Conversations RE: Tacoma

Being "unemployed" as many consider me since I'm not working for someone else, I get a number of requests for my time - and time seems to be dwindling these days. While I'm reducing the number of yes' I do still work on some pro-bono projects. Above is a logo designed for a new lecture series which is being held in Tacoma.

The goal for the lecture series is to "provoke" and "stimulate." I'm not sure if this logo is achieving this in the way originally envisioned but do believe it is doing so in ways not originaly thought of such as:
Red color grabs, puts you a bit on edge
The inclusion of "regarding," "redefining," and "reinventing" stimulate your thoughts to work on what this might mean
The large RE: pulls you in
And while overall the text makes perfect sense, initially it seems perhaps a bit incongruous, which means you must do a little work to understand - something I often strive for in my work

When the text for each of the three lectures is finalized I'll add the poster and the final version of the logo.

Single Family Homes & Leavenworth

image courtesy of Sustainable Building Center

I'm in Leavenworth this week, visiting my family, hiking, and getting some work done. I'm also being inspired again by the landscape. The region has my favorite landscape - rolling dessert hills marking the boundary between mountain and dessert. It's truly amazing to see so many eco-systems in such a small area.

While Leavenworth itself requires a bavarian style for newer structures, the surrounding area provides incredible inspiration for architecture which sits more calmly in its environs.

Since first learning of rammed earth construction I've dreamed of using this building technique in an area with the climate of Leavenworth - hot in summer, cold in winter. The construction type has so many qualities to it which make it desirable, particulary in this era where owners are becoming more in tune with the environment and strive to tread as lightly as possible. First of all, a portion of the mixture typically comes directly from the site on which the structure is being built. Secondly, the construction of the walls are actually not that complicated and can be completed by the homeowners (and their friends!) if desired. Third is the fact that the structure acts as a trombe wall - collecting heat during the day and releasing it at night, a very desirable way to reduce electrical usage due to reduced need for heating and air conditioning. Finally, it's just produces a really beautiful wall, both on the exterior and the interior and it's been proven to be more resistant to water etc than our standard building materials.

Which brings up a good point - rammed earth is not easily damaged. I attended a lecture in Portland, Oregon a number of years ago and if I remember correctly, it's as structurally stable as concrete and resists corrosion from water very efficiently. In fact, I believe the lecturer had said they'd used a sprayer with the pressure set to 5,000 psi and still had no damage. If you take a jackhammer to it it creates holes but the wall does not crumble as concrete would. They had even used it in a bathroom for the shower walls. This area required a little extra waterproofing but over a few years had held up very well.

All this being said, I'm hoping to find the opportunity to use this construction at some point in the near future.

See the links above located within the body of the text and hopefully I'll get a quick rendering of a design up over the next couple of weeks.

Cheers!