To ring the new year, Portland experienced an unprecedented storm resulting in more than a week of wind, snow, ice, and record breaking temperatures. We are seeing extreme rain events causing mudslides and floods, and extreme heat and drought periods causing never before seen wildfires. It is not hard to image that what we call extreme weather now, we will eventually just call weather. How will we adapt? Well, one way will be through changing the way we build and adapt our shelters.
SLOG (Sustainability Log)
To Harka “sustainability” goes beyond eco-friendly buildings, encompassing mindful choices and community building to create a more resilient and interconnected world for future generations. Join us as we delve into exciting topics, share valuable insights, and embark on a journey towards a more mindful and sustainable future together.
Changes are on the Horizon for Oregon Solar Owners
Sustainable NW Wood and The Audubon Society of Portland
Our good friends at Sustainable NW Wood recently posted a blog about the Portland Audubon Marmot Cabin project that we gratefully had the opportunity to collaborate on.
Featured in Fine Homebuilding
Featured on Redfin
Bar Diane featured in PDX Eater
We are so excited about our latest interior creation: a super cool wine bar in the Pearl! A huge thank you to the owners of Bar Diane for making this happen. They are amazing people that were TRULY a pleasure to work with. As you can see from the murals, Sami is an extremely talented artist which helped take the space to the next level. Congrats to Joshua Jewett in our office for a job well done. Insider Information: If you peek through the slats in the fence outside, you can still see the parking sign painted on the concrete wall from the long lost Gypsy Lounge. Go check out their amazing wines and food!
See the feature in PDX Eater
Case Study: Iterative Solutions for a Historic Home
When a client comes to us with a new project, they often have an idea in mind of what they want the finished result to look like. While this is always the starting point for our design process, putting pen to paper and developing 3D models can often reveal challenges with the initial ideas, as well as present unique opportunities for alternative solutions. In this case study, we show how we evaluated varied solutions to a complex design problem with 3D modeling to find a clean and elegant option that best met the client’s goals.
Consumer Activism: Is it possible and what’s the alternative?
You can find endless articles, thinkpieces and blog entries much like this one about the myth of the ethical shopper, whether organic food is really better for the environment, and the effectiveness of boycotting sweatshops. Sifting through to find real, substantive information about how to make tangible change with the things you consume challenging and exhausting, and is it even worth it?
Daylighting 101: Orientation
When we talk about the orientation of a building, we mean how the building sits on the site relative to its context, the most important of which is typically the sun (other factors being wind, views, topography and surrounding landscapes, buildings and streets). It is easier to optimize the orientation of a building for solar exposure in new construction, but there are takeaways that can be applied to existing homes as well.
Case Study: Detached Bedrooms
Do you like the values of cohousing and shared community resources? Are you a homeowner hoping to create rent-able space on your property, but searching for a compromise between renting an existing room and building a detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in your yard? Or perhaps aging parents are moving in and you'd like to offer more privacy and autonomy for them than a suite within your main home?
If any of these scenarios are appealing, then detached bedrooms may be a solution for your project!
Daylighting 101: Why Does Daylight Matter?
Connecting to nature has a profound impact on our wellbeing. If you imagine being a room with big windows, indoor plants, fresh air, a view of a forest and lots of light, you instinctively feel more comfortable and relaxed than imagining being in a room with no windows or plants, recycled air and artificial light. “Natural light” is frequently cited as a major consideration when people are deciding where to live or how to remodel their existing homes. In architecture, natural light is referred to as daylight.