We had a community meeting Monday night to review our design guidelines we have prepared for the Habitat and Simple projects in the Washington Neighborhood. It went pretty well I think. We got some questions about parking which I hope we answered. We got some questions about why the City couldn’t provide streetlights for the neighborhood surrounding our proposed projects. We told them the lights would come with the development but that we would like to decrease their frequency from those in other developments due to the light pollution.

People asked about the historic character of the neighborhood and how we would rate our projects “integrity” to that character. Kind of a nebulous question, but one every architect and developer is faced with. We described how our guidelines would help ensure that historical themes would be carried through our projects but not necessarily replication of exact Victorian architecture.

But the question of the night had to be about OSB. What is OSB you ask,well I am sure you can Google it just like I did and find out the good and the bad about it. I wanted to throw it up here to show that it has advantages and disadvantages but I was just as interested in proving that we are building quality housing while using it. Below is a list of its advantages in comparison to conventional plywood. [Read more →]

Its a problem I am sure fewer and fewer people have this year than they did a few years ago. Which puts a new perspective on things that makes it all that much more preposterous when you see what people decided to do when they thought the money would not stop flowing. But what this guy decided to do was simply off the charts. He literally built himself a full scale replica of the white house in Atlanta. Complete with floor mats that have the seal of the president of the united states on them and a real oval office.

Now I know that he must have been making so much money that he thought he was indestructible at the time but is it really any surprise that he is now having to sell the home to pay off debts? I mean was there any shred of business savvy in a man who thought it was a good idea to build a white house in Atlanta?

You can read the original article in the NY times here.

It’s been a long time since we’ve talked about anything but GOOD – but the other pieces in the Washington neighborhood are still moving through various stages of getting approval, so it’s high time we share them!  One of the biggest challenges currently is figuring out what makes a building “compatible” with the neighborhood.  Most people are thinking about the Victorians on 3rd and 4th Streets, but we also have to account for the super modern Ziggurat and STRS.  You can’t make a 30 unit condo building look like a Victorian and the planners aren’t going for anything modern, so how do we find a great building in the middle?  Our architects at Myhre Group have turned out this design for our Simple project at 4th and G St.  that we love with stone and exposed cedar to help warm it up.  What do you think?

Steve

Last night we hosted our “Story Tour” at the Good project. The turn out was great (thanks guys!) I counted real quick and think there were 38 of us crammed in the kitchen and living room of the S unit. A tight fit by any stretch of the imagination.

Its funny, we asked everyone to come hear about the adventure and even said that we would talk about all the things that went wrong on the project. Because we want people to be able to learn from our mistakes as well. Anyway, when someone finally did ask the question “What went wrong?” we kind of choked. Not that nothing went wrong, at times it seemed that everything that could go wrong did but because its not what you are used to talking about.

I think the biggest thing we did wrong on the project was take way to much time designing the site and floor plans. We were burning through cash while trying to be idealists and big picture thinkers. Not that we should not have thought about the project that way but we should have done that for 2 weeks and got to work not 5 months. In hindsight we could have used our time more wisely and hung on to more of the cash we were spending.

There were other things wrong and we covered several of them, but that one stands out the most.

Even though we prepared ourselves to talk about that stuff it still felt weird. I think there is some cultural astigmatism we need to get over in this country about being honest. It feels like telling anything but a polished perfect story will make people think you failed.

So I learned something. You can have all the good intentions of being honest but when it comes right down to it you have to follow through even if its uncomfortable. I believe that people (including me) want the honest truth not a shiny marketing picture of reality. Because once you “buy” that picture its going to disappoint you.

Thanks to everyone who came out. We will be doing more of those for sure!

And for discussion sake. Do you like to be told the truth? Are you sick of being “marketed” to?

Levi

I read a fascinating post today on Strangeharvest about surfaces and how modern design has all but obliterated texture from our architectural vocabulary. I think that a similarity can be drawn to the monotony of the suburb. We have tried to scrub from view the differences between us. It’s as though we view ourselves as clones us and our neighbors all with the same needs, same desires and even same sensibilities. We bought hook line and sinker someones definition of a dream and ended up a texture-less society.

Go check out this article about a San Francisco development project that is now selling and then come back here and tell us if you want one of these buildings built here in Sacramento. You never know you might just get your wish one of these days.

I know its limiting and “not for everyone” but my question is not if everyone would buy one of these, just if there are enough someones. I think the pricing would be in the 150,000 or less range if it were built here.

Levi

Check out this incredible project that clearly takes sustainability to a whole new level.

Thanks to Paul Dirksen for sending it to us.

In 1961 Jane Jacobs wrote a book called The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I know many of you have read her work and already know just how revolutionary her ideas were. But I want to point out something that comes to mind when reading her work that I believe we may have a shot at getting right this time around. Sacramento has had a rocky history as it worked its way along the path towards becoming a great city even still some still think its best asset is that we can offer a cheap mediocre lifestyle. I however believe that we bring far more to the table as a city and that we are right where we should be today.

The next 10 years have the potential to be the best in our cities history. We are at a crossroads poised and ready to make the leap into a beautiful, powerful, livable, urban, utopia of a community. Yeah we have had our share of the real estate market blues but you know what I think we may have timed it just right. Where cities like San Diego have big empty condo buildings to show for the downturn we only have a few empty lots and even a hand full of successful projects that did make it through. Yeah some of them had to lower their prices but many of them still came through with good neighborhood beautifying architecture and we are better off because of them.

But it’s not where we have been that gives me goosebumps…it’s where we are going. Take a city such as ours with its grid streets, perfect climate, and stable (when Arnold isn’t paying minimum wage) employment base and add a time in history like the one we are about to embark on (think internet, alternative energy, enlightened urban planning), and you have the perfect storm for Sacramento to make its mark as a truly great American city.

Its not despite the failures we have endured but precisely because of them that we will become what we are destined to be.

Levi

Part of what I feel my job involves is staying on top of what else is going on it town and over time I have gone out and looked through a heck of a lot of urban projects all over the country. And I thought it might be fun to rank my favorites.

These are my top 10 favorite urban housing projects in Sacramento that are selling or renting today.  I am being fair and not putting the Good project on the list, but of course you know it would be on the top if it were included….

I am judging based on design, livability, and how well they fit in to or benefit the community around them. Keep in mind that just because the project may be good, the developers might not have gotten the memo about the Internet and how people are using it to find homes (just a warning).

(UPDATE and an important one I must say.)

I am adding the 9onF project and putting it right on the top of the list. I in a complete oversight forgot about the project and the good things that Jeremy is doing over at 49 Mile for sustainability and urban development. (Sorry for the oversight Jeremy).

1A. 9onF

1. Sutter Brownstones

2. 4th Avenue Lofts

3. 1600 H St

4. L St Lofts

5. 500 N ST

6. 1801 L St

7. The Cathedral Building

8. Whiskey Hill Lofts

9. Alchemy at R St

10. 800 J Lofts

Levi

I have heard of adaptive re-use but this is a whole different thing going on here..