To re-green a 1960's home

LGA Studio's associate Heather Attardo was recently involved in an ecological renovation. In Las Vegas' suburbs, the 50-yr old house was archtypically energy inefficient. Although ranch-style, the hallways and bathrooms more enclosed than the modern user prefers.

The project team was headed by Craig Savage, who contacted AIBD (the American Institute of Building Design) Heather is very involved in the local chapter and participated in a remote design-charette which led to her producing the demo plans and later presenting the finished work. Heather says that the interior goals were "pretty basic; the house was not open." Some minor changes dramatically changed the flow and made the plans compatible with the flexible modern lifestyle.

From the exterior, the walls were gutted and filled with efficient insulation and then re-covered - the insulation value was more than doubled with no room inside the house lost. With a new tankless water heater and solar panels, the house can reach net zero- the same of energy is consumed and provided by the solar panels.

This project has been covered in Green Builder magazine's September/October '09 and November '09 issues (pg 21-22 and 27-28, respectively).

Bridges library remodel

In 2007, Larry Gilland volunteered to design a library remodel with a team of junior high students. The North Middle school library in Colorado Springs had been long overdue for an update and the local nonprofit group Bridges decided to take on the project. Two of LGA's clients, Shelley and Jeff Jensen, led the group and approached Larry about working with them.

Larry met with the Bridges students on several occasions before school to discuss library layouts and to sketch ideas. "I was amazed at how involved the students became in the design process. They even modeled some of the project in the 3-d program Sketch-up," says Larry. From there, LGA drafted and completed the 3-d model of the facility while the Bridges program raised funds for the construction.

This was an exciting way for LGA to get involved in the community, helping students make a difference and create a enriching, dynamic place to spend time after school.

For more information about this project see this article in the Gazette, this one on the KRDO website and the Bridges description from the press release below.




Bridges was founded in January of 2006 by Jeff and Shelley Jensen. The idea was conceived out of pure frustration that we “couldn’t get things done because the district could not afford it.” We were not leveraging the people in the community who have a heart for education but don’t know how to help because the needs haven’t been clearly communicated. We also believe that the kids themselves understand the needs the best. We want ALL kids to know that they have the power to incorporate positive change and that much of our self worth can come from helping others. Therefore, the mission of BRIDGES is to “Build “Bridges” between the public education system and the community for the sole purpose of incorporating positive sustainable change”.

Holy Cross Cemetery

LGA Studios and Lines and Designs have been generating ideas for a former Benedictine monastery in Canon City, the Holy Cross Abbey.

The following sketch by illustrator J David Thorpe is of the cemetery gate that would replace the current chain link fence. In the future we hope to be further involved with Holy Cross Abbey's restoration.

Local Publicity

Our projects here are so unique that they sometimes make the news. This story has been passed along, here, for example.

Warmth

In this cold cold weather, the heating bills can be high! Insulating well is an energy-saving "green" choice which is also beneficial to the bank account.

The graphic below illustrates where the heat created by machines and bodies goes out of the typical house.

How do you prevent this? Some ways are more obvious - double-paned insulated windows can keep down heat loss through fenestrations. Even thick curtains can make a difference!

New walls have many possibilities for effective insulation. In wood framing, efficient spacing uses less lumber and allows less gaps in the insulation inside the walls. Alternatively, there are several kinds of well-tested wall units which already include insulation - SIPs and ICFs for example. Wall insulation can come in rolls or panels, cementitious or spray form.

We recommend that our remodel clients add increased insulation to their projects. Older homes especially may need added or replaced insulation in attics, basements and walls. If a project includes LEED-certifying an existing building, adding insulation can be an easy way to get points.

Dog Wash

The 21st Street Car Wash here in Colorado Springs is soon to convert one of their car wash stalls into a dog wash facility! Quite a creative business move. Inside, there will be two self-serve dog wash units. It's an extremely simple construction project but because of its unusual nature there are a number of code questions, and hoops to jump through at the building department. Our role, along with providing basic construction drawings, is to take care of these details.

Talking Rock Vacation Cottages

This week we've had the opportunity to do some sketches of cottages for the Talking Rock Resort Community in Prescott, Arizona. At present there are many lots in this community available for purchase, but the cottages we're envisioning would be luxury rentals or timeshares.





The vacation spot is surrounded by the beautiful golf course that is this compound's prime feature. We laid out the cottages so that they all have private porches with views of the course. Guests would park near the lodge, then take a golf cart to their front door or to the putting greens in the center of the site.