t quite communicate: Trust us with your largest personal investment! 

We’ve worked on some 175+ projects (granted some of them have been small) in and around the Pacific Northwest with a few exceptions in Idaho, California and even New York. We used to try and put all of this into a slick graphic presentation, but then we just got too busy on the project end of things. It’s more of an early days time capsule now.

What sort of projects were you doing when you first started out?
In the beginning, many of our projects were small and unglamorous, but we were always honored that our community was bringing work our way and we worked our tails off. Many of these projects included basement remodels, kitchen remodels and second story additions. It allowed us to get our hands dirty, learn the business and pay the bills. It was scrappy work at first but we noticed increasing returns around the 5 year mark. It also gave us the opportunity to hone our systems in project feasibility, design, construction budgets, scheduling, cost tracking, etc.

How are the roles in a design-build office separated?
Kevin is primarily in charge of the business, finances, and construction management, while Andrew heads up the design, marketing and blog. These roles overlap a bit as any good, (dare we use the word) synergistic experience does. Kevin may lead design on certain projects in addition to his other roles when the fit is right. Bart is in the field most of the time staying a few chess moves ahead of the trades. Duff, Charles and Sandy are in the office and on the job sites doing everything from as-builts and permit documents to cost-estimating and specifying materials. We all wear a lot of hats at BUILD.

Is there a perfect size for a design-build firm?
There is for us, and it’s 6-8 people. We intentionally designed limitations into our physical office space so that we couldn’t inadvertently grow bigger; this way we won’t wake up someday in the future only to find that we’re running a firm of 40 people. At our current size we can get our minds around everything going on in the office and, although we have intentional processes and systems for just about everything, we can still self-organize. No overarching “manager” is required. It’s also easy to take everyone out for lunch.

What were some of the formative experiences while you were building the business?
Early on, we went to a lecture at the UW given by master architect Will Bruder. He said that he always has the highest admiration for his clients because they could have just as easily gone out and purchased a house with their credit card. He was honored that they walked through his door to support good design, and he had such respect for their patronage. That has really stuck with us.

On the flip side of the coin, someone once gave us the excellent advice to never sign a contract with an unstable person. It’s a laughable notion until you realize how easy it is to fall into this inadvertently. Both of these lessons have taught us to carefully assess potential client relationships to ensure a good fit for both us and our clients. We greatly honor the people that choose to work with us and who trust us with their big, oftentimes personal, investment.

And, it wasn’t glamorous, but since our firm consists of both licensed Architects and construction managers, we used the first five years to sort through the background regulations of a business model that was viewed differently. We were audited by a handful of agencies such as the Department of Revenue as well as our insurance agencies which ‘helped’ us sharpen the lines of what we were allowed to do and not do, how we should structure our agreements, etc. It was a trying time and we have more gray hair (and unfortunately less hair in general) as a result, but we can now operate with confidence that we are checking all the appropriate legal boxes.

Who are your greatest influencers?
The Scandinavians. And we don’t just mean the architects and designers, but also the people and society. They set healthy expectations, make rational decisions, take care of their environment and enjoy their lives. We noticed a simple philosophy in Denmark: as a society, they took good care of their traditional buildings so that they lasted for hundreds of years. At the same time, when they built something new it didn’t get in the way of or try and copy the traditional buildings. Everything represented its own time and place; it created this wonderfully authentic environment. We even created a design manifesto (clichés be damned) based on our Scando-experience that still very much resonates with us decades later.

What were the ingredients of establishing a successful design-build practice?
We crafted our lives so that we can stay totally on top of our projects. We have homes in a building above our office so that we can still participate in our family lives while keeping a close eye on our projects and taking care of our clients. It’s amazing how much time you get back in life when you don’t have to commute. A strong partnership between principals is also crucial given the amount of tasks on the design and construction sides. We often laugh (because it’s true) that we have more legal agreements, waking hours together, and important decisions to make as business partners than we do with our respective spouses.

What differentiates you from other design firms?
Everything we design and draw is thought about in terms of constructability and cost. We don’t do theoretical work, design for competitions or go after awards. We spend that time taking care of our clients. We also like to share information, which is an anomaly in a profession that guards its methods and uses a cryptic language to explain its design. That just seems so backward to us. A rising tide lifts all boats, we like to say (thanks, Chase).

How do you feel about competition design work?
It really seems to diminish the value of the architecture profession; we’ve seen so many architects held back because they get wrapped up in competition work. Architectural competitions teach young architects to dump ridiculous amounts of time into theoretical projects, give their work away for free and expect very little in return. If you look at the whole picture and study the return on investment, it’s a disaster of a business plan.

What did you learn from the recession?
We learned the importance of staying busy and being industrious, even if it’s not billable. During the entire recession, we kept our office hours and, even though work was slow, we focused on strengthening our brand, promoting our work, creating the BUILD Blog and contributing wherever we could. Doing so paid off ten-fold: we came out of the recession earlier than most firms and the systems we put in place are still hard at work.

Is there anything that surprised you about the trajectory you’re now on?
We’ve done several small commercial and tenant improvement projects now for start-ups, and we’re getting good at them. Coming from a heavy structural, nuts-and-bolts background, we didn’t really foresee ourselves selecting wallpaper and furnishings, but with adventurous clients on-board, we enjoy it. And it’s producing some spaces that we’re extremely proud of. It also brings a different design strategy and more intimate feel to a sector of design typically dominated by corporate interior firms. There’s a saying that a good architect should be able to design anything from a chair to a high-rise and we’re putting it to the test — still waiting on that high rise project though.

Do you have construction builders in-house or do you use outside companies to do the work?
We have project managers on staff (Kevin and Bart), and we work closely with trusted vendors who supply and perform the work. As we alluded to above, there are a host of things we can do for our clients and, under Washington State regulations, there are some lines we have to be careful not to cross as professional Architects and construction managers. In addition to the designing and building of structures, BUILD, along with our very talented partner David Hentzel, owns a cabinet shop we call Special Projects Division. The shop allows us better control over the crucial interior components of any project.

Do you select key contractors per project based on price or are you always working with the same team of builders?
For our team outside of BUILD, we have a pretty reliable roster of hired guns. We have a handful of small/solo carpenter companies that we hire for much of the project parts and good options for everything else (mechanics, specialty trades, etc.). Taking care of our vendors, and helping to keep everyone alive during the lean times has built a very loyal team. It’s important to point out that we aim to take care of our clients and everyone else on the project. It may sound trite, but we’ve created an environment that breaks from the traditional paradigm of winners and losers. We work for everyone to win, as do our contractors and clients. This establishes a high level of trust and compatibility. It’s also a key component in delivering what we promise to each client. If someone’s price isn’t where we want it to be, we work it out. With the knowledge that we’ll take care of them, every subcontractor is willing to negotiate with us as needed.

Which projects do you find more rewarding to design, ones for a client or projects for yourselves?
The two project types are just different beasts. When we’re doing our own projects the design process is quick, effective and decisive simply because we’ve been through this so many times that we know exactly what we want. Working with good clients is also very enjoyable because they push us in ways that we wouldn’t expect. The design phase of our favorite client-based projects usually includes moments where the owner suggests a design idea and we say, “Yeah, let’s do that. I wish we’d thought of that!”

How do you go about marketing your business? In addition to your social media presence, are you also active in printed marketing, word of mouth?
One of the first steps in our social media efforts was identifying our audience. We went through a pretty thorough exercise years ago to figure out who our clients actually were. Before then, we had no idea how people would come to us or how to reach out to them. Once we distinguished what a BUILD client was interested in, that gave us avenues to reach out to them.

As far as being active and making new connections, one of the things that can’t be overstated is to make real connections with other professionals whenever possible. We participate heavily in cultural activities in our area and we have an extensive network of alliances with people in professions (software, engineers, creatives, doctors, etc.). It’s enjoyable and it keeps us in plain view of a lot of folks who may eventually have a project or know someone who does. We have architect friends and peers who we stay in contact with, and we try to make the most of sharing information and our limited social interaction with those friends. But, we try to cast as wide of a cultural net as possible.

Word of mouth is a good place to start, but we found we needed to get our name and work in front of eyeballs on a more consistent basis. The pattern shows that most folks have had a couple points of contact with us before we ever meet them in person. They discover us online, they know someone we know, they’ve seen a project. Those multiple layers of familiarity allow potential clients to feel comfortable with us even before that first meeting.

How did you go about creating such an accurate construction cost estimation system?
We met with a builder-friend many years ago who was generous enough to help us set up a budget format for our construction pricing. We’ve since fine-tuned that process over the course of many years, but the initial start was very helpful. There’s no substitute for working out construction pricing with the people who are doing it every day. Now that we’re actively engaged in construction management, our pricing templates are kept up to date with each active project.

How has the world of builders and architects changed due to social media? Has it made information and details more accessible?
We’re still baffled that so few architects and builders have embraced social media. There’s so much potential to share information, self publish, and get your ideas out in the world that you’d think architects would be the pioneers on that front. But despite those opportunities, we can count the number of successful architecture blogs on two hands. That said, our world has evolved tremendously with the new tools for connecting and communicating. We’ll share a construction detail on the blog, and a few hours later we’ll have advice and ideas from people all over the world on how to do it differently or better. Sharing information doesn’t get any more powerful than that. Clients moving to Seattle find us from places like France and China, which we never would have guessed as a benefit of hosting a blog or managing a Facebook page. We also have the opportunity (and expectation) to publish our projects whenever we like. It’s been a labor of love, and we don’t regret for a minute that we dove in feet first when we did.

Thanks for the questions and cheers from team BUILD.

It’s nearly summer around here in Seattle (at the very least we’re getting a temporary preview of it), and it reminds us that we’re swiftly approaching the one year anniversary of SPD’s big shop move. So far, the new location and new space has worked out extremely well. And the past several months have seen the acquisition of a slew of new equipment, tools, and the addition of a new team member. Equally important, the guys have figured out how to really make the space work for them. Here’s the rundown of the latest and greatest from the Special Projects Division cabinet shop:

[Plan by Special Projects Division LLC]

Shop Re-org
The biggest impact of the shop re-org involved the positioning of the saws. They’ve been set up so that racks can feed directly into each saw, saving a ton of time and effort lugging materials from one end of the shop to the saw. The two main ones in the shop are the Panhans II, used to make the box forms and the Altendorf, used for platform veneer and edging. Each has a large footprint and requires significant material clearances as pieces come off the machines. Now located within the center of the space in a rotated position from each other, Aaron and Mike can each work at their respective machines with ease and efficiency. Like a well choreographed dance. It’s beautiful, really.

Altendorf Edgebander
SPD got their hands on the edgebander back in June, and hasn’t looked back since. This machine is a game-changer. What used to take a whole day is now a 90 minute job.

Clamp Wall
At first sight, the sheer size and volume of clamps on the clamp wall can be intimidating. They nearly cover an entire wall of the shop. The clamps are used primarily for box-making, and when the shop is humming, there’s not a single clamp left hanging.

Festool Chop Saw
For those unfamiliar, Festool is the top of the line when it comes to woodworking tools. This chop saw is capable of fractions upon fractions in precision. Need a 1/64″ shave? Look no further.

Panel Sander
Though capable of panel sanding, SPD primarily uses this ridiculously huge machine to sand multiple edges at once. Six hours of work is reduced to one. Another one of the hyper-precise machines at the shop, this one calibrates digitally.

Super Sweet Organizational Unit (SSOU^TM)
The SSOU^TM, the brainchild of Aaron, was implemented not long after he started at SPD. As most innovations come to be, this one was born out of necessity and a touch of OCD (a good thing in a workshop). The cabinets SPD creates utilize the same core set of tools. Before the SSOU^TM, these tools were kept in a disorganized pile which would have to be sorted through each time cabinet boxes had to be made. In a “this will not do” moment, the SSOU^TM was born. Simply made out of platform off-cuts and labeled by hand, it is now an essential part of the well-oiled machine that is SPD.

Cabinet 3-Hole Drill
The Blum hinge machine allows for some seriously high-volume production. In one shot, three holes can be drilled at once. Three times the speed, and three times the fun.

Forklift
We’ve got some muscle down at the shop, but the high volume, time-sensitive projects that have been in the pipeline lately have required SPD to amp up their game. Three months ago, the shop purchased a forklift to do the heaviest of heavy lifting. Operated by David and Aaron, the vehicle can take the 25 sheet shipments and cart them right up to the saws to be cut down.

The Coffee Maker (The most important tool in the shop)
While everyone at the shop rolls in with their favorite cup of morning brew, throughout the course of a day, it’s important to stay fueled up. The dusty, hard-working machine tucked off in the corner is a modest, but crucial part of the SPD team. The guys will change up the beans depending on who purchased them last, and it’ll run the gamut from mainstream to micro-roast. And, no surprise, barista duty is on the new guy.

David Hentzel Furniture
In addition to manning the helm at Special Projects Division, David works on his furniture line for independent clients and also displays and sells his work at a select number of shows throughout the year. Most recently, he showed (and sold out of) a variety of pieces at the Port Terminal in Magnolia last month. This year is proving to be a busy one with shows in Spokane, Jackson Hole, and San Francisco on his calendar.

That pretty much covers it for the latest happenings at the cabinet shop. The guys have been seriously busy with all the changes in-shop as well as with big jobs going on as we speak. We’ll have more on the project-based specifics in a later post, so stay tuned. Until then, big congrats to SPD for a well-made shop.

Cheers from Team BUILD

Ever heard the story of the drapes at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York? Well, it’s a doozy, and goes something like this*:

It’s 1959 and the Four Seasons Restaurant, a masterpiece of midcentury grace, is about to open in mid-town Manhattan’s acclaimed Seagram Building designed by Mies van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson. The 20’ tall windows of the pool room and front bar have just been furnished with metal curtains, a series of draped chains designed by textile artisan Marie Nichols and made from hundreds of thousands of aluminum loops. In the minimal setting of carefully selected French walnut panels, the subtle arc of the drapes were to be a prominent feature.

[Image source: New York Times]

And that’s just about the time that the installers notice something odd. Despite the perfect stillness of the space, tiny waves are undulating up and down through the drapes with a dizzying affect. Mind you, this is an unexpected occurrence in one of the most restrained and calculated rooms in Manhattan. This is a dining room that will host presidents and royalty, and a bar that will pour martinis for the rich and famous (and the occasional riff-raff like ourselves). As best as they can determine, the condition is a factor of differing air temperatures on each side of the drapes, or a result of the imperceptible air movement from the HVAC system, or a well-mannered ghost. Who really cares after a few martinis (see disclaimer below)? The point is that the solution is beyond their power to solve. And at this moment, 60 windows worth of drapes rippling with a hypnotic regularity are spelling disaster with a capital ‘D’.

A restrained panic occurs (it is the Four Seasons after all). Phone calls are placed. In the midst of the flurry, in walks Phillip Johnson with his big round glasses, and quietly observes the scene. His clever intellect blows right past the mechanics of the situation and, instead, he goes straight for the jugular of social perception. To an audience that includes the contractor, the restaurant manager, the wait staff, and a handful of installers, Johnson calmly and succinctly proclaims the gentle flutters to be beautiful. And from that moment on, the shimmering drapes take on an alluring elegance. Like a switch, the drapes flipped from dizzying undulations to seductive flutters. It just took one carefully delivered word from just the right person.

[Image source: Design Wire]

A half-century later, the metallic chain drapes of the Four Seasons Restaurant have become so significant to the experience that people can’t imagine the space without them. They are such a necessity to the establishment that the Four Seasons spends a ridiculous amount of time and money to maintain them just as they are.

The situation in 1959 could have just as easily gone the opposite direction, involving a delayed opening, replacement drapes, piles of lost money, and a disgraced design team. Obviously it didn’t, but that’s not nearly as interesting as why it didn’t. The conundrum wasn’t turned around because of mechanical skill, elbow grease or throwing more money at a problem, but because someone knew the right thing to say in the right way at the right time. One could argue that one man’s problem is another man’s poetry, and that Johnson simply went with a gut reaction that it was beautiful to him, but there’s more to it than that. Johnson’s praise was a carefully played chess move and a brilliant marketing spin.

[Image source: Gourmet Live]

The discipline of design is just as much a social study as it is a mastery of materials and methods. Knowing how buildings go together, understanding the building code, and having a good sense of aesthetics are all critical pieces, but they are just the fundamentals. More often than not, what separates a good designer from a great designer is an understanding of people and a mastery of the language that connects them. There is no substitute for the ability to read your audience and convey in words exactly what needs to be said. Even if it’s only about the drapes.

Cheers from Team BUILD

* Disclaimer: We were three martinis deep by the time we dragged this story out of the bartender at the Four Seasons front bar. Our written version here may or may not bear any resemblance to factual events, the story you heard, or for that matter, the story we heard.

Completing a new project and getting the finished photos up on the BUILD website is always a great feeling. There’s a certain victory in crossing the finish line after the long and thorough process of designing, permitting, and constructing a project. And while we love the long-anticipated end result of a project, there’s always one thing missing from the finished presentation: all of the hard working individuals on the job sites who made it happen.

[Noah Frank, Robert Agostinelli, Aaron Nelson, David Hentzel, Mike Abrahamson]

[Antonio & Ramon of Rivera 26 Remodeling]

Here at BUILD, a successful project involves everyone from Jim the excavator to Jason the finish carpenter. Exceptional end results depend on the entire team working diligently and intentionally together. Today’s post is pure gratitude to all of the people that make BUILD projects as successful as they are.

[The Scotts of Alexander's Custom Homes Inc.]

These are the individuals we rely on day in and day out for their elbow grease and expertise. Being a reliable member of the team means a great deal to us and our efforts would be pretty lines on paper without each and every one of them. It’s always a thrill to visit the job site and work with people who are masters of their trade. Nothing earns our respect more than someone who has deliberately taken up a purpose in life and has become a skilled expert.

[Pete & Tom of Bell Electric]

[Muki & Damir of Neric Pro BUILD]

[The Deerly Brothers]

Establishing these relationships has taken well over a decade now, and finding a good fit with the right people is central to how we work and how we live. Thank you to each and every person out in the field working hard to make BUILD projects a reality. We’re honored to work with you and to have you in our community.

[Nahn Truong & the painters of KT Painting Co.]

[Skyler Holmes]

Cheers from Team BUILD

While on a recent work trip to San Francisco, we were able to play hooky and sneak up north to California’s wine country for a quick tour. Today’s post is a modern synopsis of the region including Napa, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Calistoga and Sonoma. Simply put, it’s the skinny on modern architecture, design, art, food, and culture in wine country for the design conscious. Enjoy and add anything we missed to the comments section below.

BRUNCH | LUNCH
For a region celebrated for its wine, the options for food are limitless. And the options for a mid-day meal range from classic mainstays to the increasingly ubiquitous mobile food trucks.

Bouchon, 6534 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.8037

[Image source: Bouchon]

Gott’s Roadside, 644 1st Street, Napa

[Image source: Gott's]

Kitchen Door, 610 1st Street, Napa (at Oxbow Market), 707.226.1560

[Image source: Kitchen Door]

Addendum, 6476 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.2487

[Image source: Ad Hoc & Addendum]

Oenotri, 1425 1st Street, Napa, 707.252.1022

[Image source: Oenotri]

DINNER
After a day’s worth of tastings and a bottle (or ten) of wines purchased, it time to eat. Again. One of the beauties of dining in wine country is bringing your newly acquired local wine to pair with some top-notch meals.

French Laundry, 6640 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.2380
A Thomas Keller classic. This list wouldn’t be complete without it.

[Image source: Eat A Duck I Must!]

Ad Hoc, 6476 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.2487

[Image source: Ad Hoc & Addendum]

Farmstead, 738 Main Street, St. Helena, 707.963.9181

[Image source: Farmstead]

Morimoto Napa, 610 Main Street, Napa, 707.252.1600

[Image source: Morimoto Napa]

Mustard’s Grill, 7399 St. Helena Highway, Napa, 707.944.2424

[Image source: Chevsky]

Redd, 6480 Washington Street, Yountville, 707.944.2222

[Image source: Lauren Loves To Eat]

Redd Wood, 6775 Washington Street, Yountville, 707. 299.5030

[Image source: Nick Vasilopoulos]

Solbar, 755 Silverado Trail Calistoga, 707.226.0850

[Image source: Solbar]

WINERIES
And, the real reason for venturing up to the valley in the first place: the wine. It can be overwhelming to take it all in, so we’ve filtered it down to some of our favorites, with a dose of high quality design mixed in.

Hess Collection, 4411 Redwood Road, Napa, 707.255.1144
Quite possibly the best art collection in Napa.

[Image source: Hess Collection]

Quintessa Winery, 1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, 707.967.1601
Simple and elegant siting on the land.

[Image source: Quintessa Winery]

CADE Winery, 360 Howell Mountain Road S, Angwin, 707.965.2756
Nice delicate, modern structure.

[Image source: CADE Winery]

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, 200 Taplin Road, St. Helena, 707.963.2745
Winery and facilities beautifully integrated into the land.

[Image source: Joseph Phelps Vineyards]

Turnbull Wine Cellars, 8210 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, 800.877.6285
Simple, refined barn structures set within a crafted landscape.

[Image source: Turnbull Wine Cellars]

Cuvaison Estate Wines, 1221 Duhig Road, Napa, 707.942.2455
Cuvaison’s second location in Carneros is an open, light-filled Scandinavian-influenced structure, ideal for the modernist oenophile.

[Image source: Cuvaison Estate Wines]

Opus One Winery, 7900 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, 707.944.9442
Francis Ford Coppola’s winery is (as one would expect) a bit over the top, but it was an important stop on the wine tour.

[Image source: Opus One Winery]

Clos Pegase Winery, 1060 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga, 707.942.4981
We’re not much for post-modernism, but the over-sized architectural elements and pastel colors in this Michael Graves design seem to work at the winery scale (in that playful, tongue-in-cheek sort of way).

[Image source: Clos Pegase Winery]

Artesa Vineyards and Winery, 1345 Henry Road, Napa, 707.224.1668
Is it a winery buried in the hillside, or a hillside built up around a winery? We’re not sure but it’s a fresh take on winery design.

[Image source: Artesa Vineyards and Winery]

Dominus Estate, 2570 Napanook Road, Yountville, 707.944.8954
The much-lauded, and very private, modern winery designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

[Image source: Dominus Estate]

Merus Wines, 424 Crystal Springs Road, St. Helena, 707.251.5551
Sleek and sophisticated design makes Merus a perfect candidate for The Modern List’s winery selection.

[Image source: Merus Wines]

Alpha Omega Winery, 1155 Mee Lane, Rutherford, 707.963.9999
The design of AO creates a perfectly pleasant atmosphere to spend the afternoon tasting wine and sitting in the sun.

[Image source: Alpha Omega Winery]

[image source: Expocrete]

With most residential work, be it a new home or a remodel, the design of the exterior “hardscape” is just as important as the home itself. These areas can include an entry sidewalk and its sequence of experiences leading up to the front door, a deck or a private courtyard integral to the home, or something as utilitarian as a driveway to the garage. In a nutshell, we’re talking about any hard surface areas exposed to the elements. Rather than being afterthoughts or secondary design elements, these features are central to the overall planning of the site. Traditionally, these hard surfaces prevented rain water from reaching the ground below and were considered impermeable by most building departments. But this is changing, and there are a variety of hard surface applications that allow for stable, flat surfaces, all while allowing rain water to pass through to the ground below.

[image source: Enhance Companies]

These engineered materials are becoming increasingly important to architecture, construction and the permitting process. Most urban and suburban jurisdictions operate with land use codes that now limit the amount of lot coverage and impervious surface area on a parcel*. Doing so controls the amount of rainwater at the source, reduces runoff of storm water and improves water quality by filtering the pollutants within the soil itself. In the Pacific Northwest, for instance, the maximum allowable impervious surface area ranges from around 15 to 35 percent of the total parcel (depending on how the city or county has zoned the property). Once this limit is reached with the impervious surface area, no further development can occur on site. Because permeable surfaces are excluded from this calculation, they allow the addition of hardscapes without the penalty of impervious surface area—it allows the homeowner to have their cake and eat it too.

We work with a high frequency of challenging sites; sites which are usually governed by stringent zoning codes, and we typically need to be conscientious and careful of the allowable impervious surface area. This has necessitated a kit-of-parts over the years that include some reliable and cost-effective permeable surfaces. Today’s post breaks our findings down into three groups:

POROUS ASPHALT PAVEMENT
Pervious asphalt, permeable asphalt, porous concrete

[image source: Julie Orr Design]

Think of it like Rice-Krispies treats with a higher compressive strength and not quite as tasty.

Effective permeability range: 16-25%
Compressive strength: up to 4,000 psi
Required thickness: 4″ – 8”
Technology: The deletion of fine aggregate allows for connected voids while the coarse aggregate is coated with enough cementitious paste to hold it all together
Application: Areas with light traffic, driveways, pedestrian walkways, bike paths
Cost: $3 – $10 per square foot (extremely dependent on size of job)
Other considerations: Typically requires additional layers of sub-base material or filter fabric

[image source: BC Concrete]

PERMEABLE PAVING UNITS
Pervious pavers, porous pavers

[image credit: Aroura LLC]

Because the technology here is ceramic-based, these systems are typically proprietary. We like the Aroura Klorostone product for its clean aesthetic, simple color options and versatility.

Permeability: The Klorostone is capable of infiltrating up to 2 inches of stormwater per minute without relying on mortar gaps. The exact permeability is difficult to determine with these products because each company has its own protected recipe.
Compressive strength: 6,000 psi
Thickness: 2-3/8″
Technology: Each individual paving unit is porous (as opposed to interlocking concrete that relies on aggregate gaps for infiltration)
Application: Driveways, sidewalks, courtyards, patios
Cost: $7 – $10/sf delivered
Available colors: 4
Other considerations: The joints around paving units will provide an additional 5-15% of permeable area

[image credit: Aroura LLC]

OPEN CELL PAVERS
Grass-crete pavers, interlocking cell pavers, precast concrete cells

[image source: Western Interlock]

We’re big fans of the Belgard Turfstone pavers because of the large paver size (24” x 16”); this size can be used for a continuous surface or it’s just wide enough to accommodate two tire strips for an inconspicuous driveway.

Permeability: The units preserve 40% of earth area and allow water to pass directly through to the earth below.
Compressive strength: 8000 psi
Thickness: 3-1/8”
Technology: Concrete and holes, it’s simple and straight-forward (just how we like it)
Application: We like to use it for courtyards or understated driveways
Cost: ~$5/sf
Available colors: Gray
Other considerations: Fill the open cells with moss or grass for a softer visual (it also helps keep the site cooler)

[image source: Scheftic Construction]

*It’s worth noting that gravel is considered an impervious surface by many jurisdictions and its inclusion on a project will count against the impervious surface calculations. From the King County website:

“Packed gravel prevents or impedes the entry of water into the soil as compared to natural conditions. Scientific studies show that once gravel is compacted (from cars or heavy equipment, for example), the gravel acts like paved surfaces and surface water runs off it in greater quantities than compared to natural conditions. In addition, if cars or heavy equipment are traveling on these gravel surfaces, pollution such as dissolved minerals or residual petroleum are washed off into our waterways.”

There’s tons of products out there that help with the permeability of surfaces in our built-environment, share what you know and feel free to add to our list of favorite products.

Cheers from Team BUILD

Additional sources:
Wikipedia, U.S. EPA, Dauphin County Conservation District,  NRMCA, Tree Hugger

We recently returned from San Francisco for our creativeLIVE project which is in full-throttle construction mode. While we were in the City by the Bay we also interviewed master architect Stanley Saitowitz and the extremely talented Joshua Aidlin for upcoming ARCADE Magazine articles (stay tuned). And if you know anything about the way we travel, every breakfast lunch and dinner was carefully researched. All of our travel experiences are kept in a tidy place on the web that we like to call The Modern List. Here are the SF updates, add your faves in the comments section and we’ll get them on our radar.

BRUNCH | LUNCH
 Wexler’s, 568 Sacramento St, 415.983.0102 by Aidlin Darling

[Image source: Wexler's]

 Plow, 1299 18th St, 415.821.7569

[Image source: Plow]

DINNER
 Bar Agricole, 355 11th St, 415.355.9400 by Aidlin Darling

[Image source: Matthew Millman]

 Hard Water, Pier 3, The Embarcadero, 415.392.3021

[Image source: Hard Water]

 Cotogna, 490 Pacific Avenue, 415.775.8508

[Image source: Cotogna]

DRINKS
 Bar Agricole, 355 11th St, 415.355.9400

[Image source: Mariko Reed]

 Trick Dog, 63010 20th St, 415.471.2999

[Image source: Trick Dog]

COFFEE
 Blue Bottle Coffee, 315 Linden St

[Image source: SF Gate]

 Blue Bottle Coffee, 66 Mint Plaza

[Image source: Back On The Boat]

 Coffee Bar, 1890 Bryant St, 415.551.8100

[Image source: On Gig]

 Sightglass Coffee, 270 70th St, 415.861.1313

[Image source: Sightglass Coffee]

RETAIL
 Chronicle Books, 165 4th St, 415.369.6271 by Aidlin Darling

[Image source: Matthew Millman]

 Triple Aught Design, 551 Hayes St, 415.318.8252

[Image source: Gear Junkie]

BUILDINGS
 SF JAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St by Mark Cavagnero Associates Architects

[Image source: SF JAZZ]

 Howard Street Residences, 1234 Howard St by Saitowitz | Natoma Architects

[Image source: AIA San Francisco ]

 Aether, 489 Hayes St by Envelope A+D

[Image source: Aether]

Dear MoMA,

We’ve had our differences over the years, no doubt. In 2008, we criticized the Home Delivery:Fabricating the Modern Dwelling exhibit and in 2011, we took issue with the Foreclosed:Rehousing the American Dream. But in general we’ve found the exhibits and the philosophy of MoMA to be exemplars of the modern mindset we stand for. The redeeming quality of both shows was that they sparked public debate and put a spotlight on important issues, whether or not we saw eye to eye. We agreed to disagree; keeping loyal to our MoMA membership (yes, we’re card carrying members all the way from Seattle), and continuing to make your museum the epicenter of each and every trip to NYC.

[Image source: Ozier Muhammad for the New York Times]

Last Friday we logged onto the New York Times and read Robin Pogrebin’s article 12-Year-Old Building at MoMA Is Doomed and our relationship with you took a turn for the worse. We read that, in the ongoing effort to expand your facilities, MoMA intends to demolish its adjacent neighbor, the American Folk Art Museum, a carefully designed building that has become a diamond in the rough of Manhattan architecture. Not only is this a reckless design move, but it’s just plain irresponsible. Negligently erasing the Folk Art Museum from the urban fabric to create a blank canvas is the sort of move that a second year architecture student makes, not the master stroke of the wise architect that MoMA has been up until now. This move seems so hasty to us, in fact, that we’re severing our ties with you. We’re not renewing our MoMA membership, we’re not giving you any more money, and we’ll be focusing on some alternative venues for our next NYC trip. Our paltry $140 annual membership, our small donations, and our critique of your decision may hardly register on your radar (being an organization of $150M+ in annual revenue and all), but here is what should matter to you:

1. You are failing modernism.
Modernism seeks thoughtful solutions to challenging problems. One of the main reasons you offered the New York Times in support of the demolition was the varying floor heights between the two buildings. Are you kidding? You can’t figure out an elegant solution to handle the differing floor heights? Isn’t resolving something like incongruent geometries exactly what modernism excels at? If your architects can’t provide a handful of exciting solutions to do so, send the plans on over, Team BUILD would be more than happy to deliver on it.

2. You are practicing anti-sustainability.
The environmental impacts of bulldozing a perfectly functional, 12 year old building are shameful. We get a headache just considering the consequences: the effort it will take to raze the building, transport the debris, and the amount of space it will consume at the landfill—not to mention the wasted energy, time, materials, and financing of the original structure. Don’t even try pulling off some exhibit on “green” design after this foolish move.

3. Your feet no longer touch the ground.
You’re losing touch with the design-conscious public, also known as your patrons. Those of us with both feet on the ground in the design world are concerned with the built-environment and how we relate to the world around us. We also honor our fellow women and men—some of whom put in a great deal of time and energy on the American Folk Art Musuem. When you make decisions that lack sensibility, you lose us.

[Image source: ARTCASTE]

MoMA, you are America’s largest modern art institution and you should be seeking dynamic, engaging design strategies in your architecture, just as you do with your exhibits. Demolishing the Folk Art Museum is mediocre design move. It lacks imagination. To be blunt, it’s lazy. In our opinion, this decision has taken you dramatically off course; you are no longer leading the charge on modernism and we can’t go along for the ride.

With Regrets,

Team BUILD

[Image source: BUILD LLC]