Blog

The Watershed Pub and Kitchen was voted best new restaurant in Seattle!  Check out their Facebook page here for more details.  We were proud to be part of a the project and get the opportunity to know and work with some great folks.

Check out the Ballard Aperture Project here in an article featuring timber rain screens.

We wanted to share a quick update on the Madison Park House.  We have completed installing the green roof over 100% of the structure.  This is the largest green roof installation we have done and we are excited about the resulting impact on design.  Ultimately this was installed to mitigate rain water from infiltrating the Seattle storm sewer system especially during heavy rains, but also serves as a dramatic impact to the design and look of the house.

We wanted to invite anyone interested to come check out the Madison Park House on April 26th as part of the Green Home Tour.  Click here for our page on their website.  

It can be a little hard to find, but click here for a map to help you find us.

Framing is substantially complete on the Madison House and we have recently installed a liquid applied House Wrap alternative called EnviroDri.  The main benefit of a liquid applied Weather Resistant Barrier (WRB) is there are no mechanical fasteners which means less penetrations. It is also permanently attached and therefore never moves or shifts and there are no seams for a continuous layer of protection.  This not only helps protect the house from water infiltration over a traditional house wrap, but also helps seal the exterior for a tighter envelope.

We are excited to announce a new member of First Lamp... Aaron Trampush.  In addition to his strong design skills he brings a background in construction which makes him a perfect fit for our "bags-on-architect" model.  Aaron received his masters degree in Architecture from WSU and Bachelor in Construction Technology with a business minor from Eastern Washington University.   Stay tuned for more exciting news about Aaron and an exhibition he is working on with a colleague in the near future.

The Watershed Pub and Kitchen is under construction!  We're excited to be a part of the project and can't wait to have our first beer.

A pile foundation system is being utilized for the Madison Park house, currently under construction.

Article here.    Ted Talk here.    Enjoy!

We are excited to announce our next custom spec house has broken ground in Madison Park.  Click here for the latest renderings.  The house will be completed this spring.  Stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

We recently went on a tour of the Bullitt Center in Capitol Hill which, when complete, will be the Greenist Office Building in the world seeking the Living Building Challenge standard.  This is a very ambitious project that is trying to pave the way for what could be possible in future office building construction.

OK, here's a stretch for relevance but worth a post anyway....great photography... especially the aerial pic of the flooded park.

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/05/creepy-crusty-crumbling-illegal-tour-of-abandoned-six-flags-new-orleans-75-pics/ 

The 520 House has officially broken ground... check out the final pics here. 

Recently ran across this well designed info-graphic showing where greenhouse gas emissions originate from and how much we are producing.  While Cow Farts have been getting a bad rep these days it looks like energy use still tops the list.

Click here for the article and high resolution image. 

We are happy to announce our new Publications Page of our website where you can read the Atomic Ranch article featuring the Orchid Studio.  

The recent sunshine pulled us from behind the monitors long enough to experiment with this Japanese wood treatment technique. It involves charring the surface of the wood prior to sealing with protective oils. While the traditional method is much faster, the final finish isn't suitable for the project we have in mind. This method was originally used to reduce deterioration from moisture and the spread of fire from one building to another, although here we're searching for ways to express the natural character of cedar.

We're happy to announce we're on the market!  Check it out below...

Click Here  or Here

Open house on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Thanks to everyone for your help and support!

Taylor and Kevin

We had a great open house on Saturday with friends and family and are excited about the finished photos which you can check out here!

Stay tuned for the listing date (hint... pretty soon)

Here is a view of the roof decks with the green roof finished.  Count down to listing day has started.