For better or worse, the landscape of our practice is changing
Read MoreAs we move back into the office, we are working 9-5. That includes lunch, breaks, errands, etc. We are aiming to work less than 40 hours a week, and live more than 80 hours a week! We’re taking long lunches and coffee breaks. We’re stopping to watch the people out the window. We’re stopping to smell the flowers. Were taking better care of ourselves, and at the same time, taking better care of our clients.
Read MoreAll over the country, the cost of housing is soaring, while the availability is dropping. Boise is far from the exception here, more like leading the race for housing shortages. Converting 88 fairly unused hotel rooms in a rundown Howard Johnsons into brand new efficiency studio apartments is the next wave of housing. Soon to be The Prospect, we’ll be improving the property, adding in more trees and landscaping, BBQ areas, bocce ball, cornhole. And on the inside, doing a full gut and remodel. Rearranging things a bit to get a small sink in the bathroom so that the vanity can become a kitchenette, With the adaptive reuse of this structure, the cost savings over building from scratch are enormous. Not to mention the savings on raw materials and diversion of potential landfill. Focusing also on resident health, safety and welfare, providing new high efficiency, high rating air conditioning units, seals on doors and windows along with greater sound attenuation, long-term retention of residents being the focus. Installing products and materials that don’t have harmful off-gassing, no formaldehyde, low VOC’s, new Low-E glazing.
Read MoreWhat I've noticed these potential clients are most interested in is: Can it be done and for how much? In fact, my Google Analytics point to as much.
These are both questions I am more than happy to discuss & propose on and often times I do, at my expense, for hours per client.
Read MoreHow is COVID changing the practice of business.
Toxic black mold, something that we have been trying to address in our buildings for years. Trying to accommodate an aerosolized virus is not unlike trying to accommodate toxic mold. A lot of the same measures, air control, containment, etc. come into play.
In a reversal of environmental concerns, we’re seeing reusables being denied and single-serving utensils, flatware and disposal items are now sadly overflowing our garbage cans and gutters. This as an opportunity for that sector to fully embrace biodegradables. And maybe, once and for all, the US and Idaho in particular will learn how to recycle ALL the recyclables.
This is all leading to a downsizing of office space or readjusting offices into a more of a shared, traveling desk scenarios allowing for more hiring and expansion without expanding office space.
Read MoreMy design aesthetic is firmly rooted in Scandinavian simplicity, warm woods with hard concrete, plain lines, logical masses. My main focus is to mix a little modern with a little traditional and always try to hide a little gem in each project. Capture the daylight and accentuate the views. Add in some industrial and farmhouse and you are starting to fill out the edges and see the type of architecture that also brought me to Boise.
Read MoreDo you know where this little ‘&’ symbol—aka the ampersand—comes from? It’s actually the 27th letter of the alphabet! And it has appropriate times & places for its use.
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