The Sage

The Sage, 1261 Crenshaw Road, Eugene

Much to Arbor South Architecture senior principal Dan Hill’s surprise, his firm’s design of The Sage – a sustainable demonstration home for the 2009 Lane County Home Builders Association Tour of Homes – has been a smash hit.(1) One of nineteen homes on the tour, The Sage is the lone example that truly attempts to alter the prevalent American paradigm for the detached, single-family residence.

Arbor South not only designed The Sage, the firm also acted as developer and general contractor (as Arbor South Construction, Inc.) for the speculative project. They sought and (comfortably) secured a LEED/Earth Advantage Platinum rating, making The Sage the first such home in Eugene and the highest-rated LEED Platinum single-family residence in Oregon.(2)

Living Room

As a demonstration project, The Sage pulls out all the stops and carries the price tag to show for it: the proposed sale price of $450,000 buys a modest 1,447 square feet of living space. The list of sustainable design features for The Sage includes:

• Passive solar water heating
• A 2.1 kilowatt photovoltaic system
• A super high-efficiency heat pump
• A heat recovery ventilator
• Double stud walls with sprayed foam insulation
• Low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets
• Reclaimed lumber flooring and recycled cork floors
• Drought-resistant native plantings
• Landscape irrigation using collected rainwater

However, of all the green strategies pursued by Arbor South, it is its selection of the site for The Sage and the home’s relatively small size that are the most significant. The house is built on a tight, previously developed infill lot, located within short walking distance of basic community resources (public transit, commercial services, churches, and schools are all nearby). The essential modesty (price tag notwithstanding) of The Sage is its principal virtue.

Rainwater is collected for landscape irrigation purposes.

If we’re to wean our culture from its unsustainable penchant for keeping up with the Joneses, we’ll need to redefine what “keeping up” means. Conspicuous consumption and materialism unfortunately remain the benchmarks for many homeowners. This year’s Tour of Homes not only showcases The Sage but also several bloated McMansions greater than 5,000 sq. ft. in area. The biggest of the bunch (7,900 sq. ft.) features four full bathrooms plus four half baths. That’s eight – yes, eight – toilets in one single-family home! The annual Tour of Homes has enormous influence upon the tastes of Lane County home buyers. I’m hopeful that future Tours will feature more projects that, like The Sage, eschew bigness and ostentation. Education is the key.

The 2009 Tour of Homes continues through Sunday, August 2, 2009. If you haven’t already done so, make plans to visit The Sage, located at 1261 Crenshaw Road in Eugene.


(1) Over 1,000 visitors toured the house on Saturday, July 25 alone. In addition, The Register-Guard published a couple of feature articles about The Sage, and Eugene Magazine has likewise extolled the virtues of the project in its summer 2009 issue.

(2) Bill Randall, Arbor South’s other senior principal, produced a series of twenty short YouTube videos about The Sage. Each video offers a brief explanation about the sustainable features of the design. The key lesson conveyed in the series is that we can build any home to be much more sustainable with relatively little effort.

July AIA-SWO Chapter Meeting Recap

Civic Stadium, Eugene: the view from the right field deck, July 23, 2009

We had a fantastic turnout for our annual AIA-SWO picnic shared with the Construction Specifications Institute, the National Association of Women in Construction, the Associated General Contractors, and the American Society of Landscape Architects. This year, the setting was Civic Stadium in Eugene, where sixty-one AIA, CSI, NAWIC, AGC, and ASLA members experienced a wonderful summer evening enjoying America’s pastime, good food, beer on tap, and each other's company. The hometown Eugene Emeralds baseball team hosted its Northwest League rivals, the Boise Hawks.

Alas, the Ems would not win the day, suffering a tough 2-6 loss to Boise. Nevertheless, Civic Stadium provided a nostalgic backdrop for the picnic from the vantage of the right-field deck. A substantial appeal of baseball is the uniqueness of each baseball park, which is as true for the hundreds of minor-league stadiums as it is for the most-storied major league venues. Regardless of its myriad shortcomings (such as inadequate accommodations for the physically disabled) Civic Stadium charmingly evokes a purer, more innocent time when baseball was celebrated for its traditions and values, untainted by today’s outsized egos and salaries, and the rampant use of banned-substances in the major leagues. Sentimentality is baseball’s dominant currency, and with its long history, Civic Stadium has become as much an object for remembrance as the exploits of the many players who have taken to its field since 1938. It currently is the eighth oldest minor league baseball park in the United States.

AIA-SWO, CSI, NAWIC, AGC, and ASLA members soak in the atmosphere at the old ballpark.

The 2009 season may be the last for the Emeralds at Civic Stadium. The word is that the team will relocate to the University of Oregon’s new PK Park in 2010. For many at our July picnic at Civic, it may have been a final opportunity to celebrate the rituals of the game in an irreplaceable structure resonant with its memories.

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Thanks again to our July 2009 program sponsor, Rubenstein’s, the Northwest’s leading source for commercial floor covering.

Rubenstein's has been actively engaged in the commercial floor covering industry for over 40 years. The company is one of the largest independent commercial floor covering dealers in the country. Rubenstein’s is a charter member of the Starnet® Worldwide Commercial Flooring Partnership, a member owned cooperative of the largest group of independent commercial floor covering dealers in the industry with over 160 member firms with 300 locations throughout North America.

D.A.M. Misbehaving

Denver Art Museum "self-destruction" (photo by Richard Bryant, AIA)

The following is a letter written by Corvallis architect Richard Bryant, AIA to Ned Cramer, editor-in-chief of Architect magazine. Dick returned recently from a trip to Denver, where he had the opportunity to visit the new addition to the Denver Art Museum (the Frederic C. Hamilton Building) designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind and Davis Partnership Architects. Completed less than three short years ago, Dick was astonished to find the Hamilton Building already requiring extensive repairs to its exterior envelope.(1) He was previously unaware that the iconic building was so flawed in its execution.

Ned,

After all of the hype in the architectural press, the new Denver Art Museum was high on my priority list of “must see” projects.

Much to my surprise, the building interior and exterior was awash in scaffolding, plastic sheets, construction equipment, water collection devices, and construction “re-workers”. This building has literally been tearing itself apart for several years.

After all of the adulation heaped on this building, it seems only reasonable for responsible architectural journals to also explore the flaws of a building when they appear.

I have always been a believer that the architectural press has one single purpose in life – to inform the profession and the public about architecture. To inform, the architectural press must explore and report on all of the important aspects of a building. Warts often accompany beauty and function. Just covering the design and ribbon-cutting ceremony does a disservice to the architectural profession, contractors, and the public.

Just think how helpful it would be if architects, contractors, and future building owners could see what technology and details actually failed on this building. Is this failed building not a prime teaching example that can be effectively used to help instruct students, licensed architects, and contractors alike? I believe the answer is clearly – yes!

Surely you must have a photographer in Denver who could take a few photographs from the sidewalk as the starting point for a report on what has happened to this building since it “opened” to the public and the elements.

Richard Bryant, AIA

The enclosure failures are pervasive (photo by Richard Bryant, AIA)

Why hasn’t news of the D.A.M.’s shortcomings circulated more widely in the architectural press? Shouldn’t the work of an architect who aspires to stardom be subject to more comprehensive scrutiny and analysis? As Ned Cramer himself wrote in 2006, Architect magazine prides itself for portraying architecture “from multiple perspectives, not just as a succession of high-profile projects, glowingly photographed and critiqued, but as a technical and creative process, and as a community.” Dick Bryant’s appeal is precisely consistent with Architect magazine’s editorial stance. Whether the magazine will bring more attention to the failures of prominent projects remains to be seen. Such a perspective has more conspicuously been absent in today’s architectural press.

Sadly for the Denver Art Museum, the legacy of Daniel Libeskind’s gratuitous and tortured geometries(2) may be an endless battle with the Mile High City’s weather.

The Frederic C. Hamilton Building by Studio Daniel Libeskind, pre-scaffolding, tarpaulins, and buckets (photo by Archipreneuer a.k.a. Adam Crain)

(1) According to Dick Bryant, the problems with the Denver Art Museum all seem to be related to the exterior skin: metal wall panels and the roofing system. It was hard for him to tell if the problems were the result of poor construction execution, or design errors, or a combination of both. There did appear to be serious expansion stress problems.

(2) I've never been a fan of Libeskind's work, primarily because he disingenuously rationalizes the use of the same formal language on his prominent projects. In other words, he will cite inspiration from disparate influences peculiar to each project and yet the end result is invariably the same: acutely angled, crystalline forms with linear windows rendered like randomly drawn lines on the exterior surfaces. Why is the aesthetic of the addition to the Denver Art Museum so similar to that of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto or the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco? The answer: because that's what Libeskind does; it’s his signature look.

Crescent Village

The Inkwell Building, by Rowell Brokaw Architects (my photo)

The July meeting of the Eugene Chapter of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council(1) was a very well-attended tour of Crescent Village, the new urban village rising in northeast Eugene. Crescent Village is being developed and managed by Arlie & Company, with buildings designed by Rowell Brokaw Architects. Mark Young, AIA, LEED AP, and Austin Bailey of Rowell Brokaw, and Mark Miksis of Arlie & Company, led the tour.

A focus of the tour was the recently completed four-story Inkwell office building. The USGBC has certified the Inkwell as LEED Gold for its core and shell. The building features an open loop ground-coupled heat pump, on-site storm water management, water-efficient fixtures and landscaping, daylighting, low-VOC materials, FSC-certified wood products, construction waste management, and operable windows. Arlie & Company’s own offices occupy the top floors of the Inkwell. This space received LEED Platinum certification for commercial interiors. As with the Inkwell’s core and shell, the Arlie office interiors use extensive controls for daylighting and ventilation, and an array of products and finishes made from recycled materials, renewable resources, regionally sourced materials, FSC wood, and low-VOC products. Arlie is encouraging prospective tenants for the remainder of the Inkwell’s spaces to likewise pursue sustainable design strategies and LEED certification.

Arlie & Company's new LEED Platinum office in The Inkwell Building (my photo)

I was impressed by how well Rowell Brokaw’s design for the Arlie & Company office achieved the Platinum rating while also providing its occupants with a stylish and functional workspace. The sustainable strategies employed by the architects have not resulted in design moves that one would immediately associate with an overtly “green” project. The design of Arlie’s office is a mature, sophisticated demonstration of how it is possible to seamlessly and modestly implement ambitious goals for sustainability. Kudos to Arlie & Company for walking the walk by committing to green design, and props to Rowell Brokaw for raising the bar.

Crescent Village Town Center (photo courtesy Rowell Brokaw Architects)

The ongoing design of the Crescent Village development is guided by the principles of New Urbanism. Arlie’s stated goals for the development include:

• Designing a compact, well-planned village that utilizes land and resources efficiently and retains a sense of openness and livability.


• Using fewer and more efficient roads and utilities to preserve open space and conserve resources.


• Mixing housing, commercial, retail, and recreational uses to create a lively, socially diverse community in which residents and employees can take care of many daily activities within walking distance.


• Creating a pedestrian-friendly site design with integrated bus stops and bike racks to reduce reliance on automobiles and promote the use of mass transit, thus reducing traffic congestion and emissions.


• Designing and detailing buildings, streets, and open spaces at the human scale to enhance the pedestrian experience.

Crescent Village model by Rowell Brokaw Architects

Crescent Village is also a showcase for the City of Eugene’s efforts to encourage the development of mixed use centers consistent with its official growth management policy. The regional transportation master plan (TransPlan) identified dozens of potential mixed use centers or “nodes” throughout the Eugene and Springfield metro area, of which Crescent Village is one. The intent is that these centers will mature into quality neighborhoods that enjoy higher densities, a mix of activities, more transportation options, convenient shopping and services, and amenities. The City of Eugene’s 2000 Land Use Code Update included many changes directed at implementing the mixed-use, nodal development concept. It’s the City’s belief that mixed-use centers will reinforce rather than displace existing downtown areas by providing for complementary nodes of concentrated employment and retail activities.

Unfortunately, the City of Eugene’s efforts to revitalize the downtown have yet to bear fruit.(2) The irony of Crescent Village and the other future mixed-use centers is that each step they take toward realization may be further distancing our downtown from fulfilling its role as the civic, economic, cultural, and governmental heart of the city. The most common criticism of New Urbanist developments is that many are greenfield projects built on what was previously open space. This is true for Crescent Village. Its location on the outskirts of the Eugene urban area also begs the question of whether or not this “urban” village is simply another manifestation of sprawl cloaked in fashionable new garb.

Imagine if the skill, acumen, and resources amply on display at Crescent Village could instead have been invested downtown. I'm intrigued by what might occur if a vital mixed-use center of similar scope rose within our city’s core in the form of infill, redevelopment, and reuse of underdeveloped properties. It’s disheartening to realize that the odds have been stacked against our downtown. A complex convergence of adverse circumstances (not the least of which have been past planning missteps) has served for many years as a significant obstacle to a true revitalization of downtown Eugene. Regardless, I am hopeful that as Eugene continues to grow, the diffuse urban fabric will once again gravitate toward the city’s core. When it does, we would be most fortunate to find developments that pay as much attention to design quality, sustainability, and compact planning as Crescent Village.

(1) The American Institute of Architects – Southwestern Oregon Chapter is fortunate to have an ongoing, collaborative relationship with the Eugene branch of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC). The council is one of three original chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council, serving Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia (thereby being the only international chapter of the USGBC). The Eugene Branch is very active and effectively fills a niche for AIA architects and associates previously occupied by the AIA-SWO Committee on the Environment. CRGBC Branch meetings are an opportunity to learn and share information about green building and sustainable design, and foster interaction in the design community. Meetings are typically the second Tuesday of each month.

(2) The viability of both the WG Development (Sears pit) and Beam Development (Center Court Building) projects is in question.

A Taste of Wright

Willamette Valley chefs will team up with farmers, wineries, and brewers on August 2, 2009 to present A Taste of Wright, a culinary grazing extravaganza at the Gordon House. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gordon House is the only residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oregon and the only Wright building in the Pacific Northwest open to the public. The Gordon House Conservancy oversees the continuing restoration and operation of the house as a public museum opened in March 2002. A Taste of Wright is the major annual fundraising event for the Conservancy.

The Gordon House (photo from the Conservancy website)

The Conservancy’s slogan is “Frank was a foodie”. Live music, dancing, and silent and live auctions will add to this festival that benefits the preservation of Wright’s legacy in Oregon. Of course, the Gordon House itself will be open for tours to guests of the event.

Families are invited, kids under 7 are free! Tell all of your friends and neighbors.

Tickets:
$30 per Person
$50 per Couple
$60 per Family
$250 for Your Group of 12!

To Purchase Tickets call (503) 874-6006.

The Gordon House is located at 879 W Main St (Cascade Hwy) next door to The Oregon Garden in Silverton.