BUILD Status Report
We’ve been swamped with great work and interesting activities lately- more so than at any point in our previous 12 years; so we figured it was a good time for the team to take a moment and share the scoop.
On the travel front, we just returned from New York City where we attended the Chase Jarvis Dasein show at the Ace Hotel –an energetic photography exhibit that focused on the raw human existence of “being there”. Over 15,000 snapshots (submitted by all types of folks from all kinds of places) created a thread of understanding and interpretation of the world. A super cool show with a heck of a wrap-up party. Big thanks to Chase and his crew.
One of our favorite architects, Billie Tsien of TWBTA, sat down with us for an upcoming Arcade Journal interview. She’s graceful, eloquent and able to modestly design circles around most architects – stay tuned for the full spread this fall.
We also caught up with the stellar architects over at Manifold Architecture Studio in Dumbo. They’re figuring out some innovative methods to work in the new economy and we’ll be highlighting these hot-shots in an upcoming BUILDblog post soon.
Team BUILD was on the scene for the opening day of The Highline Phase 2, which is an exceptional extension to one of the most significant pieces of design in the United States. And in the spirit of due diligence, we will be updating The Modern List with all sorts of new modern goodies soon. Being in the big city also gave us a chance to lay the ground-work for a couple of lectures this fall (more details on that later).
On the project front, we just started design work on a mid-century modern gem located in the acclaimed Hilltop neighborhood here in the Pacific Northwest. Developed between 1947 and 1950, the neighborhood is an extraordinary example of community planning, livability and efficiency. We’ll be breathing new life into one of the community’s classic modern homes while keeping the original poetry.
Our Queen Anne Remodel broke ground recently and the demo is full on. Our “Everything You Need to Know About Demolition” blog post is in the works.
The Massena Residence, a new modern home in Bellevue, is in for permit and ground breaking is scheduled for later this summer. The project will afford us the opportunity for a technical blog series focusing on details from beginning to end.
We’ve also taken on the remodel to an existing home on a seven acre site in Issaquah. We’re just in our information gathering stage, but we’ll be de-1980’s-ing the main house and transforming a secondary apartment/ studio building into a modern gem. More details to follow.
We’re also wrapping up some additional work for a favorite client up on Whidbey Island. Stay tuned for full coverage of a rural outbuilding that treads lightly on the land, as well as a look back to how a previous project is weathering 10 years later.
Back in Seattle’s Madrona nieghborhood, we’re preparing to maintain the shell of an older home while transforming the interior into a modernist sanctuary. We’ve also enlisted our talented friends at Langstraat-Wood to transform the surrounding hard/ landscapes into usable space for the modern family. A couple of other interior remodels are also heading toward construction and into our cabinet shop, including a MCM home in View Ridge and a classic Queen Anne bungalow, which are both keeping our pencils sharp.
…and speaking of our cabinet shop, big things are in the works. We’ll be launching a new website with our fully updated cabinet lines very soon.
We’ve had the privilege of working with Coyote Central, a non-profit in Seattle whose mission gives professional skills to adolescents in the studio and in the community. Classes include everything from acting to chefing to furniture building; check out their phenomenal roster of courses here. In collaboration with the hard-working folks over at HSV Engineers, we designed up an outdoor shelter for welding classes. It’s feel good work and, if you’re an architect, we highly recommend scouting out a non-profit in your community to support.
Lastly, we’re starting schematics on some commercial opportunities with a couple of trusted developers. We’ll have more to report on that soon.
In other news, BUILD is planning an expansion on our current capabilities to take on projects of all scales and types. Stay tuned for more news to follow this fall.
In the publishing world, we’ve been working with Atomic Ranch lately and our Innis Arden Residence will be featured in the fall issue –on the stands by September 1st.
That’s the skinny – let us know if there are opportunities out there we should be pursuing. The BUILD machine is in full swing and always on the look-out to serve like-minded clients.
And most important, to our current clients, thank you all for your enthusiasm, trust and support. We promise to continue to give you our best and value our relationship with each one of you.
Cheers from team BUILD
By mike eliason, June 17, 2011 @ 6:59 am
holy cow! way to emerge from the doldrums of the recession, guys!
By Knudsen, June 17, 2011 @ 9:01 am
…and you guys still find the time to blog. What kind of coffee are you drinking?
By Joe Brewer, June 17, 2011 @ 1:44 pm
So….other than that, what have you guys been up to?
By Kevin E, June 17, 2011 @ 2:32 pm
Ha Ha Joe-
Well said. Just the kind of good humor we love around the place.
By Jonas, June 18, 2011 @ 11:04 am
Seriously you guys…I feel like a slouch. Congratulations on all your hard work. I am really looking forward to the Atomic Ranch article and seeing the new Hilltop project.
By amr, June 18, 2011 @ 7:30 pm
Don’t know how you find the time to blog. I can’t find the time to peruse blogs much any more due to the amount of work coming this way. Shouldn’t complain really should I…
Great work as always though guys. Look forward to your blog posts on the Massena Residence, being the detail nut that I am.
Funny how when you immerse yourselves in the world of design, not just the daily grind of running a practice, opportunities arise, even in tough times.
By Jonas, June 20, 2011 @ 3:35 pm
Looking at the Massena Residence image, I’m now confused about how someone gets to that nice roof deck. I’m sure the building department will sort it out though…
By Build LLC, June 20, 2011 @ 4:05 pm
@Jonas – there’s an access door from the circulation volume (the black box to the right) to the deck. The building dept? C’mon man, we’re architects, we figure this stuff out.