It’s quite the journey to do a ‘whole house remodel’ … but the big return is to enjoy the final space, views, and character. This transformation will take a very dated cut up home that was originally a series of boxes with windows and open things up very dramatically. South Sacramento, contractor Josh Hermann; design by Applied Architecture Inc, MF Malinowski FAIA
It’s so hard to believe it was 12 years ago we completed the iconic Globe Mill project, saving an abandoned industrial complex on the edge of Downtown Sacramento for loft and senior housing. A once in a lifetime experience in so many ways … and how much has changed since then.
Rest in peace Ali Youssefi
On behalf of the California Preservation Foundation’s Board of Trustees, we are pleased to inform you that the The Bel Vue was selected to receive a 2020 Preservation Design Award in the Rehabilitation category. We congratulate you and the project team for your outstanding work and your dedication to historic preservation. We received more than 50 nominations this year, a record for CPF and evidence of the many successful projects throughout the state.
The award will be presented at the California Preservation Awards, to be held online on October 21, 2020, as part of a month-long celebration with a focus on the eighteen winning projects. We are excited to announce a new format and scope for the awards, including a series of educational webinars, an online Preservation Expo, and a movie night to complement the formal awards ceremony. In the last six months, CPF’s online programming has attracted thousands of visitors from across the U.S. and fourteen countries. With that in mind, all of the California Preservation Awards programs will be open to the public via Zoom and Facebook LIVE, further expanding the audience for historic preservation and creating larger impacts in wider communities.
The California Preservation Awards showcase the best in historic preservation, recognizing achievements in architecture, history, design, and engineering. The The Bel Vue is an excellent example of this, and we are thrilled to recognize your work. Please review and submit the important forms listed in the attached document so CPF can give you and your team the recognition you deserve during the awards presentation.
Your exemplary contribution to the preservation of California’s rich and diverse historic resources will be recognized during our festive events, on our website, and on our social media streams
We look forward to seeing you live online before an international audience on October 21st! Congratulations!
It can take a bit of patience, but Architects DO make dreams become real … this new home underway in Wilton is definitely headed in the right direction!
A former small ‘storefront’ that was added decades ago didn’t find much interest from office users – but in a new incarnation as a spiffy, stylish and small living Accessory Dwelling – it was rented immediately. The S Street location is the site of some other Accessory Dwellings we are currently working on – the word is getting out that these small independent units have people eager to move in!
Can you imagine behind your private and spacious backyard: an ‘owner’ full 2 car garage with attached shop and home brewery, and a separate private ‘tenant’ garage to accompany a 1200 sq ft 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment with a private balcony, pop out glassy eating nook, spacious master suite, great room with island kitchen and entertainment wall … taking shape through Applied Architecture, the ADU experts for Midtown Sacramento
Two mirror image homes taking shape right now in Curtis park – on tiny 40 x 40 parcels. This is urban infill in action! These are four bedroom 3 bath with 2 car attached garages, a bit more than 2000 sq ft each in liveable area. The rendering shows where we’re headed with an Applied Architecture transitional design motif.
When faced with great loss, recovery – back to the way things were before – is the first strategy that may come to mind once the brain is working again. But recovery can be more than that. When a family lost their Santa Rosa home a couple of years ago, they realized that they could rebuild ‘different’ – distinctive, and personal. Their recent comments, one year after moving in: We just passed our first anniversary in the house. It has been a very difficult year, for various reasons, but the house is a true source of comfort and pleasure for us. We love it, from design to quality construction. Rarely does a week go by that someone does not come up to us and tell us how much they love our house, from neighbors to complete strangers … Applied Architecture was thrilled to help bring a fresh design perspective to this still unfolding story.
Two mirror image homes taking shape right now in Curtis park – on tiny 40 x 40 parcels. This is urban infill in action! These are four bedroom 3 bath with 2 car attached garages, a bit more than 2000 sq ft each in liveable area. The rendering shows where we’re headed with an Applied Architecture transitional design motif.
Los Angeles March 2,3,4 2020 Michael F. Malinowski FAIA
The 2020 Carbon Positive Conference at the Intercontinental in downtown LA was well attended with hundreds of architects, activists, and experts from all over the world sharing insights, information and strategy. As Covid19 shifted handshakes to fist and elbow bumps, the urgency of climate action was palpable and constant. Over the three days, I found the speakers uniformly expert and compelling; the topics spanning the breadth and depth of the crisis ahead that calls us to action.
A sampling from my notes and scribbles:
The climate crisis is daunting, but it is also a call to action … a reminder of the fundamental duty of architects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. There is no greater threat, and therefore no greater opportunity to do what we do best …”
Robert Ivy FAIA AIA EVP/CEO
“Don’t ask what will happen. Be what happens” … quoting historian and activist Rebecca Solnit Jane Frederick, FAIA AIA 2020 President
Ed Mazria FAIA Founder Architecture 2030
(referencing the margin supported by the innovative and comprehensive EDGE software developed by IFC and used worldwide
Paeshant Kapoor IFC at the World Bank Group
Mark Wishnie, Nature Conservancy
‘Using timber actually incentivizes forest stewardship. For every tree cut in north America, three trees are planted” Referencing the carbon sequestration benefits of Mass Timber
Jennifer Cover Woodworks
Ned Cramer Architect Magazine
methane is 84 times more potent than CO2 for climate degradation, and gas leaks from the distribution system are endemic, averaging one leak per mile in Boston for example
Panama Barthomay, Building Decarbonization Coalition
Carl Elefante FAIA Quinn Evans
It’s both system change and personal change. We must all rebel. Being professional does not mean being indifferent…
2030 is the new 2050 …
COV19 shows what an emergency response looks like …
We are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making”
Farhana Yamin Track 0
Remove Less reuse buildings must be prioritized over demolition fix broken things, buildings, places to keep embodied carbon investments intact
Remove Less reuse buildings must be prioritized over demolition fix broken things, buildings, places to keep embodied carbon investments intact
Move Less develop further the many robust tools we have to allow virtual meetings, to avoid the carbon costs of flying and transit
Use Less increase efficiency of our building and fabrication process to eliminate waste)
Emit Less learn to make the smart carbon choices; research and apply the growing body of tools and resources that can support daily climate action in practice
CODA
I decided to make my ‘airport to downtown’ connection ‘low carbon’ … and found the biggest challenge was simple wayfinding (thank goodness for cellphone google). Once I figured out which bus would get me to the subway, I was kind of shocked that I was the only passenger on a huge cranky old hauler that got me to the Red Line. From there it was easy.
Conclusion: no extra time, and savings in carbon and cash … and another move toward a personal ‘new normal’ of everyday climate action.
MF Malinowski FAIA March 6 2020
This is a tough project . but progress forward is starting to be more evident
