Having spent the last 10 years working on the design and construction of large-scale offices and mixed-use private developments, I knew surprisingly little about how owners and developers go about evaluating potential projects for their portfolios. To better understand the business decisions of the owners and project managers I work with on a daily basis, I sought out a course to educate myself on the financial and investment arm of development. Through the Urban Land Institute, I found a bundle of four courses focused on financial literacy, market analysis, and financial modeling. Upon completion, I received a Principles of Real Estate Finance and Investment Certificate. As part of the WRNS Studio Scholarship Fund, I’m sharing this report for the benefit of others at the firm.
It’s clear that the pandemic, inflation, and rising interest rates have had a profound effect on the real estate market but I wanted to use this opportunity to educate myself in general on financial terminology and apply the concepts to our local market. I took the four courses in the following order.
Introduction to Real Estate Finance and Investment
Introduction to Real Estate Capital Markets
Pro Forma Modeling 1
Introduction to Market Analysis
With the understanding I gained from the course, I started to dig deeper and ask myself some questions. What do the numbers show year over year? What are the trends? And where is the market heading in 2024? Hopefully, the data will shed some light on the real estate slowdown we’ve felt over the past few years and why owners and investors have been hesitant to spend in the current market.
There are many investment terms that go into evaluating whether an opportunity is worth pursuing, for this report, I am going to dive into four: 1. IRR (Internal Rate of Return) 2. NOI (Net Operating Income) 3. Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate) and 4. Discount Rate (Required Rate of Return). As we get into the analysis we’ll define and apply them.
Cap rates are a general indicator of market conditions and project value. It’s generally derived using market data and sale prices for actual property transactions by dividing a project’s NOI or Net Operating Income by its value. A high cap rate is associated with lower property values and low demand from investors as well as low appreciation potential. A low cap rate indicates the opposite: high property value, high demand, and high appreciation potential.
Below you’ll find a graph showing national cap rates from 2001 to 2022. Minus the bump during the Great Recession of 2009, Cap Rates had been declining steadily until 2020 when the effects of the global pandemic started to hit the market. Declining Cap Rates coincided with declining interest rates which led to more development. Some of WRNS Studio’s most active years in the office market were 2015-2020 with projects like Santana Row, Ameswell Mountain View, and Elco Yards Mixed-Use Life Sciences as well as our work with Microsoft, Intuit, and Meta. Owners and developers were keen to take advantage of low interest rates and debt financing as well as the high demand for commercial real estate, especially in the Bay Area.
Commercial Real Estate Cap Rates, Q1 2001 – Q4 2022
Source: CBRE – Connections and Disconnections of Cap Rates across Property Types – January 2024
Office Cap Rates – 2023
Source: CBRE – United States Cap Rate Survey H2 2023 – March 2024
As you can see from CBRE’s 2023 Cap Rate Survey, this chart shows the rate continuing to rise through the end of last year. The Cap Rate for Class A offices in San Francisco is about 7.25%. There are a lot of factors that contribute to this rise; high interest rates, work-from-home policies, and the increase in online retail, to name a few. But if you apply those numbers to a theoretical investment in 2019 compared to today the returns are quite staggering.
Project Value = NOI / Cap Rate.
A theoretical project with a NOI of $10,000 in 2019 with a Cap Rate of 4.25% has a value of $236,000. That same project today with a 7.25% cap rate has a value of $138,000.
The boom in development leading up to the pandemic increased the supply of office space in the market. Combine that with the onset of remote work and now we see market vacancy climbing. Over the past three years, the Bay Area has seen some of the highest vacancy rates in the country. Back in 2019 vacancy rates were at 6%. That has now climbed to 19% at the start of 2024. High vacancy rates also signal low net absorption rates which is a change in the quantity of occupied space and in essence a reflection of the demand for office space. As demand decreases, prices or rent in the office market decreases. Ever so slight variations in assumed rent or cap rates can have a significant impact on the IRR (Internal Rate of Return) which is an estimate of the profitability of a potential investment. As returns drop so does the appetite for investment.
Any investor evaluating a project would create a Pro Forma which is a financial model evaluating the potential return on the investment. The pro forma will take into consideration; project size, rental rate, purchase price, expenses, vacancy rate, growth rates, interest rates, and cap rates. The first step in creating a pro forma is to plug in all of your project assumptions. The next step is to estimate the project’s NOI (Net Operating Income) over the holding period which is how long you estimate owning the property.
NOI = Effective Income – Operating Expenses – Taxes
Once we’ve calculated the NOI we can determine the project’s cash flow by subtracting the debt service. And with the cash flow, we can determine the IRR. Let’s put it all together to determine if the current market conditions provide a favorable investment opportunity. For the sake of comparison, we’re going to keep all variables the same for a sample project and adjust the following to determine the IRR; Vacancy Rate, Interest Rate, and Cap Rate. Here’s a chart showing the average mortgage rates over the past 5 years.
Average 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage
Source: Freddie Mac – Primary Mortgage Market Survey
Let’s use an example from last January: 303 Bryant Street, Mountain View. CA. This 56,000 sq ft office building sold for $36.0 MIL. Let’s assume you can get $55 / sq ft in rent and you plan to hold the property for 5 years.
Here are the numbers we will use.
Cap Rate – Jan 2019 = 4.25%
Cap Rate – Jan 2024 = 6.25% (Even though the current cap rate is above 7% currently in San Francisco let’s be optimistic and hope that in 5 years, the demand for office space has started to rebound.)
Interest Rate – Jan 2019 = 4.5%
Interest Rate – Jan 2024 = 6.6%
Vacancy Rate 2019 = 6%
Vacancy Rate 2024 = 19%
Here’s the Pro Forma calculating the IRR in 2019. (The pro forma Excel outline was given to the course participants. There are functions built into the cells to calculate the various results. I won’t go into the formulas but if you’re interested, ULI’s Pro Forma Modeling 1 is a great course to familiarize yourself with building and testing a project pro forma.)
Here’s the same Pro Forma calculating the IRR in 2024.
This analysis is not meant to encompass or touch upon all of the factors that need to be considered when making real estate financial decisions. Plus it’s not entirely accurate to assume the same sale price and rent assumptions five years apart but the point here is to show you how big of an impact Cap, Interest, and Vacancy Rates alone have on the investment return and why the current market conditions don’t provide a favorable outlook on real estate investments. With a 16% IRR it’s clear to see that the market conditions leading up to 2019 were far better than what one could expect today. However, it’s worth noting that while Cap Rates and Pro Formas show the numbers, many other factors need to be considered when making a real estate investment; capital markets, location, size, amenities, and job growth to name a few. A great location and growing job market could change the outlook considerably.
So where does this leave us?
Well, there’s hope that interest rates will go down, employment is trending upwards, and return to office is gaining momentum which should bring down the vacancy rate. It still may not be the right time to make new investments in commercial real estate but rather hold existing assets until the market corrects or rebalance your portfolio. While demand is currently staying relatively flat we are seeing clients start to “right size” or evaluate their current office space needs to adapt to the new hybrid work environment. Another hot topic these days is office-to-residential or office-to-life science/lab conversions. Not every commercial property is a suitable candidate for a residential switch but those with smaller floor plates, shorter window-to-core distances, and proximity to amenities should at least be considered. Industrial properties are also growing in value as demand for warehouse space increases with the growth of online retail and requests for shorter shipping times. Amazon Prime free next-day shipping!
All in all, I can’t say enough good things about ULI and the courses they offer. I learned a tremendous amount about real estate finance and market analysis and would highly recommend anyone interested in learning more to consider the certificate. And when the market rebounds you’ll have the knowledge and resources to understand why.
The Architectural Design Program at Stanford University, the School of Architecture at Northeastern University College of Arts, Media and Design, and WRNS Studio have published a new book, Workplace + Public Realm, suggesting that the built environment is poised for a transformational shift as work and public life merge. The book reflects the findings of a yearlong research studio led by the three entities. The endeavor benefitted from the sponsorship and expertise of primary backer Jones Lang LaSalle, as well as Kilroy Realty, Knoll, Intuit, Equity Office, and CoreNet Global—Northern California Chapter.
The nature of work has always shaped the built environment, which has evolved significantly from agriculture-based townships to industrial cities connecting vast infrastructural networks to clerical cities of hierarchy and order. With the Information Age in full swing and automation positioned to further skew the workforce toward creative and strategic thinking, the market demand for innovation is reaching a tipping point. Knowledge work compels what WRNS Studio partner Bryan Shiles, who conceived of and co-taught the class, calls the “public mesh,” or the blurring of workplace and the public realm, with intriguing and complex implications for the built environment.
The class, which took place during the 2015/2016 academic year, used different sites in Boston, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley to investigate the impacts of changes in work and workplace upon the public realm and vice versa. “Planning and designing places for work today not only means reorganizing our physical environment in new ways, but it also means developing novel approaches to capture and investigate the practice of architecture and design as it undergoes radical change in terms of its actors, processes and places,” notes Kristian Kloeckl, Associate Professor at Northeastern University, who co-taught the studio. Adds John Barton, Director of Architectural Design at Stanford University: “New modes of practice call for new modes of education as well. This studio collaboration not only investigated urban work issues, it explored new curricular approaches and asked students to learn, collaborate and lead in wholly new ways.”
The students’ research points to two key benefits—flexibility and work/life integration—sought by today’s knowledge workers who expect meaningful interaction as well as autonomy over the processes of their work. While flexibility and work/life integration have been well covered in journalism, the students’ research, as organized in the book’s opening chapters, compels a deeper inquiry into the commonly held assumptions of both. For instance, workplace flexibility is not just a matter of making buildings adaptable for future uses; it’s also about supporting worker wellbeing by allowing for flexibility in when, where, and how work happens by situating work in close proximity to infrastructural networks like transit or other amenities like fitness. Likewise, the work/life dynamic shifts from balance to blur, as it can often be difficult to know in any given moment if someone is working or “doing life.” As most knowledge work can now be done anywhere, the workplace must evolve for relevance by offering experiences, tools, and spaces one could not find outside the office.
From an evolved understanding of the concepts of flexibility and work/life integration arises the need for a new kind of platform to better support them—the public mesh. The public mesh is an ecosystem, or network, of publicly accessed places, mutually defined by public and private entities, which happens at different scales and through different territories of public and private ownership. Shiles points out that the public mesh is nascent—its more obvious nodes becoming evident in spaces, networks and infrastructures shared by workers and the public. “In this ‘becoming’ lies great opportunity to shape new spaces of engagement and access,” says Shiles. The public mesh is still far from being worked out, as explored in chapters on security, jurisdictional dynamics, and territoriality and boundaries. The book is intended to catalyze further research on how both cities and suburbs might evolve in more human-centered, responsible ways—to the benefit of both private and public interests—as work and public life continue to merge.
After many years of working with architects, I read Kevin Lynch’s The Image of the City. Paths, edges, landmarks, nodes, and districts: these concepts inform almost every design charrette I’ve been in. The paths and nodes garner particular attention. For anyone who didn’t grow up on architecture, Lynch’s 1960 book is a seminal text of urban planning and design. Its focus on how we perceive and connect with our environments though cognitive mapping and memory—how we personalize and inhabit space psychologically—influenced generations of architects and urban designers to think about how it feels to be in a place.
Cover image of Kevin Lynch’s seminal urban planning and design book, The Image of the City.
Left: Mark di Suvero, Pyramidian, 1987/1998 (steel). Right: Sol LeWitt, Five Modular Units, 1971, refabricated 2008 (painted aluminum). Image at top: Menashe Kadishman, Suspended, 1977 (foreground, weathering steel) and Martin Puryear, Lookout, 2023 (background, brick, concrete, cobblestone).
Right around the time I was reading The Image of the City, I visited Storm King Art Center. The web site describes it as “a 500-acre outdoor museum located in New York’s Hudson Valley, where visitors experience large-scale sculpture and site-specific commissions under open sky. Since 1960, Storm King has been dedicated to stewarding the hills, meadows, and forests of its site and surrounding landscape.” Its vision is to nurture “a vibrant bond between art, nature, and people, creating a place where discovery is limitless.”
Coincidentally, Storm King opened in 1960, the same year Lynch’s book was published, during an historical inflection point that prefigures our own. I was curious to experience Storm King through a Lynchian lens. Might an outdoor museum offer cues for urban design? A vibrant bond between art, nature, and people has never felt more needed, at least not in my lifetime.
My kids and I took a train from Grand Central to Beacon Station where we boarded a bus to Storm King. The underground darkness and urban ruins of New York City unfurl to a quiet, bucolic journey that parallels the serene Hudson River and winds through leafy towns.
The Hudson River. Photo Credit: Daniel Mennerich
Alighting from a bus at Storm King, we found ourselves on a paved road surrounded by acres of low rolling hills and landscaped areas punctuated by large art. Our fellow visitors shuffled uncertainly, looking around. A guide handed us maps, indicating we were free to roam. The disorientation and expanse of nature made me think about wide-open days from another time.
Paths For Lynch, paths are key to shaping one’s experience and memory of a place. Clear, continuous, and distinctive paths help us navigate comfortably, while creating a coherent and memorable cognitive map. A diversity of paths enriches the experience.
At Storm King, the paths are paved, graveled, and landscaped. Some are clearly demarcated while others are more open and interpretive. In many cases, the pathways at Storm King filter into an open field or lawn. From there, you make your own way to the artwork. Some pass right through the art itself.
For me, the paths were a version of choose-your-own-adventure. Sometimes the art was the destination; sometimes the path itself felt like art. I noticed that people were particularly playful and friendly on the grassy and self-defined paths, both of which are ubiquitous.
Edges
If paths take us places, edges help us perceive where we are and where we’re going more clearly. These linear boundaries and transitional zones separate and connect distinct areas and uses. According to Lynch, the more diverse, noticeable, and distinct the edges are, the stronger our psychological response to a place.
Left: Alexander Liberman, Adonai, 1970-71, refabricated 2000, (steel).
The edges at Storm King are largely porous and natural, or composed of materials found in nature, like stone. While edges often serve a largely functional purpose, such as separating different uses, the natural beauty and welcoming nature of the rock walls and tall grasses at Storm King invited discovery and repose. If edges are transitions, do those that appear natural create authenticity and foster engagement?
Landmarks and Nodes
While the paths and edges at Storm King are beautiful and welcoming, it is the art—visibly salient and monumental—that defines the experience and memory of this place. The artworks draw the eye, making canvases of land and sky. They beckon the visitor to follow well-worn paths or make their own. The landmarks at Storm King pulled me into some merged state with both art and nature.
From left: Mark di Suvero, E=MC2, 1996-97 (steel, stainless steel) and Frog Legs, 2002 (steel)
It almost goes without saying that the installations at Storm King are both landmarks and nodes—focal points and intersections where pathways join and people come together. Unlike indoor museums, where nodes can often feel claustrophobic, the nodes at Storm King made me want to lie down in the grass. I found myself talking to strangers. Why not? They too had “entered the canvas.”
David von Schlegell’s Two Circles, 1972 (aluminum and stainless steel).
Left: Menashe Kadishman, Suspended, 1977 (foreground, weathering steel) and Martin Puryear, Lookout, 2023 (background, brick, concrete, cobblestone). Right: Alexander Liberman, Iliad, 1974-76 (painted steel)
Image and Memory: The District
Widening the Lynchian lens to the concept of district—a city segment with a cohesive character and distinct sense of identity—might we take urban design cues from Storm King? There was mix of clearly defined and interpretive paths, porous edges composed of natural materials, a diversity of landmarks doubling as nodes. For me, these characteristics worked together, inviting discovery, play, and communion with art, nature, and people. I was certainly living the Storm King vision.
Extending the experience of a rural outdoor art museum to the larger built environment is perhaps a stretch. So be it. I’ll take hope where I can get it these days; places like Storm King give me hope.
Mark di Suvero, She, 1977-78 (steel with wooden swinging bed).
Admittedly, prior to touching down in Guatemala City I knew very little about the country of Guatemala. Perhaps I drew parallels to its neighbor Mexico to the north and shared Mayan history prior to current day boundaries – but not what made the county unique. Over the coming week I came to learn the richness of the Mayan history, the diversity of the landscape from volcanos near the Pacific and the jungle to the east bordering Belize, the warmth and pride of its people, and insight into the country today following a turbulent election two months prior and in recent history a 36 year civil war.
My goal of this scholarship was to better my watercolor skills during my stay in Guatemala. I’ve always learned better when I pair it with drawing in some way, taking time to cement a view in my memory while solidifying the memories and stories in my brain. I’ve always detested watercolors. Their whimsical nature is a challenge for me, likely due to a lesson in patience I had not yet rehearsed. So without further ado, the following are a collection of pieces I created. During my trip, I learned that watercolors can be more forgiving and exacting than anticipated. I learned that an interest in my subjects was the most important factor of all. To accompany these paintings, I’ve provided the true beauty of travel – all the little facts, fictions and tidbits that accompany one’s travels and shape your perception of a place as you experience it in the flesh.
Flores – The second oldest settlement in the Americas
Notably, flying low across the length of the country, basketball courts could be made out, dotted between hills, on rooftops, and nestled in the pockets of little villages. Despite soccer winning out as the nation’s favorite – basketball requires less space for a court and is ideal for the varied terrain of Guatemala. What’s more, basketball holds a link to the past in its familiarity with the Mayan Ballgame. A rubber ball is used, however hips and shoulders would make contact to move the ball to score. At Tikal, adjacent to The Temple of the Great Jaguar (Temple 1) sits a ballcourt.
This basketball court sits opposite the church in the town square of Flores, once the site of a Mayan temple that was destroyed when the Spanish conquerors took hold of the city. Layering history upon culture in this once great Maya State that holds the record for the second oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the Americas.
Tikal, Mayan Biosphere
Visiting Tikal was overwhelming with the scale of the temples, the age of the structures, and the overgrown nature of the jungle hinting at once was. Evidence of the site being inhabited stretches as far back as 1000 BC, with construction growing strength in 400 BC. Tikal grew to be a sophisticated city, with royalty living in limestone structures with wooden lintels and townspeople likely inhabiting surrounding huts that have long since disappeared. Notability, the structures, particularly temples were ever changing as new rulers took power. Often remodeled to grow in scale. Attributed to overpopulation and a lack of food or water, Tikal was deserted in the 11th century.
One of the most interesting themes in learning about Tikal was the dichotomy of the historical site itself that was mostly left unexposed and the positioning of the site for tourism. Driving in the thick of darkness, entering the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, the road transformed to what felt like a runway – perfectly maintained and illuminated with markers for visitors. There is much left to be discovered and restored at the site, yet with visitors already at astonishing annual numbers, what motivation does the Government have to continue to excavate?
Wooden masks
Mayan utilized masks as a ceremonial tool, taking on the persona of various gods and animals to embody power and honor. Throughout my visit, wood masks could be seen everywhere, often decorating walls. The fox I painted was a favorite of mine as it reminded me of the gray fox I came face to face with after lunch one day. I was told they come to drink water from a basin near the kitchen and often wander up. Limestone carvings can be seen decorating the temples of Tikal, like Chac, the God of rain.
Local building techniques – Moon wood
Much of the housing that can be seen around Lake Petén Itzá is made of cinder blocks and tin roofs. While more affordable, this building technique unfortunately is not a match for the hot climate. The scarcity of local wood and palms means many turn to housing that acts like an oven in the jungle climate. The more traditional housing, my local guide explained, has to be harvested properly in a way that generations have done – moon harvesting. The practice involves harvesting trees during the waning moon, which allows the water/ sap content to result in a denser, more resilient wood. Without it, the wood structures are more susceptible to termites and general decay.
Wildlife in the Guatemalan Jungle
Much of the conversations I both had with locals and overheard regarding the wildlife were similar. Visitors wanted to know if locals had seen a jaguar? Were they dangerous? What was the most dangerous thing in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve? Typically, jaguars are a very rare encounter. On the road and at night, the big cat is caught off guard when a car is passing. Otherwise, I was told that they have no record of animals harming humans in the Reserve, even when travelers are lost in the jungle for days at a time. It turns out the Fer-de-lance, a viper, calls the region home and is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. One of the reasons the Tikal park is kept tidy, a guide reassured me.
Tikal at sunrise
Tikal at sunrise is an experience like no other, although few of the 200,000 yearly visitors take this opportunity. Walking amongst the temples in the moonlight, while the jungle is silent feels cinematic. I climbed atop the wooden staircase, constructed for the safety of visitors, to reach the top of the astrological complex, Mundo Perdido. As the sky began to lighten a howler monkey began to scream in the distance. Within minutes, the jungle erupted with howler monkeys – waking up birds as the noise can reach nearly 3 miles in the dense jungle. At eye level, I spied a collared aracari toucan eating a breakfast of berries.
For a small country grasping to the shores of the Baltic and North Sea, Denmark is an enthralling kingdom containing an architectural tapestry rife with inspiration. Famed authors like Hans Christian Andersen and William Shakespeare have drawn influence from the enchanting Danish identity for stories told the world over. Is it the shifting sand dunes, centuries old existence, or even erratic weather patterns that render this geographic conditioning primed for possibility? I traveled to Denmark to find out and to visit the H.C Andersens Hus, which in 2021 opened a new wing by Kengo Kuma, and the indomitable Kronborg Castle, which inspired Hamlet’s own keep.
Odense—Denmark’s third largest city—on the island of Funen—Denmark’s third largest city—offers the quaint cobblestone characteristics of pre-industrial Europe. Half-timber houses with terracotta roofs occupy a district near the city center and converge on a yellow house at the corner of Hans Jensens Straede and Bangs Border. Here on April 2, 1805 Hans Christian Andersen was born. Andersen would move out of this humble home to another house in Odense before leaving to Copenhagen to make his fame. Many of his fairy tales richly describe the pastoral settings he would have experience during his childhood in Odense. The yellow house and surrounding district have been preserved following his death and a memorial was erected with frescoes depicting elements of Andersen’s autobiography “The Fairy Tale of my Life’.
More recently, a new wing was added to the birthplace as the reimagined H C Andersen House Museum. While sharing the life of the author, the museum brings to life his most-known fairy tales in a format that’s appealing to audiences of all ages. Defined by curved latticed-timber structures, the museum forms a sinuous landscape between the historic residential district and modern parts of the city center. Meandering paths with high hedges climb over the museum while distinct glass and timber pavilions form a store and restaurant that rise out of the vegetation. Embedded courtyards conceal the subterranean exhibition spaces. Kengo Kuma and Associates designed the new wing and graciously responded to existing site conditions with a distinctive cultural building.
The museum is divided into three parts: The Life, The Fairy Tale and the Legacy. The Life highlights his history and possessions, The Fairy Tale his stories, and The Legacy features his ongoing popularity, the birthplace, and Memorial Hall. The Fairy Tale portion captivated my attention the longest as The Little Mermaid, The Little Match Girl, and Ugly Duckling, among others stories, were reimagined through interconnected multi-media installations. Twelve artists collaborated on a series of animations, visualizations, sculptures, and shadow boxes that coalesced into a fanciful sensory experience of exploration, amusement, and sympathy.
At the other end of Denmark, the formidable Kronborg Castle occupies the narrowest point on the sound between the Danish island of Zealand and Sweden. This strategic point allowed its holder to lay a tax on maritime commerce and fund a lavish monarchy. King Frederik II build Kronborg Castle by turning a medieval keep into a palatial Renaissance Castle for lavish parties and theater. From Kronborg Castle, Frederik II built a thriving arts community and richly filled the castle with ornamental towers and spires, woven tapestries, and live performance. Kronborg Castle suffered a major fire the following century but was rebuilt to retain its proud position over the sea.
Many of William Shakespeare’s compatriots would have performed at Kronborg Castle bringing back gossip and palace intrigue to inspire the playwright. Shakespeare would write a play about Hamlet of Elsinore, an anglicized version of Helsingor, where Kornborg is located. The castle ramparts and casements serve as backdrops to the dramatized tale of Hamlet and Ophelia. The continued fame of the play and subsequent film adaptions have elevated Kornborg Castle into the world’s cultural subconscious, earning a UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2000.
To add to the mystic, a statue of Ogier the Dane resides in the caste casemates. Folk lore and Hans Christian Andersen tell how Ogier sleeps until his homeland need him. A strong reminder of the undercurrents Danish Literature has had on modern society from a runic alphabet through to classical and romanticism.
At all times, there is a single point on Earth that is closest in distance to the sun, where the sun is directly overhead and its rays strike the earth’s surface exactly perpendicular. This subsolar point traverses the globe every day and produces the eerie effect of stripping objects of their cast shadows. Hawai’i refers to this tropical solar phenomenon as Lāhainā Noon and celebrates the event twice a year, occurring before and after the summer solstice.
Solar radiation is in part a function of the angle of incidence, or the angle the sun’s rays strike the Earth. When the summer sun reaches 90 degrees overhead, sunrays travel the shortest distance possible through the atmosphere before striking the Earth’s surface and are consequently extreme. This is contrasted to a winter sun that does not rise as high in the sky and its rays travel a greater distance through the planet’s atmosphere before striking the Earth—greatly reducing the intensity of solar radiation.
Lāhainā Noon occurs only in the tropics, the range of latitudes located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the force of the solar event is important for designers to consider. In the period between the two Lāhainā Noon events, the sun’s path over-rotates beyond perpendicular to a peak at 93 degrees—in other words, the sun is able to travel into the northern sky in the tropics. This unique solar geometry challenges our conventional understanding of building exposures and their relationships to the procession of the sun. As a result, shading in Hawai’i must also be considered on northern building exposures, as the sun has the potential to strike northern facades for a few weeks each year.
Traditional Hawaiian architecture accounts for this phenomenon through a number of architectural interventions that serve as a model for contemporary, sustainable building strategies. Simple post-and-beam structures promote natural ventilation while large overhanging roofs on all sides shield living spaces from harsh noontime light and direct solar exposure. The variant sun exposures—depending on orientation—require different overhang lengths: wider on the south side, and shorter on the north.
Lāhainā Noon will pass over the new Waikoloa Middle School Classroom Building on the west side of the Big Island on May 18, July 24, and 25. The roof pitch and materiality mitigates Hawai’i’s high sun exposure. In Hawai’i year long summer weather the heavily insulated roofing material and light colors will reduce heat gains, critical to decreasing energy requirements. Waikoloa is a naturally ventilated building with thin-open walls and generous window to wall ratios to permit daylighting and cooling trade winds in while easing energy loads. Waikoloa is the first ground-up project from our Honolulu Studio.
The name Lāhainā Noon was adopted in recent memory and means ‘cruel sun’—referencing the strength and direct angle of the sun’s rays. The Ancient Hawaiian name, kau ka lā i ka lolo, offers a similar interpretation when translated as the ‘sun rests on the brains’. Traditional Hawaiian beliefs suggest that this event spurs the aka (shadow) to retreat into one’s body, producing a time of great energy.
Understanding and managing the unique influence of the tropical sun on buildings and occupant comfort is essential to the design of successful spaces in the Tropics, and Lāhainā Noon plays an integral part in this story. The rich Hawaiian history that acknowledges and considers this curious solar event offers contemporary designers the opportunity to call forward traditional building practices while mitigating the sun’s intensity and telling the very story of this phenomenon.
This year Hawai’i will experience the Lāhainā Noon on:
May 2023 Lāhainā Noon Dates:
Honolulu (O‘ahu): 12:28 PM (May 26+27)
Kahului (Maui): 12:22 PM (May 24)
Līhuʻe (Kauai): 12:35 PM (May 31)
Hilo: 12:16 PM (May 18)
Kona: 12:20 PM (May 18)
July 2023 Lāhainā Noon Dates:
Honolulu (O‘ahu): 12:37 PM (July 15 + 16)
Kahului (Maui): 12:32 PM (July 18)
Līhuʻe (Kauai): 12:43 (July 11)
Hilo: 12:26 PM (July 24)
Kona: 12:30 PM (July 24+25)
As many of you know by now, after over 45 years of dreaming, playing, working, meeting, and cooking—18 of them at WRNS Studio—I am stepping into a new role. As a Founding Partner, I will always be connected to WRNS Studio. But now, I will transition to a consulting position, taking on select and focused assignments.
When I embarked on this long journey, I had many doubts and questions about the profession, and whether my talents could bring benefit to it. What I discovered was a thirst for architecture that contributed to quality of life, social good, and integrity.
When I first started practicing, I was green and hungry for experience. I lacked most basic architectural skills. However, I believed that I had a fine sense for quality design, a high aptitude for problem solving, and a deep knowledge of process. During my first job interview, I recall Senior Partner at Anshen + Allen, Derek Parker, looking down at my woeful portfolio. I knew that my portfolio would never land me a position. He later told me that the articulate person he was talking to could not be the same person that produced the portfolio. Fortunately, he concluded that my future was vested in the way I thought and spoke, not in my graphic skills.
Just six years later I became his partner, the youngest at Anshen + Allen. Those first six years of practice helped me develop the skills that I needed to become an architect. I focused largely on a single large healthcare project, taking it from Schematic Design through Construction. During that time I became licensed and got my Masters in Architecture at University of California, Berkeley while handling construction on my own.
During the next few years, I managed and ran several projects, expanding my experience base and learning how to manage people; going from a one-man show to managing a studio of 15-20 architects. I also became active in the AIA, where I had the opportunity to sit with leaders of other practices like Joe Esherik, Jim Diaz, Jim Follett, David Robinson, and others. They gave me a rare look at the way firms practiced, grew, recruited, maintained quality, and engaged. In a sense, I learned about best practices from those that surrounded me. That attitude about shared knowledge has stuck with me throughout my career.
During the next several years of practice at Anshen + Allen, I worked on many healthcare and higher education projects. I built studio teams and learned how to manage the firm, becoming its Managing Principal in 1984. In 1992, after nearly 16 years of practice, I decided to leave Anshen + Allen. I had helped it grow from a staff of 29 to a staff of 200 with four offices. The firm did suffer growing pains and I learned a lot about how to manage growth. Transition of ownership was an issue for me and other partners as control of the firm was vested in a single partner. So I left Anshen + Allen to join Gordon H Chong as his first partner.
Within a year, I took on the role of CFO and Managing Partner. Over the next ten years we saw the firm grow from a staff of 30 and one office, to 200 with four offices. I put many of the lessons learned at Anshen + Allen to good use. Many of my former staff joined me and we became Gordon Chong + Partners (Chong Partners). I also nurtured existing staff, including Sam Nunes, who would become a Chong Partner and WRNS Studio Founding Partner. I recruited Jeff Warner and Bryan Shiles, who also became Partners at Chong Partners and future WRNS Studio Founding Partners. During this time, I also launched Chong Partners London, and its UK partnership with an established firm from Newcastle. In many ways, these two ventures became the test cases on how best to launch a new firm.
I had the great opportunity to work on landmark projects at Chong Partners including the UCSF Mission Bay Campus Master Plan, which was the largest development in San Francisco since the planning of Golden Gate Park. I was also the project director for the rebuild of the California Academy of Sciences, working for five years with Renzo Piano Building Workshop and his office in Genova. Work in the UK included Private Public Partnerships (P3) which brought great future benefit to projects we later took on at WRNS Studio.
In 2005 it became evident that the four minority partners were handing the great majority of projects and revenue at Chong Partners while owning just 25% of the firm. All attempts to create a long-term equitable transition plan failed. So in 2005 the four minority partners collectively decided to launch our own practice. We have never looked back, growing, profiting, doing great work, and putting in place an ownership development plan that ensured we could sustain the firm long term. My exit, and my partner Jeff’s parallel exit, demonstrate that the planning is working.
Our project history and diversity speaks for itself. While only 18 years old, we have twice been named top firm in the U.S. by Architect magazine and we were recognized as a Fast Company 2020 Most Innovative design firm. In selecting WRNS Studio as the #1 firm in the U.S., ranked across business, sustainability, and design, Architect magazine pointed to our careful approach: “The disposition of each project, particularly through its materiality and form, captures and addresses the specific environment.” While we’re proud of the 60+ design awards and the three AIA COTE Award winning projects we’ve received since our founding in 2005, we’re most proud that our architecture reflects the missions of our clients and the places they call home.
I am proud of our work and my contributions to WRNS Studio. We have set new standards in university health and P3 development through projects at landmark campuses like UC Merced and we have provided master planning and design guidelines for several campuses and healthcare organizations. I have been a long time contributor of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP), serving in many roles, including President. I am the only person in 50 years to serve as President who wasn’t employed directly by an institution. I also won SCUP’s Distinguished Service Award. In 1998 I received my Fellowship for contributing through my practice to the social advancement of society.
In my 45 plus years of practice, I have had the honor to work with some of the most talented people in our profession. And I am proud to call many of them my partners. When we launched WRNS Studio, we said it was about both the partners and the studio, the work and the people. Nothing could be closer to the heart of what we do. We are a big talented collaboration. My only regret is that we got too big for me to continue making all-staff lunches.
John A Ruffo, FAIA, RIBA
Founding Partner Emeritus
Designing the process is the most valuable driver of the project.
A few years ago, I learned about The Toyota Way, the codified methodology employed by one of the world’s leading car manufacturers. This entailed speeding their process, building quality into systems, eliminating costs associated with waste and sustaining a cultural mindset for continuous improvement. When amplified to consider the complete value stream, this process is referred to as LEAN – the “secret sauce” that maintains Toyota’s speed to market and exemplary profit margins.
Doing things right.
Successful project management has been defined traditionally as doing two things right: delivering on time and staying on budget. However, today’s design and construction market require project managers to execute transformative ideas with the same kind of expediency and exactness in order to help clients achieve a competitive advantage.
LEAN – Process.
The healthcare construction industry has well-established organizational, operational and contractual structures for implementing LEAN. These initiatives focus on removing non-value-add steps, facilitating flow and working to establish a cadence that matches production to need in order to minimize delay and waste. When considering a design/construction project work plan, LEAN manifests itself in a few ways. It focuses on continuous improvement: defining value, inviting the right expertise at formative stages, guiding the process for making well-informed decisions, working efficiently as a team, and executing in the field. No project is too large or small to benefit from the rigor of and clarity of purpose that LEAN offers.
LEAN – Design.
At WRNS Studio, we continually seek ways to practice the key principles of LEAN in service of design that delivers on economic, social, and environmental performance goals. Research is integral to our launch—we engage in critical inquiry, disciplining ourselves to avoid presuming we have the right answers (just better questions), and learning from previous projects. In the world of expediency and exactness, design explorations may be perceived as antithetical to traditional project success metrics. Therefore, designing a process in which this exploration is tied to value—especially when transformative work is expected—is perhaps our most important responsibility.
LEAN – Practice.
The key to realizing successful LEAN delivery is an engaged and collaborative team.
Dynamic Calendar – Develop a visual map of time and resources – keep it analog! Identify key deliverables and engage with the entire team to arrive at (and commit to) a sequence or flow for the work. Carve out time to iterate and space to think.
Gathering, Synthesis and Reporting – Structure efforts with three distinct parts, all of which build upon each other. Share progress with your extended team to build accountability regarding inclusivity with stakeholders and fidelity to decisions made so that the next steps can then follow.
Doing the right things.
It’s exciting to think about evolving the concept of project management to one of process leadership. As we move forward in our delivery of projects that realize the highest value and efficiency, it is important to define value holistically. Assembling teams comprised of talent across disciplines, encouraging staff to enjoy fulfilling lives via flexible schedules (which we can build into the dynamic calendar), and evolving criteria for project success and methodology are imperatives!
‘Toyota’s LEAN process provides a blueprint for successful project management’ was originally published on The Bridge Group.
This new interior fit out supports WRNS’ mission to participate as a steward for sustainable design in the built environment; to model social awareness, sustainability and community; and to support interaction and cross-disciplinary design.
The 6,390 square foot office includes open office seating, a small and large conference room, mother’s room, break room, print room, server room as well as a collaboration area and outdoor roof deck.
By creating an open office environment, all employees are granted access to daylight, views and increased ventilation. Natural sunlight is able penetrate deep into the space and limit the need for artificial light. Operable windows and direct access to the outdoor deck allow fresh air to full time employees in addition to visitors.
Designing for employee health was a priority. Exemplary indoor air quality was achieved through compliance with ASHRAE 62, dedicated entry approaches that reduce outdoor particulates from entering the space, and a cleaning protocol that abides with the EPA Safer Choice label.
The Living Building Challenge was used to establish project goals with special care given to creating a healthy work environment for employees. The Studio will achieve the Health & Happiness, Material, and Beauty Petal.
WHAT IS THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE?
The Living Building Challenge™ is a certification program, advocacy tool, and philosophy defining the most advanced measure of sustainability in the build environment today. As a certification program, it addresses all buildings at all scales and is an inclusive tool for transformative design. The Living Building Challenge provides framework for design, construction and improvement of the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built and natural environment.
PLACE PETAL
LIMITS TO GROWTH IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To curb sprawl, restore natural ecosystems, and protect productive agricultural lands and ecologically sensitive areas from the negative impacts of development.
The dense, urban location of the new office does not contribute to the unrestricted sprawl of urban areas. Furthermore, by locating the office within an existing building, the project has supported Seattle’s economy of current infrastructure. This further lessens the environmental impact of the office building and pushes back on the trend to constantly be seeking new construction buildings.
HEALTH & HAPPINESS PETAL
CIVILIZED ENVIRONMENT IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To improve occupant health by providing a direct connection to the outdoor environment.
The WRNS Office renovation added a brand new terrace to the office building. Observable from the moment you enter the office, the 767 square foot deck offers employees a direct and convenient connection with the outdoors year round. The space is complete with outdoor furniture so employees have the option to bring their work or lunch outside, into the fresh air and warm sun.
The building doesn’t have perimeter operable windows, but every desk is no farther than 20 feet from a window. Ability to move your work to a common areas or outdoor patio for a varied work environment is accepted and encouraged.
HEALTHY INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To improve occupant health by reducing or eliminating indoor pollutants.
The WRNS Seattle Office has undertaken many initiatives to ensure the space continually delivers exemplary indoor air quality to all occupants.
The project underwent a comprehensive pre-occupancy indoor air quality inspection. Through the pre-occupancy testing, the team was notified of elevated PM-10 concentrations, which triggered proper remediation with the addition of MERV 8 filters. The post-occupancy IAQ inspection had been delayed to the unforeseen disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is critical now more than ever to ensure a safe and healthy environment for employees and visitors. The send IAQ test is scheduled for the end of March.
All interior building products that have the potential to emit VOCs meet the compliance of California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard method. By excluding harmful VOC levels from the entire building, occupants’ health is safe while they enjoy the space.
To minimize and control the cross contamination of air pollutants, the Seattle Office design generously exhausts each space where hazardous gases may be present or used, namely in the copy/printer room as well as the kitchenette. These additional exhaust fans protect occupants from exposure to harmful gases.
Occupant’s health is also protected through compliance with ASHRAE 63 ventilation rates, and an advanced sensor system that monitors CO2, temperature and humidity throughout the office.
Additional IAQ a no-smoking policy, and entryway systems that reduce outdoor contamination from entering the building. The janitorial services provided by the base building deliver high-quality regular cleanings of the space while exercising green cleaning practices.
BIOPHILIC ENVIRONMENT IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To promote designs that bridge the divide between natural and built environments.
Comfort and a connection to nature drove the buildout of our Seattle office. We oriented the design along the northern axis to take advantage of the daylight. Large expanses of windows overlook the Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains serving as backdrop, creating a strong sense of place. Sunlight filters into the main areas with all work stations having direct access to natural light.
Designed to foster productivity and seamless communication, the concept relies on an open, adaptable floor plan. Exposed ceilings, a nod to nature’s impurities, unify the work spaces. Mobile workstations can quickly be reconfigured to host impromptu meetings, serving as a reminder of nature’s constant changing. Bright furniture systems, with wood veneer surfaces, create spatial harmony.
At its heart is a meeting room, and social hub that spills onto the deck. Waterfront views and lapping waves provide a connection to the area, offering a place of respite. The meeting room features an over-sized wooden conference table repurposed from Elm wood, a symbol of earth’s beauty. Sliding partition walls double as pin boards, and ebb and flow with occupant need.
Every element from the cork pin up board, the reclaimed wood table, or the light fixture tells a story of transparency, wellness and industry movement.
MATERIALS PETAL
RED LIST IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To eliminate the use of worst-in-class materials/chemicals with the greatest impact to human and ecosystem health.
The project team significantly embraced the ambitions of the Living Building Challenge’s Material Petal to prioritize products that are non-toxic, ecologically restorative, socially equitable, and provide ingredient transparency. This presented some of the greatest challenges to the project team.
During the schematic design phase, the project began referencing a material list of WRNS Studio’s preceding project, the San Francisco Office Expansion, which had adopted the Living Building Challenge’s Material goals. This list of materials served as a baseline for many of the team’s product choices including Forbo Cork Wall Covering, BM 500 Ultraspec paint, and Purebond plywood. As Red List Imperative documentation began, the team faced many challenges that were unforeseen. For example, the majority of the lighting fixtures chosen were found to contain PVC in the wiring insulation. After vetting alternate products, PVC in wire insulation is understood to be a current industry standard that the project was unable to avoid. As a best effort to eliminate Red List ingredients, we included two of the only Red List Free linear light systems that have a Declare Label– Goldeneye’s Airelight and Vode’s Zip Two. All other interior lighting fixtures had to utilize the General Red List exception.
The project also had to the Minimum Order Excess exception for the metal studs that were found to contain Chromium VI, which is a Red List ingredient. The manufacturer explained that the product could be made without Chromium VI under special orders that exceeded a certain threshold. Unfortunately, as a tenant improvement project of 5,710 square feet, the project’s order did not exceed this threshold and therefore had to use the metal studs that contained the Red List ingredient. An advocacy letter asking the manufacturer to supply the Red List free alternative for smaller orders was sent.
One of the most arduous parts of the Red List vetting process was the lack of manufacturer engagement. In some circumstances, the team submitted three inquiries for additional ingredient information to manufacturers with no response. In these situations, the project was forced to move forward without adequate information. Overall, it was found that the majority of manufacturers required additional education on Red List ingredients and other health-compliance programs, such as RoHS and GreenGuard. Sending advocacy letters to manufacturers was one of the most critical pieces to opening conversations about future health and transparency of building materials.
One of the key highlights of the project was the partnership between the design and construction team. As the first Living Building Challenge project for many on the team, there was a good amount of education that occurred internally in order to be able to properly vet the project’s products. This knowledgebase has served the team well in engaging with vendors and tradespeople and has helped us to become better advocates for healthy materials in buildings.
EMBODIED CARBON FOOTPRINT IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To minimize projects’ embodied carbon through design as well as to offset projects’ climate change–related construction impacts.
Limiting carbon footprint was top of mind from the project’s inception and informed the decision to locate the project in an existing building. During early phase design, the approach was to expose as much of the existing structure as possible and to have those surfaces as the finish surfaces for the renovation. The intent was to reveal and celebrate the natural qualities of the building while limiting the introduction of extensive new finishes for the space. For example, structural columns, exposed ceilings and beams and existing finishes along the interior face of the façade were left in place.
Additionally, it was the project team’s goal to limit the amount of new partitions and associated finishes by utilizing an open floor plan and only adding partitions where privacy and acoustic requirements dictated. New finishes were intentionally selected for their renewable or recycled qualities in order to limit their carbon footprint.
The Tally analysis proved difficult given the limitations of this carbon-tracking software. Tally for an interiors tenant improvement project was very specific/deep in some areas and entirely lacking on others. For example, in regards to doors, it goes down to specifics in hardware, hinges, closers, etc. but there is no category for millwork or furniture altogether, so those categories do not get included in the carbon analysis. There were also limited finishes to select from so often times, we had to choose the closest finish possible but was unclear if the carbon footprint of the alternate was similar. Furniture, millwork & other “soft architecture” components are major parts of tenant improvement projects & would represent a significant carbon footprint that is not currently being calculated by Tally.
WRNS believes that our total embodied carbon calculated using Tally is not an accurate representation of the project. It is acknowledged that the carbon total of 25,427 kg CO2e is likely an undercalculation.
Since running into these gaps within Tally for interiors tenant improvement projects, the team has been researching others’ experiences with Tally analyses for similar projects. One study published by Carbon Leadership Forum in 2017, Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study: LCA for Low Carbon Construction1, found that the embodied carbon of the average interior build out was 75 kg CO2e/m2. However, the participating research team and advisories named many limitations in during their findings including unaligned analysis methods to generate data.
The CLF study was based on the average interior buildout and WRNS believes, that as a LBC-pursuant project, the total embodied carbon would be much lower than any “average’ building that is unconcerned about environmental footprint or waste reduction. The WRNS office Studio used an reductive material pattern and embrace the exposed ceiling and beams. The project does not contain any carpet, one of the more carbon-dense finish materials2. So it is no surprise that this project would come in well under the average tenant improvement at 42 kg CO2e/m2.
In fact, the embodied carbon calculated for this project was so low that it was difficult to find a carbon offset provider that sells offsets in that small of quantities. WRNS has purchased 26 mT of CO2e to offset the embodied carbon accumulated with this project.
1 Simonen, K., Rodriguez, B., McDade, E,. Strain, L. (2017) Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study: LCA for Low Carbon Construction. Available at http://hdl.handle.net/1773/38017.
2Simonen, K., Rodriguez, B., Li, S. (2017) CLF Embodied Carbon Benchmark Data Visualization, website. Available at www.carbonleadershipforum.org/data-visualization/
LIVING ECONOMY IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To support investment in local economies that stimulates local economic growth, strengthens community ties and development, and minimizes environmental impacts associated with transportation of products and people.
OUR APPROACH
The project team prioritized the use of regional resources to reduce environmental impact of transportation and to support the local economy. The Material Petal Guidelines ensured that all manufacturers and suppliers were vetted for sustainable, healthy practices.
The Project utilized the great work of Urban Hardwoods, a local Seattle company that sources salvaged wood from within a 20-mile radius of Seattle and gives the wood a second life as a beautiful, timeless treasures. WRNS worked with Urban Hardwoods to produce the custom salvaged English Elm conference table and two coffee tables.
The FSC lumber used to construct the wood decking was sourced from Algona, Washington, less than 25 miles from the project site.
37% of the material construction budget was spent supporting manufacturers within 500km of the project, and 67% spent with manufactures from a 1,000km-5,000km distance from the project site. In total, 100% of the materials construction budget was sourced from within 5,000km from the project.
NET POSITIVE WASTE
INTENT: To reduce environmental burdens from the extraction, processing, and disposal of materials and turn waste into a valuable resource through beneficial reuse.
OUR APPROACH
The WRNS Seattle Office has undertaken many material conservation and waste management initiatives. These low-impact, resourceful waste management practices extend beyond the scope of the office tenant improvement and into daily operations.
Beginning early the design phase, the space was inspected by a local company that sells reclaimed, salvaged building materials, Second Use. WRNS Studio was able to donate 2,500ft2 of the existing carpet to Second Use for resale/reuse. Additionally, the team strove reduce the amount of materials used on the project. For example, a limited number of partitions and associated finishes were built into the project. The team focused on functional materials, only including the partitions were privacy and acoustic would be optimized.
During construction, the demolition team was thoughtfully chosen for their expertise in selective demolition, to preserve as much of the existing infrastructure as possible. The demolition team and the builder were able to work together to achieve an overall diversion rate above 90%.
This Seattle office participates in a comprehensive recycling, e-recycling and composting program in partnership with the base building management. The kitchen is stocked with glass and ceramic dishware and utensils instead of single use paper and plastics. In fact, single serve items/packaging are avoided to reduce packaging and boxed lunches are avoided all the like. Office supply purchasing (printer paper, ink, pens, etc.) always prioritize materials with recycled content.
The reductive material palette innately lends itself to minimal waste during the office’s final deconstruction. However, WRNS plans to occupy their new studio space for many years to come. With a longer lease length, it is assured that new construction and demolition waste will not be created from a new tenant improvement project in the foreseeable future. The studio guarantees to use the currently installed products will be used until they are no longer safe or effective. If necessary to replace or dispose of materials and products used in the office, Second Use will be contacted again. All salvageable materials will be donated to Second Use.
BEAUTY PETAL
BEAUTY + SPIRIT IMPERATIVE
INTENT: To ensure that beautiful Living Buildings contribute to their communities’ sense of place, delighting and inspiring their occupants for generations to come.
The office was organized around the idea of a communal front door – a front door that ties to the region, on access with a view toward the Puget Sound and mountains. You enter into a living room and kitchen space that is the social hub of the office. A long table parallels the long expanse of windows and invites you to bask in the sun, enjoy the view of the water, marvel at the activity on Pikes Peak Market, and take a break. Two patio doors invite you onto the outside deck, which will, (when Covid SIP allows) hold a wooden designed by our office but shared with our neighbor. While we are a part of the downtown, we are part of the water’s edge.
Designed for flexibility, the conference room is bound by the south-west windows facing the water on one side, adjacent north windows, a front screen for projection, and a large sliding door that allows the conference room and social space to blend for larger meetings, and gatherings. in the middle of the room is our live edge wood conference table made of local reclaimed wood. The neutral cork walls help to make the space feel gracious and can accommodate work pin ups and artist expression by the office. in the kitchenette, neutral wood cabinets meet the marker wall where ideas are expressed and local events are posted. Lounge furniture is meant to encourage conversation or a place to take a break.
Work desks run down the longer spine that is bracketed by windows on one side and pin up wall on the other. Nobody is farther than 20 feet from the light source. Wood tables between the work benches provide a place to collaborate and showcase models or materials. The natural and reductive palette is a complement to the major design element – nature – the sweeping views of the water and islands beyond, and the color of the day and seasons that is made evident as daylight, rain, snow and clouds change the palette of the office and the experience of the moment.]
INSPIRATION + EDUCATION
INTENT: To teach and encourage project occupants and visitors, as well as other design teams and the public, by providing explanatory information about the project through a variety of means
Advocacy for environmental and human health are both core tenants at WRNS Studio. As an architectural practice, the Studio has the unique opportunity to inspire and educate clients, consultants and fellow designers about the beauty and importance of honoring biophilic design and creating connections back to nature. To better understand the Living Building Challenge, it seemed most fit to embark on the journey to certify a space of our own – really get our hands dirty. As we’re now nearing completion of the space as well as the Living Building Challenge certification, we are thrilled to stimulate even deeper conversations with our peers about maximizing the positive impacts each project can have on their place, community, and culture.
As a visual reminder and a conversation starter, signage featuring some of the project’s significant achievements will be installed. A sign will be installed for each Petal achieved through the Living Building Challenge – Health + Happiness, Materials, and Beauty.
Additionally, WRNS will host an annual Open Day event to invite any and all interested in learning more about built environments that optimize physical and psychological health, materials that can lessen one’s carbon footprint and support the local economy, and celebrate design that enhances the human experience.
STOP BY SOMETIME
Interested in seeing our living building for yourself? Well you are in luck! Feel free to fill out our tour request form. Please note that we do not offer private tours at this time.
Our new Senior Associate and Associates share their thoughts on architecture right now, returning to the studio, and what makes a good leader.
What does it mean to you that WRNS Studio’s work is defined by beauty, sustainability, and a positive contribution to the public realm?
Alonso Alvarado: To me it means being able to genuinely connect with the places we work on and to build great environments for the people that will occupy them. Having sustainability at the core of what we do roots our work in purpose and provides a roadmap for how we can better engage with our environment.
Chad Garrety: The built environment has an immense impact on our planet and society. The goal of our work is to realize buildings and spaces that improve quality of life—not only for those who inhabit those spaces but also for those who pass by or live nearby—while minimizing the impact to the natural environment. When we design, we try to think from as many perspectives as possible. How can we design a streetscape to promote community and wellness? How can we design an apartment home to offer maximum health, comfort, and flexibility? How can we design every aspect of an environment to provide universal access and use—from the circulation through a site to the operation of a door handle? How can we design to eliminate excess in order to reduce carbon footprint and preserve resources for the things that matter? Finding the best solutions to the complex and often competing challenges of building “good” buildings happens through many long conversations among diverse participants, continuous iteration, and a rejection of “how it is” for the aspiration of “what could be.”
Celso Rojas: It is imperative to work with a studio whose ethos aligns with your own. Sustainability has become so rooted in work that it is simply part of our process—good design should be sustainable. Designing for the public realm indicates that we are committed to creating a built environment that works for the community at-large in addition to servicing our clients. Designing beautiful architecture is perhaps the most subjective and most difficult to define, yet, we strive for it everyday—beautiful architecture should appeal to our human senses and at its best should increase our quality of life.
What are you most looking forward to once we’re back in the studio?
Ashish Kulkarni: I look forward to being connected to the entire studio. I realized that working remotely is efficient for individual tasks but working in a studio amplifies the enthusiastic vibe of collaborating together.
Julie Mithun: I look forward to seeing all the wonderful people that make up our studio on a more regular basis and feeling that energy from being together again. While we’ve all maintained very close relationships within our project teams over the last few years, it will be refreshing to interact with all the other individuals, teams, and pinned-up design studies throughout the studio. Going back to our studio, our home, will also connect us more closely with our city and its zeitgeist.
Alonso Alvarado: I’m excited to have more impromptu interactions with the folks I work with. You learn so much from being around others and picking up on the nuances that are difficult to replicate when only working in front of a computer screen.
What do you think makes a good leader?
Keith Chung: A good leader is one that can guide by example. One who listens and values the opinion of others. Showing positive reinforcement and appreciation to others. Having qualities such as confidence, positive attitude, communication, accountability, integrity, and the ability to inspire will lead to respect by their peers. Once their respect is earned, they will become a good leader.
Andrew Reynolds: A good leader is a good listener. It is important to know what inspires each individual on your team to learn and grow. A leader will provide the foundational tools, knowledge, skills, and most importantly, space to promote personal development. Allowing space to explore work that is engaging to the individual and beneficial to the whole helps promote a rewarding work-life that profits everyone.
What are you excited about in architecture right now?
Spencer Bates: I’m excited about housing! Across the country we are witnessing unprecedented housing shortages and our profession is poised to tackle this issue head on. From creative financing structures, building modularity, and passive designs, to reimagining what a contemporary dwelling consists of, housing is fertile ground for the advancement of innovative solutions to a pressing need.
Ashish Kulkarni: We all agree that the pandemic changed how we work and collaborate. Taking this cue, I am curious to see future workplace solutions offer flexible work environments and provide activity-based settings which recognize that different types of work activities need different spaces.
Alonso Alvarado: Building science is an area that has been catching my attention. Buildings not only need to be beautiful but should ideally perform well for the long term health of occupants and the longevity of the buildings we build.
What inspirations outside of architecture do you integrate into our work?
Heloisa Botelho: Architects are innate problem solvers in that they use every opportunity to find new ways to get innovative results by incorporating ideas outside of architecture; such as converting air into fuel, using field plantation patterns as wall textures, and others. Inspiration and creativity are linked to curiosity which is essential to an exploring mind. When we are inspired, our eyes are opened to new discoveries that encourage us to seek out new experiences and relationships. And these inspirations are the ideas and tools that we need to implement in every project.
Christopher Brown: A new style of storytelling—derived from social media practices that prolong engagement—condenses information into digestible and visually impactful graphics. We must harness this inclination for dynamic, narrative-driven visuals to advance our concepts and designs that positively impact our community’s wellbeing.
Jeffrey Fiftal: Lived experiences through my senses and emotions affect my work and teamwork every day. What I sense in the world around me feeds and affects my personal perspective greatly, informing opportunities to improve my design and development work through intuition and varied viewpoints. Either through intense weather in the alpine environment or while harnessing the wind to sail, I am reminded of how small we all are on this planet and what little control we have as individuals. At times these sensory experiences are intense and profound while at others I wish I could turn them off like a switch. But because I cannot, I embrace who I am and allow these gifts to inform my work with my teammates in a positive manner. It is through thoughtful teamwork grounded by a desire for genuine relationships and design solutions specific to place that will improve the quality of life for the end user. I experience and feel all the small things in our world around me. Because of this, I want to work to change our world, one small interaction at a time. Don’t be surprised if I’m transfixed by the sunset if we’re working late together.
