Tag Archives: built environment

Five Questions with Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA

This fall, Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA and Peter Meijer, AIA, NCARB, had the opportunity to teach a course in the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Oregon, School of Architecture & Allied Arts: Field Recording Methods. The course is designed for students to learn and practice the methods and strategies for conducting physical site, structure, building, and object investigation using professional practice standards. The case study for learning these methods and strategies included the Belluschi designed Robert and Charles Wilson Homes situated along the Deschutes River. The homes are included in Restore Oregon’s 2019 Most Endangered Places list.
belluschi-wilson-homes
1. How does your architect’s mindset influence your role teaching a historic preservation class?

Historic Preservation and Architecture are very closely tied together – and yet there can be a disconnect between the two fields. As architects, we are taught to think creatively about problems and develop design solutions, while also understanding building constructions and materials. I believe our background in architecture gives us a unique perspective on not only on the construction of historic buildings but also allows us to creatively find ways to preserve those structures. In this course, we’ve been able to share our architectural experience through discussions on building observations/assessment, drawing conventions, building materials, and more.

2. What is your favorite aspect of working with students interested in learning about how to conduct site-specific observation/assessments for historic structures?

We’ve had the opportunity to take two field trips out to the Wilson Homes in Warm Springs, Oregon. Each visit has been a really fun experience for the entire class. When learning how to conduct a building assessment – there is only so much information that can be communicated through a lecture. The experience of being in the field and observing a structure in person cannot compare to photographs. I’ve had a lot of fun looking at the Wilson Homes with the class – and making observations with them about the condition of the homes, original constructions/materials, existing conditions, etc.

3. Do you have a favorite aspect of the Belluschi designed Wilson Homes? [layout; relation to the land; opportunity for rehab; etc…]

One of the most unique aspects of the Wilson Homes is their location on the Deschutes River. The homes are located directly on the river – and deeply connected to the landscape. It is difficult to explain the experience of being within a canyon along the Deschutes River and within one of the Wilson Homes. The views and sounds of the landscape are completely intertwined with the experience of the Homes.

4. Why is it important to rehabilitate these structures? What stories will be lost if they disappear?

Few intact examples of northwest mid-century modern homes remain. As a culture – our preferences for interior finishes, appliances, spatial layouts, etc have changed over the last half-century. Many mid-century homes have retained their exterior appearance, yet significant interior alterations have altered the original design intent. The Wilson Homes are unique in that minimal interior renovations have taken place. In both homes, the original spatial arrangements remain in-tact and many of the finishes are unaltered. The Robert Wilson home is particularly unique in that the original kitchen remains, dishwasher included. A rehabilitation would preserve these unique examples of mid-century architecture in the Pacific Northwest.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to graduate students (or recent graduates), what would it be?

Take the time to form relationships with both professors and people outside of school you can learn from. School is a wonderful, structured way to gain knowledge. But… that structure falls away once you graduate – and the need to continue learning doesn’t. Having people you can reach out to for guidance can be a valuable tool!
historic-belluschi-wilson-homes



Halla Hoffer, AIA, Assoc. DBIA
Associate / Peter Meijer Architect, PC

Halla is passionate about rehabilitating historic and existing architecture by integrating the latest energy technologies to maintain the structures inherent sustainability. Halla joined PMA in 2012 and was promoted to Associate in 2016. She is a specialist in energy and environmental management, as well as building science performance for civic, educational, and residential resources. Halla meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR Part 61).

Recycling Steel Windows: Is there a process?

PMA is leading the discussion to find a process to recycle steel windows.

Through our work of existing building restoration, PMA often encounters older properties with original steel windows. And more likely than not, we receive a request from the property Owner to upgrade those existing steel windows. Rarely does the request result from degradation or damage of the window system. Most often the Owners desire thermal and energy improvements.In order to achieve the desired improvements, while meeting code upgrades and other tenant improvements, replacement of the original steel windows is often the option of choice. And that is when the difficulty of recycling existing steel windows begins.
existing-steel-windows
STEEL WINDOWS 1920s – 1940s
In the 1920s through 1940s, there were a number of local and national steel window manufacturers. Steel windows were the preferred window system in both commercial and industrial buildings because of the simplicity of components, ease of installation, availability of product, size of window openings, and affordability of the product. Steel windows from every manufacturer typically used the same readily available extruded steel bar profiles: the “T” & “h” cross sections. The entire window assembly is characteristically composed of three materials: the frame, the glass, and glazing compound. Operable windows have added hardware. The steel sections of historic windows are still in use on today’s steel windows.

With such sparsity of components, and availability of an industrial steel recycling industry, why are steel windows not recycled? The answer is hazardous materials: lead paint and asbestos containing putty. Creating clean steel for recycling involves a two-step process. Once removed from the building, the steel windows must have the glass and glazing removed and the paint removed. Both the glazing and the paint must be disposed following hazardous material regulations. And that is the primary block to recycling. There are very few business established to remove hazardous waste from windows.
typical-steel-windows
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL PRACTICES
However, if we look at two current industrial practices, wood window restoration and carpet tile manufacturing, there is a basis for introduction of steel window recycling. Wood window restoration processes include the removal of lead paint and asbestos containing glazing putty. The industry has the capacity to use dipping tanks to remove the paint and putty on a large quantity of windows and then properly dispose of the waste. Modify the existing process to accommodate steel windows could be readily achievable. Manufacturers of carpet tiles revolutionized the industry by owning the recycling process from cradle to grave. Carpet tile manufacturers take back the tiles they manufactured for recycling and reuse. Steel window manufactures could do the same.

Currently steel window manufacturers purchase the cross sections from steel producers and do not become involved in the life span of the products they produce. If the steel window industry reassessed and evaluated their role in sustainable products, an opportunity to recycle existing steel windows would become available.

Here at Peter Meijer Architect, we are committed to lead the discussion with the design, build, and manufacturing community to find an economical solution to recycling steel windows. We believe that existing industries can be adapted to keep steel windows out of the waste stream and better utilize existing resources for reuse.

Written by Peter Meijer, AIA, NCARB / Principal

Transforming the Built Environment: What are our ethical responsibilities to communities as architects?

When stepping into the AIA Annual Conference at the Javits Center in NYC this year, I began to question the theme of the conference, a “Blueprint For Better Cities.” The expansive expo center sprawled out on three levels with thousands of booths promoting their products, from software to interiors to exteriors, but the one thing missing was representation from community groups or visible connection to the place of NYC.

Of course, the Javits Center adequately represents the grand nature of NYC amidst the building boom currently happening in Hudson Yards. It is hard to imagine anything but extravagant wealth when passing by the $150 million stairway to nowhere, aka the “Vessel” being constructed across the street. In a time of such great wealth disparity, what role do architects play in gentrifying our cities and creating safe public spaces for those without wealth and privilege? I believe architects continue to have a large impact on the growth of our cities and it is important to check our ethics as professionals on the impacts made in communities that may not be represented. The AEC industry seems to be expanding in exponential ways and defining our cities at a faster and faster pace, so conversations on equity and inclusion need to be brought to the forefront. Even though my first impression walking into the AIA conference at the Javits Center was not one of equity and inclusion, there were some great speakers bringing the conversation back to these important topics.

DESIGNERS ADDRESSING EQUITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
One session on Architectural Activism included a panel with Deanna Van Buren of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, Bryan Lee of Colloqate, and Michael Ford of Hip Hop Architecture. These designers are addressing equity in the built environment and setting new standards for the profession.

Byran Lee reminds architects to think about the communities’ cultures when designing and not to perpetuate systems of oppression. Architects have the ability to change the built environment and also be advocates for the communities in which they work. Laws that allow the victimization of marginalized communities need to be challenged. Public spaces which should be the democratic spaces available to all people are made unsafe to communities of color because of ambiguous laws around vagrancy and other systems of oppression. Understanding the needs of communities in which you are working in paramount. Architects can start by supporting marginalized communities through youth education, advocacy for groups with less priviledge, and equitiable policy and placemaking.

Michael Ford has been working on the youth education component of architectural activism. Hip Hop Architect facilitates youth camps that introduce design, architecture, place making through the expression of hiphop culture. The camps provide an opportunity for youth of underrepresented populations to learn about the architectural practice and reinvision the future of our built environment. A factor in the lack of diversity in architecture is lack of accessiblity to the field, and this program strives to provide that support to youth.

Deanna Van Buren talked of her work around restorative justice and restorative economics, exploring alternative to prisons and addressing the root causes of mass incarceration. Restorative justice is statistically proven to build empathy and decrease recurring offenses by 75%, while allowing for reconciliation and healing. Deanna reiterated that prisons are the worst form of architecture, created to express the harm that we are doing on another. Altnernatives presented were popup resources villages that provide services to isolated communities and peacemaking centers that use Native American practices for healing communities that have experience the trauma of violence and racial oppression.

Many speakers recalled quotes from Whitney Young Jr when talking about equity in the architecture profession, especially from his poignant speech regarding equity at the 1968 American Institute of Architects Conference in Portland. A well quoted statement was “[A]s a profession, you are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights, and I am sure this has not come to you as any shock. You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence and your complete irrelevance.”

LANGUAGE AROUND ETHICAL AND EQUITABLE DESIGN
I would argree that the profession as a whole still struggles with its social and civic contributions, even though there are some great leaders as mentioned previously. Currently, the trend in most large cities is gentrification resulting in loss of community connections and a huge housing crisis. Do the ethics of architecture speak towards our professional responsibilty to provide for the well being and safety for all within the communities in which we design for? In the AIA Code of Ethics, the only somewhat relevant bylaw I found was “In performing professional services, Members should advocate the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings and communities.” Perhaps the lack of language around ethical and equitable design is why it seems so lacking within the built environment. There needs to be a shift.

Large firms may promote their community work by supporting employees to volunteer a couple days of the year, or provide pro-bono design services. This approach is too compartmentalized and does not build the disruptive change needed to challenge systems of oppression in our built environment. These one-off gestures of pro-bono work can easily be perceived by communities as a savior complex instead of community building. The factors that push architects to design without community in mind needs to be resisted by the industry. Rather, more efforts need to be made so our ethical responsibilities to the public outweigh the profit driven interest groups’ needs that are currently prevalent in our industry. The sustainability movement has started to touch on some of our ethical responsibilities for healthier spaces, but these efforts are not preventing people from losing their homes, connection to place, civic amenities, and much more. There is much work to be done. To promote equity and inclusion for all when designing spaces, I believe we must work on our role as architects to listen, learn, be humble, engage, teach, and provide support and advocacy that serves the communities in which we are working.


Written by Hali Knight Assoc. AIA, Designer