michelle kaufmann designs

Hot off the press. Here are more photos sent from Kate Hilberg, Project Manager for Urban Ventures LLC on Casa Chiara, the sisters housing complex MKD designed. This is the first phase of the overall AriaDenver project.  www.ariadenver.com

It is always so much fun going to the factory , and when you can’t be at the factory,  seeing the factory photos.  All of these photos were taken on the same day. Things are really moving along.

Here are the floors of Duplex A modules that are being roughed in for plumbing and electrical.

This photo is of the third module of Duplex A. The wall has just been built on a horizontal jig and is now being set on the module floor.

And here is the second module of Duplex A getting ready to move to the ceiling station.

Duplex C floor structure is being assembled.

The floor on Duplex C that is being lifted up onto stands so the floor utilities can begin below.

MEANWHILE… back at the site,
The site contractor is preparing the site including grading, laying caissons for the foundation.

I love that the statue of Mary remains on site during construction – overseeing.

Here is the drilling of the caissons.

Seeing the construction happening simultaneously on site as well as in the factory is where the time savings become more visible. With typical site built construction, the site work has to happen before the construction of the buildings can begin.

Stay tuned for more updates! So exciting!

It was an exciting day today on the Casa Chiara multifamily project. The Project Manager of Urban Ventures LLC, Kate Hilberg, went to the All American factory to see the installation of the first wall on the first floor frame.

The walls are made on horizontal jigs, so that way they are truly plumb, there is easier access for good detailing, and it is a safer working situation for the framers to be standing on the ground than hanging off of a ladder in the air. The wall is then lifted into place with the overhead crane and set onto the floor frame.

You can see the tracks on the factory floor, and the casters underneath the floor module. After the walls and roof is attached, the module will then move through the factory on the casters and track and head to the next station.

Casa Chiara will include 8 homes total for a group of very cool nuns (honestly, these ladies are some of the most amazing people I have met.). Some of them are 1 story and some are 2 story. The Casa Chiara project is phase 1 of the overall AriaDenver project.

Stay Tuned!

www.ariadenver.com

A lotus blossomed in our reflecting pool today. I am contemplating our friend, Bryan Burkhart’s suggestion that we make our reflecting pool into a gray water storage tank, and include plants that can filter and cleanse the water.  We would need to add plumbing from our washing machine and bathroom sinks and hook to the pool where the water would be stored (for no more than two days) and then have that water be used for drip irrigation for all of the landscape.

Or, we could make the pool into water storage for rainwater. we can redirect the water from the roof downspouts to fill the pool, and then use that water for irrigating the landscape.  Kevin and I are checking into both options to see which one is more effective (both cost and garden-wise).

Already, just by making smart choices such as having dual-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, local recirculating heat pump, we use 1/3 the water that the average household in novato uses. So, once we start gettting double usage out of some of that water, we are going to be epic savers.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the First Annual Eames Foundation 60th Anniversary Celebration of the Eames House. I could not have imagined a better way to celebrate the summer solstice, marking the separation of two seasons.  This is especially significant for me this year, as I feel my life and work switching from one season to the next.  Sharing the day with Eames and friends was the perfect way to frame the beginning of my next season.

The afternoon was filled with an assortment of visual and experiential delights.  There were tours of Lucia’s (Charles + Ray Eames daughter) residence in Petaluma and gallery, including pieces of the Mathematica Exhibit. I remember seeing this exhibit for the first time at the Exploritorium around 6 years ago, when I was in the process of thinking about starting MKD. After leaving the exhibit I was so filled with inspiration by all that the Eames did: the way they dissolved the typical boundary of what an architect’s scope is. They were not just makers of buildings, but also books, exhibits, education, film, furniture, objects and toys. They always looked like they were having fun in their work, and this was apparent in the results of there work which is beautiful, playful, and joyful.


There was an auction for a bunch of impossible to obtain items and experiences such as a picnic at the Eames house, spending the night at the Eames house, and even having a wedding or party at the Eames house. I think the Wedding/Party might still be available. (check out www.eamesfoundation.org)  And if you end up being the successful winner of that, is there anyway I can invite myself as a guest?

Eames Demetrios

There was furniture, films (LOVE Powers of Ten!!!), photos, and models on display in Lucia’s house and the barn/workshop.  My friend Eames Demetrios (grandson of Charles + Ray, and also the Eames Office Director and maker of very interesting projects of his own, and previous TED talk speaker) led a “performance art” piece by having guests draw items at various scales with the Powers Of Ten exhibit.

My personal favorite was by the extremely funny and charming designer Nick Graham (founder of Joe Boxer, William Good, and many more very cool companies) who was sporting a fabulous orange ensemble that was coordinated with the orange martini glass in his sketch.

There was also kite-making and flying that had everyone laughing and enjoying a delicious mixture of wine, sun, art and wind.

Birgit Binner (designer of tg2b)

Kevin Cullen and Emily Pilloton (founder of Project H)

On our drive home, my astute husband Kevin said that as I move to the next season of my life and work, to remember to follow the joy and have fun - that is what makes the best work result.

Llisa (grand-daughter of Charles + Ray) and Lucia Eames (daughter of Charles + Ray)

www.eamesfoundation.org

My dear friend Jim Thompson (video guru at www.destinationproductions.com) sent me this image of a personal rain water catchment system. This could really come in handy these days.

I take any chance I can to celebrate two of my very favorite architects of all time, Charles + Ray Eames. This being the 60th anniversary of their Case Study House.
As Peter Fish of Sunset magazine wrote, “It’s the biggest 1500 square feet in the history of architecture, if you count the ways it has shaped our lives.” That is correct for me. When thinking of what kind of architecture I want to be practicing, I imagine what Charles and Ray would be doing if they were still alive, and that becomes one of my major guides. They were one of the original pioneers working to make good design accessible, implementing mass-production and automation. The importance of rethinking what and how we design and build to make thoughtful, lasting design affordable couldn’t be more timely given all that is happening in the world. Going back to Eames for inspiration is just what I need.

So I am thrilled to know that the first annual Charles + Ray Eames Foundation Fundraiser is happening this weekend to honor the 60th anniversary of the Eames House. There will be films, exhibits, furniture, and kite flying! It will be held Sunday, June 21, from 1pm – 6pm at the daughter Lucia Eames’ home in Petaluma, CA. If you are interested in attending, go to the eames website:

www.eamesfoundation.org

There will also be an auction for Eames house enthusiasts, including a picnic at the Eames house, spending the night at the Eames house, and also having a wedding or party at the Eames house. Now, if I weren’t already married, I would certainly want to get married so I could have the wedding at the Eames house. (certainly a step up from the “wedding” Kevin and I had at the LAX courthouse for our very last minute unplanned wedding on the way to a scuba diving trip to Belize).

Other bid items include furniture, toys, cards and design packs. Lots of great stuff. And you can enter the auction online even if you cannot make the event.
More info:

www.eamesfoundation.org/auction.php

Hanley Wood publications (their magazines include some of my favorites: Residential Architect, EcoHome, and Builder) in partnership with the Hanley Foundation just announced a new award, The Award for Vision and Leadership in Sustainable Housing Nomination. I am thrilled and honored to be one of the nominees for this award.

The award is to honor individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary, lasting, and far reaching contributions to the advancement of sustainable housing in the United States. The winner will be announced at the USGBC’s Greenbuild conference in Phoenix.

I am so humbled by this nomination and inclusion with this impressive group of nominators, judges and nominees.

www.ecohomemagazine.com

On my trip this past weekend to Denver for the CNU (Congress for New Urbanism) conference, it seemed appropriate to be reading John Wasik’s new book, “The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustinable American Dream” while I was on the plane.

Wasik is one of my favorite writers at Bloomberg and the Huffington Post.In the book, Wasik looks at many of the causes of our housing crisis as well as offers thought-provoking ideas on possible solutions through a series of interviews with thought leaders and the latest studies and statistics.

John Wasik and I have become friends and have met on a number of occasions during the past years. During some of our discussions when he was supposedly interviewing me for this book, he would ask questions and offer ideas, that in fact, I was the one who left our meetings feeling curious and inspired. In the chapter titled “Building Smarter”, Wasik focuses on the mkSolaire as the exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry titled “The Smart Home: Green + Wired”. Wasik analyzes not only the sustainable materials, systems and process, but raises many good thoughts and questions about cost and how cost and financing is so integral to planning and the result of what and how homes are built.

While I was in the plane reading the book, and nearing descent, I gazed down at the landscape below, filled with various patterns of homes and communities. Instead of seeing the roofs as asphalt or shingles, I imagined green roofs, solar, and wind generation. Rather than the kidney shape pools, I imagined swimming ponds and rain catchment gardens. I imagined different patterns of density and mass transit.

It is all possible. And it is such an interesting time to work to make it happen.

www.culdesacsyndrome.com

Here are some things that others are saying about John’s book:

“John Wasik’s The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome offers enough to chew on for three sets of teeth, enough to digest for three stomachs, and the alerts the mind faster than an approaching siren.”
–Ralph Nader, Consumer advocate

“Get ready for a totally original look at the American dream. Wasik delivers the first truly multidisciplinary examination—using planning, law, architecture, and history to focus on working solutions that can keep the dream alive. This is a winner!”
— Paul B. Farrell, JD, PhD. Columnist, MarketWatch.com and author of The Millionaire Code

“This excellent book takes a ground-level look at the causes of our housing crisis and offers a myriad of ideas on reinventing the concepts of home and community.”
—Ilyce R. Glink, syndicated real estate columnist, author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask

“A genuine kick to the head, showing how our individual quests for the biggest house on the hill is destroying our environment, the economy, and our health. But The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome is no dead end. It offers a new, green, urbanized promised land with real community, more free time, and a higher living standard. It’s a masterful blueprint to unpave paradise and restore the world we cherish.”
— Laurence Kotlikoff, Co-author of Spend ‘Til the End: The Revolutionary Guide to Raising Your Living Standard—Today and When You Retire, and Professor of Economics at Boston University

Join me for an impromptu get-together in Denver

I am in Denver tomorrow to speak at the CNU conference. I will also be meeting with the project team for the Aria Denver project. Phase 1 of that project is now under construction both on site as well as at the factory (so exciting!).

And we now shift our focus to the future phases of the project. Aria Denver will include green compact homes with shared outdoor amenities, close to jobs services and culture, at prices affordable to working families. Residents will enjoy a wide range of housing alternatives, including market rate and affordable for-sale townhomes; live/work lofts, co-housing units and condominiums, as well as for-lease apartments. In addition to the residential uses, the redevelopment will include neighborhood serving retail near the corner of 52nd and Federal.

A network of gardens, pocket parks and pathways combined with community programming in the public spaces and in the apartment and condo buildings, will serve as an amenity for the residential uses, promote pedestrian activity and connect the diverse community both physically and socially. Vistas from the neighborhood through the open space corridors to key buildings and features of the site will be designed to create permeability to the existing neighborhood and visual interest.

www.ariadenver.com

I will be on the site tomorrow for a team site visit. Come and join us if you have interest in the project and learning more.

We will be at the Marycrest campus lawn from 3pm to 4pm. Email Pat to get on the list. pat@urbanventuresllc.com

SATURDAY JUNE 13TH
3-4 PM
MARYCREST CAMPUS
NORTH EAST CORNER OF 52 AND FEDERAL
PARK IN FRONT OF THE CONVENT

I hope to see you there!

Today’s post is a heart-breaking one…
…and, yet, a hopeful one at the same time.

Despite our best efforts, the financial meltdown and plunging home values have caught
up with us. The recent closing of a factory partner as well as the gridlocked lending faced by homeowners, has proved more than our small company can bear.

The past 5 years of living this work has been a challenge. There was no path to follow, no business model to emulate. Instead, we forged our own. That comes with risks and a lot of
hard work. Yet, we and our amazing clients maintained the vision of making
thoughtful, sustainable design accessible. It has been an unbelievable collaborative effort with endless support from scores of people. This work could not have been done without so many people who believed in and were dedicated to the dream: clients, employees, investors, partners, the media, and even museums. To date, we have built around 40 single family homes. Our desks were stacked high with over one hundred homes that were slated to be built in the upcoming two years. There is no question in my mind that we were successful at the proof of concept of a smarter way to design and build the homes.

However, we have always known that to pull off our mission, it requires scale. We always believed it would be our company to do the scaling. We were well on our way to do so. However, in this current economic climate, scaling for a small company has proven to be difficult.

So now I look to the next chapter. And there will be a next chapter. The mission cannot go away. We have built something important here that is not to be lost. The underlying concept works. Healthy, efficient and well-designed homes need to be accessible for all.
We simply cannot give up on it.

It just might require a different model for scaling it. We are talking to a few larger players in the homebuilding world about potentially having them continue with our preconfigured designs like the Glidehouse®, mkLotus®, and mkSolaire®. We are discussing different methods for making this happen. The reinvention and innovation continues. While these designs are like my children (I don’t have human children – only two furry, four-legged children and these homes), it might be time for them to leave the nest and go out into the world in a new way. I am also planning to continue the dream for better, well-designed homes and also focus on sustainable communities. There is so much improvement and innovation to do in creating healthy, diverse, efficient and beautifully designed communities. There is more than one model of the American Dream.

I want to urge all of us not to give up on this mission. I look forward to hearing about all the methods that you are creating in your work, in your homes and in your lives – different models of innovation and reinvention during these difficult, yet interesting times.

I look forward to all the amazing possibilities of the next chapter for all of us.

Stay tuned…