Seattle Green Building-The Windows at 1105 Dwell

With the Structural Insulated Panels in place it is time to start installing the windows at Dwell Developments new project 1105 Dwell.

DSC05094Dwell is well-known for their designs that are bathed in natural light and that offer unique views of their surroundings with the careful placement and selection of windows.  Specifically in the case of this project the homes are located on a site that slopes from East to West with views of Judkins Park, Beacon Hill and Downtown Seattle.  With this in mind architect Julian Weber has designed this project with double height corner windows for each home with lofty living spaces that are oriented in such a way as to take advantage of the unique view corridors that the site allows for.  The effect on the aesthetic of the design is striking; not only from the exterior, but from the interior perspective as well.

The choice of windows is very important when designing any home, especially when the windows are such an integral part of the architectural details. Dwell has chosen to use Pella Proline windows for this project that feature a wood interior and an aluminum EnduraClad® exterior.  These windows are beautiful inside and out and the wooden interiors lend a great deal of warmth to the modern design of the homes.

DSC05091It is not just the look of the windows that is important, but the efficiency, durability, and functionality of those windows are also important considerations.  This particular model is one of the most durable and long lasting windows available on the market and offers low-E glass and air infiltration standards that meet or exceed ENERGY STAR® guidelines.

DSC05089

The extensive use of operable windows in these homes is an excellent approach to passive ventilation as opposed to the use of air conditioning during warmer months.  Although the homes will be equipped with a whole house fan that will be used year round, it is possible to strategically open certain windows in the home to create a refreshing breeze and the fresh air exchanges that will contribute to healthy indoor air quality as well.

If this is the first post you have read in our Seattle Green Building series please take the time to go back and visit past posts.  We hope to help you gain a greater understanding of how a home is constructed and to illustrate the many ways that thoughtful, forward thinking design and development can have a positive impact on our lives.

Seattle Green Building-Dwell Development’s SIP Walls on 23rd

As part of their ongoing efforts to build homes that consider efficiency and the environment as much as design and livability, Dwell Development has decided to use SIP Walls for the exterior envelope of their new project, Dwell Over the Park.  Let’s take a look at exactly what a SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) is and talk a bit about the many benefits their use offers for structural durability, energy efficiency, and reduced environmental impact.

SIP’s are most commonly made of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) panels that are sandwiched around a foam core made of expanded polystyrene.  These core materials are made of 98% air and the blowing agent used to expand the foam is CFC-free.  Only a small amount of petroleum is required to create the foam insulation and the manufacturing process uses 24% less energy than fiberglass of equivalent R-Value.  The OSB panels are typically made from fast growing species such as aspen or poplar and use nearly all of the wood of the harvested trees with very little waste.  To manufacture the panels layers of wood strands are oriented for structural integrity and then compressed and bonded together with wax and low formaldehyde resins.   

The benefits of SIP’s are many, but most notable would be that they create a strong, durable envelope with high insulation values and minimal air infiltration.  The structural characteristics of a SIP are very similar to a steel I-beam with the OSB skins acting as the flange of the I-beam and the rigid foam core providing the web.  For comparison, a 4-inch SIP wall has an insulation value of R-14 and will outperform a 2×6 stick frame wall with R-19 fiberglass insulation.  When a blower door test is conducted after the home is constructed SIP’s have been known to be 15 times more airtight than their stick framed counterpart with fiberglass insulation.  This is significant when you consider that up to 40% of a homes heat loss is due to air leakage. 

Constructing a home using SIP’s can save as much as 55% over conventional wood framing costs and from an operational standpoint they can reduce heating and cooling costs upwards of 50%.  They are manufactured offsite to custom specifications and as such offer a reduction in initial resource demand and jobsite waste.  While the technology for SIP’s was developed in the 1930’s in the severe Wisconsin climate, they are now widely used in construction projects all over the world. 

Dwell made the decision to use SIP’s for their latest project because of what they had to offer from a structural, efficiency, and environmental benefit perspective.  The future homeowners here will value them for their durability, comfort, and reduced utility costs. 

If this is the first post you have read in our Seattle Green Building series please take a few minutes to look over past posts.  There is a wealth of interesting information there designed to help you understand how homes are built and how homes built with the environment in mind are the logical and necessary future of homebuilding. 

Sources: www.sips.org, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/structural_insulated_panel

GreenDwellingSeattle October 2009 Green Home Tour

Kirkland Duo East Home

This month’s tour takes us back to the Eastside and to another pioneering work by Yuval Sofer and YS Development.  We will be visiting the second home of the Kirkland Duo project.  The Kirkland Duo project is the first and second Built Green 4-Star homes in Kirkland.  YS Development has dedicated the past two years to this project and has assembled a dedicated group of architects, designers, and engineers to create these wonderful homes.  In December 2008 the West house of the Duo project was chosen as one of a select group of Built Green Case Study homes.

The focus of October’s tour will be the East home of the project  featuring sustainable building materials and technologies such as Advanced Framing, FSC Certified Flooring, a Green Roof, and a Heat Recovery Ventilation System.  Designed by renowned Place Architects and built to custom home standards, the Duo project  has been recognized by the City of Kirkland Green Building Program as a showcase of what is possible in well-designed, environmentally friendly, suburban new home construction.

Please visit  the tours page for more information and to sign-up.

THANK YOU!!

Seattle Green Building-Dwell Development’s Urban Designs

DSC04653

As we continue the latest project in our Seattle Green Building Series we catch up with Dwell Development as they move onward from the foundation work and into setting the Structural Insulated Panels for their four-unit townhouse project in Judkins Park.  We are very excited to show you the progress of the construction, but while they are setting the panels it seems a good time to talk a bit about the design of the project and some of the thought processes involved.  

According to Dwell’s architect Julian Weber, any respectable residential design starts with a careful evaluation of the site. Location and increased density potential come first, followed by the walkability, connection to public transportation, and finally the current and future vitality of the area they are considering. 

Once they have chosen a specific location, the Dwell team sets to work determining how they will maximize the potential of the site.  Increased density of our urban areas is a high priority for Dwell and their projects are, for the most part, infill developments where one home is removed and two, three, or in this case four homes will take it’s place. 

This is where careful design comes into play.  How do you create four individual homes where there used to be one and do so in a way that each home is uniquely individual and that each possesses it’s own and a collective connection to the world around them?  It is all about public and private spaces.  There will be the view that the outside world has of these homes and there will be the private experiences that each homeowner will cherish. 

One could look at the design process as starting from the outside and then moving indoors to create living spaces that will play off of and compliment the landscape surrounding a home.  Good architecture demands that there be a strong connection between a design and how it relates to the spaces surrounding it.  Looking at the image above the location of this project would place the two units in the foreground to the West overlooking Judkins Park.  The Northeast home will also have views of the park and all will enjoy panoramic views from the roof decks atop each unit.

At the heart of this design is it’s connection to Judkins Park and opening up the homes to it as much as possible.  The structures have a strong articulation of vertical spaces that will look out over the park and the city beyond.   The lofty interiors will accordingly open along a diagonal axis creating a great sense of open space within each unit.  The number and placement of the windows will work with the design to provide great views and natural light while at the same time creating a sense of privacy from the surrounding homes. 

Designing for a smaller footprint means that spaces must work in harmony with one another.  Dwell designs many of their homes with living spaces that borrow and share from and with one another.  The Kitchen, Dining, and Living Rooms are a subtle translation of the “great room” concept, allowing for an increased sense of space without the use of walls to define these spaces.  They also achieve this open feeling with split entries and open stairways. Their designs are a clever combination of natural wood, steel, and tile.  For the 23rd Ave. project they have also chosen to leave a considerable amount of the concrete foundation exposed to offset the smooth finishes common to modern homes. 

Sav_FrontUnit_041908_07The private living areas of these homes have been designed with the same dedication to maintaining a balance between public and private experience.  The bedrooms are bright, open and airy and the bathrooms are a trademark of Dwell’s projects with their dramatic use of tile and luxurious appointments.  The windows in these rooms are offset from those of the surrounding homes to maintain the sense of privacy.    

The four homes at Dwell’s 23rd Ave. project will range from 1550 to 1650 square feet and each will feature double height windows in the main living area and a loft-like feel throughout.  Their design is intended as much for today as it is for tomorrow.  An important aspect of sustainable development is that a design must work for the present state of the area as well as for what the future might bring.  Dwell is committed to designing thoughtful, durable, quality homes that will stand the test of time. 

For our next post we will discuss in detail the Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) that will make up the exterior envelope of these homes.  SIPS are a low materials demand product that provides a tight, well-insulated building.  This means lower operating costs for heat energy and a comfortable living environment year round.  This will be a very interesting post so stay tuned. 

If this is the first post you have read in our Seattle Green Building series take a few minutes to look over past posts about the process of building green homes in Seattle.  We would also encourage you to sign up for our RSS feed so you can easily keep up with the progress on these great projects.  Comments and questions add a great deal to the conversation and we love to know what’s on your mind.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Seattle Green Building-Judkins Park and Dwell Development

Dwell Development
In 1869 Norman B. Judkins added a new development to young Seattle’s plots. Norman wanted to be well remembered for his contribution and in turn named several of the streets after himself including: Norman St., B St., Judkins St., Addition St., Town St., and Seattle St. Only Norman and Judkins remain but his legacy has lasted in Judkins Park, covering the blocks between I-90 to the South, Yesler to the North, 20th Ave. to the West, and MLK Jr. Blvd. to the East.

Judkins Park has known many hard times since its founding in 1869 and the community has experienced a number of frustrating setbacks over the years. This sense of neighborhood frustration became clearly evident when residents who felt they couldn’t get support from the city to address many of the problems in the area formed the “Judkins Rejected Community Council”. Since the mid 90’s much has changed. The “rejected” has been removed from the Judkins Community Council and businesses and residents are working hard to promote a healthy, diverse, vibrant neighborhood.

One of the basic tenets of green building is the idea that through thoughtful design and development we can help to promote not only healthy, efficient homes but sustainable communities as well. Dwell Development takes their responsibility to community and the environment very seriously and their latest project at 1105 23rd Avenue South is clear evidence of that. For Dwell, their choice of development sites starts with an evaluation of the neighborhood they intend to build in. The walkability, proximity to public transit, sense of community, and increased density potential are all important factors in the decision making process.

It is the blend of high design, limited resource consumption, efficiency, community contribution, and quality construction that defines Dwell Developments work. Anthony Maschmedt, Dwell’s Founder sums up the intent of their projects well when he says: “I develop projects in the same neighborhoods that I grew up in and that my kids are now growing up in. Creating a healthy community is very important to me.”

Judkins Park is peppered with an ever-increasing number of development projects that are driving positive change in the area. Once known as the neighborhood that Seattle forgot, it is now experiencing a renaissance of sorts not just in the building of a wide variety of new homes, but also in the motivation and organization of its residents that are at last finding the center of their community.

Sustainable Sushi-Thank You Mashiko!!

Hajime Sato II

Mashiko Japanese Restaurant in West Seattle has always stood out for its exceptional food and unique atmosphere. Now it’s standing out in an entirely new way by becoming the first established sushi restaurant to switch to a completely sustainable menu.  Hajime Sato, owner and Head Chef of Mashiko explains his reasoning: “I have always had so much respect for the oceans.  Learning about some of the common fishing methods left me no other option — Mashiko had to go sustainable”.  For a sushi restaurant going sustainable means only serving species whose numbers aren’t being overexploited to the point that they are in decline.Geoduck

At Mashiko’s going sustainable was no easy task, as the five most common types of fish used for sushi are all generally unsustainable. Sato’s new menu will include B.C. spot prawns, domestic albacore tuna from the North Pacific, hand-lined yellowfin tuna, farmed California striped bass, suspension-farmed Hokkaido scallops, farmed almaco jack (kampachi) from Hawaii, and farmed Washington State Coho salmon, and many more. We hope that this move will help people and other restaurants recognize the need for sustainable fishing and that we will soon be able to change our habits and strike a balance between our appetites and the health of our planet.

For more information on the sustainability of the world’s fisheries visit the Blue Ocean Institute and check out their Sushi Guide for a complete list of sustainable sushi and alerts to those that should be avoided.

Seattle Green Building-Dwell Lays the Foundation on 23rd

DSC03792

There are few things consistent among all new homes and one of them is the foundation.  While there are many different types and techniques involved in preparing for and constructing a homes foundation, they all serve the same basic function: to anchor the structure of the home and to provide a solid base on which the rest of the home will be built.

DSC03793

Any foundation begins with the excavation of the site.  The foundation must rest on a solid footing in order to accommodate the immense weight and structural demands of the home.  When excavation started at Dwell’s 23rd Avenue project it became apparent that some additional stability measures were required.  Engineers determined that pin piles were needed to get through the “chunky” soil near the top of the excavation and down to the more dense soil composition that exists below it.  Pin piles are essentially just what they sound like; small diameter rods that are driven into the soil to the “point of refusal”.  This “point of refusal” is when the piles have been driven into the ground till they will no longer advance with a predetermined amount of force exerted upon them.  Once the pin piles are in place a collar of steel is fitted over the top that will make them an integral part of the footings that the rest of the foundation will rest on. It is now time to proceed with setting the foundation forms, placing the reinforcing steel, and finally pouring the foundation walls themselves.

DSC03888

As with any foundation j-bolts will be tied to the rebar in such a way that they will protrude from the foundation after it is poured.  The sill plate will be attached to these J-Bolts and it is this mechanical connection that will anchor the SIP panels and various other structural supports for the rest of the home.

Dwell has incorporated a design decision into the foundation of this project and will be leaving the concrete foundation walls exposed to the interior once the homes are completed.  This decision made it necessary to place added insulation on the exterior of the foundation (see photos).  Dwell believes in designs that balance the smooth, modern interior finishes with textures found both in nature and industrial processes.  It will be exciting to see this design feature come to completion.  Look for it in future posts about this project.

DSC03886

So we are off and on our way.  Dwell is planning to wrap up construction late spring of 2010 and we are very much looking forward to sharing this project with you every step along the way.  If you are interested in learning more about this or other Dwell projects please take some time to visit their website and if a site visit is what you are after let us know and we would be happy to make the necessary arrangements.  If you have questions or comments you can note them below.  These informal case studies are meant to help connect you with how homes are built and the many ways that green builders are working for a better, more thoughtful future of home design.  We welcome any contribution you can make.

Seattle Green Building-Dwell Development-Over the Park

1105

GreenDwellingSeattle wants to help people understand and connect with the value and benefits of green building.  To that end we have dedicated ourselves to exploring all the   creative ways we can provide information and services that will form these connections, create expectations, and keep innovation moving forward towards what tomorrow will bring.  The Seattle Green Building series is one of the ways we have found to do this through a collection of informal case studies on our blog.  The basic gist is that with bi-weekly posts we highlight a particular green building project and follow each step of it’s construction, attempting to take what can be a mystifying process for many and spell it out in human terms that we all can understand and learn from regardless of our depth of knowledge.  We will follow the whole process from foundation to finishes, going far beyond simply the construction of a home and delving into the connections that exist between these homes and the people and communities that surround them.    

 We are very excited to be heading to our next jobsite where we will be following the latest urban infill project by Seattle Design + Build firm Dwell Development.  Founded in 2005, Dwell quickly established a reputation for cutting edge, livable designs, attention to the environmental impact of building, and an understanding of the need for homes to be a positive contribution to the neighborhoods they are built in.

 Dwell prides themselves on being very selective in the projects they undertake; believing that there is great value in builder fewer, better homes that are located in walkable neighborhoods with easy access to public transportation.  In Seattle that has meant focusing the majority of their building in and around Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Judkins Park, and the Rainier Valley.  As this is being written Seattle’s new Light Rail system is beginning service, once again connecting Seattle’s Southern neighborhoods to downtown via an electric train.  The South end built it’s foundation from a rail connection at the turn of the 20th Century and it will be very interesting to see how this reconnection will continue the revitalization of this already vibrant part of the city.      

 Dwell’s founder Anthony Maschmedt came to the development business over 17 years ago.  Anthony wants his homes to be the essence of good design; blending layout, functionality, and efficiency into homes that are at the same time consistently contemporary and as singularly individual as the people that live in them.  With the addition of project manager Roland Williams in 2006 and architect Julian Weber in 2007 Dwell has a trio of well seasoned individuals in place ready to bring hope to the idea that we can increase the density in our urban neighborhoods with homes that have less impact, are well connected, and a lasting value.

 Green building is a moving target of opportunities to reduce material requirements, improve energy efficiency, and to shape the future of our homes and neighborhoods.  We feel the first step in establishing a sense of value in these opportunities is the understanding of the benefits they represent to us as individuals and as communities.  We will be regularly posting about this project and hope that you will keep up to date with them by subscribing to our RSS feed.  Tell your friends and family, refer to past Seattle Green Building posts, and send your questions and comments.  It is our pleasure to share the great projects and resources with hopes that it will be inspiration for you to look a little deeper.

August 2009 Green Home Tour

Swartz-Letitia

For the August 2009 Green Home Tour we are excited to be visiting the debut project by Heidi Swartz of Swartz Development.  Located literally steps away from last month’s tour of “Columbia City Green” the 4068 Letitia are further proof that Columbia City is becoming a favorite location for builders and architects that are creating homes that balance the needs of the homeowner’s, the community, and the planet.  Please visit our Tours page for more information and to sign-up.

Eco-Minded Movers Rejoice! FROGBOX arrives in Seattle!!

Frogbox

Seattleites planning a move can avoid the routine hassle and cost of cardboard boxes by calling FROGBOX – a local outfit that delivers plastic, stackable boxes to your old house then picks them up once you’ve moved into your new place, introducing a word not normally associated with moving: Convenience.

FROGBOX estimates that the greater Puget Sound area residents use about 1 million cardboard boxes PER MONTH for moving, making the ergonomic, reusable boxes – that are delivered in biodiesel trucks – a fantastic alternative to their cardboard counterpart. “Cardboard can be used twice, but FROGBOXES can be used about 400 times before they’re recycled,” says Jeff Hill of Frogbox.

Frogbox is striving to live their values and as such the firm donates 1% of gross revenues to frog habitat restoration initiatives in the Northwest.  They recently gave to a local conservation project that is working to revitalize the endangered Oregon Spotted Frog, of which only 400 exist in the Canadian wild.  “Frogs accurately indicate how healthy our ecosystem is, and globally they are disappearing faster than dinosaurs did,” Jeff says. “We want to be a part of the solution that turns this dire trend around.”

FROGBOX is in the process of expanding across Canada and down the US West Coast, sticking to their core business of weaning movers from their dependence on cardboard.  We think this is a great idea and we are very happy to help spread the word around town.  In fact, GreenDwellingSeattle has decided that we will offer the services of Frogbox to all of our Real Estate clients from now on and be happy to pay for a three week rental of the boxes needed for their move.