Can you spot the building science issue in this vented attic space?

by harrisonburgarchitect | Jan 6, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect, Indoor Air Quality

This is a photo I took between an unfinished vented attic space and a finished conditioned space. What building science issues do you see?

Answers to follow in tomorrows blog.

And so it begins, design to reality. The making of a home.

by harrisonburgarchitect | Jan 5, 2014 | architecture, Building Science, Harrisonburg Architect

There is a lot of emotion wrapped up in the process of design. A client trusts you with their hopes and dreams. You translate those words, pictures, and thoughts into lines on a paper creating intersections and relationships. Proportions, scale, function, and aesthetics are combined to create instructions for construction. And so it begins, trees are cut and dirt is moved. This is the start of another beautiful story:

Happy New Year! May your architectural dreams come true.

by harrisonburgarchitect | Dec 31, 2013 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect

As the sound of midnight rings in the New Year

A brand new opportunity for quality architecture will appear.

Let’s raise our hopes that good design will be

included in the budget for your building dreams.

May your columns be proportional, kitchen efficient,

your closets large, architect proficient.

May your energy bills be low, building aesthetics pleasing,

your insulation effective, HVAC system appeasing.

May your heart be filled with thoughts of love

towards the building science based design delivered from us.

May you have high performance and healthy indoor air quality

in your built environment all through the coming year.

From all of us at The Gaines Group, PLC, Happy New Year!

The Gaines Group 2013 in Review

by harrisonburgarchitect | Dec 30, 2013 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect

As we stand here on the verge of a New Year, I cannot help but look back and evaluate what we accomplished in our 26th year in business. To sum it up, 2013 was a good year, but there is still work to get done. We continue to be one of the fortunate firms in the area that has seen steady growth, for that I am very thankful. We had the chance to design a wide variety of projects from warehouse to custom home, basement renovation to apartment community. I continue to pray that our future is brighter than our past – we have momentum for sure – lets hope our good fortune continues. Some of our successful ventures in 2013:

Timberlake Place finally finished construction. This project experienced many obstacles along the way. However, now that it is done, we celebrate along with JABA in providing a project that features 26 affordable age restricted apartment units in Charlottesville. This project is 100% Universal Design compliant and EarthCraft Certified. It has also been selected as a featured project in the VSAIA Virginia Communities Exhibition opening in January in Richmond.
Harrisonburg Bikram Yoga opened their doors. This project was featured in the Construction Specifier Magazine for the careful and complicated insulation execution that allows them to have 100 degree temperatures with 40% humidity in an existing building.
We continued to spread the word about Healthy, Energy-Efficient, and Durable design solutions through lectures at UVA Darden School, Blue Ridge Community College, Shenandoah Valley Partnership, Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, Eastern Mennonite High School, Virginia Sustainable Building Network, Charlottesville Networking Group, and Countryside Real Estate Services.
We were featured in Metal Architecture Magazine.
The Hinge House achieved LEED Certification. This project was started by CATEC (Charlottesville High School Students), and finished by Greene County Habitat for Humanity.
Two homes for Charlottesville Habitat for Humanity achieved LEED Silver Certification.
Wellness Concepts, an office building in Grottoes, Virginia, achieved LEED Gold Certification. This 18,000 SF facility really shows how building right cuts energy consumption showing a 40+% average annual savings.
I returned to Construct after missing last year. At the event I participated in a panel discussion on blogging with these amazing industry leaders (check out their blogs) I dig Hardware, SpecWords, Comments from a spec writer, Eric Lussier.
We again participated in the SVBA Home and Garden Show. The all new venue was very successful with added activities including a kid zone, beer garden, and classic car show.
Duke Gardens got a facelift – this design project gave new life and improved the safety of an older student housing project in Harrisonburg.
Waverly Place, an apartment community in Louisa, broke ground. This is the first in a series of multi-family projects being designed in the Charlottesville office.
HR Green Network continued to offer a positive influence in the community. A green building directory was started, groups joined together to advocate for a higher standard for the new middle school, and a conversation was started with the city on the importance of efficiency.
Charles became a Certified Green Professional through the National Home Builders Association. This adds to his Certified Aging in Place specialist, Construction Document Technologist, and LEED Accredited Professional certification.
We were once again named “best of Houzz” for 2013
We had the opportunity to design Mincer’s second location. This historic business has been located on the Charlottesville corner since 1948 and has now expanded to the Shops at Stonefield.
The Harrisonburg Rockingham Chamber of Commerce Aging in Place Round Table continues to grow. This group that we helped start in Harrisonburg brings together businesses and non-profits that serve the 55+ community. Monthly meetings are held to learn from each other and better understand the needs of this growing demographic.
Charles was named one of the top 20 under 40 in the Middle Atlantic by ENR.com.
We had the opportunity to design solutions for Carded Graphics, Hollister, Quantico Village, Biocore, Heritage Inn, Child Protective Services, Luxor, and Excel HVAC.
The Charlottesville office added James Halstead to the team bringing his years of structural design experience to our team.
We designed several custom homes, a Master Bedroom addition, basement renovation, pool house, and a home renovation.
We started design on our first project in Pennsylvania.
The Harrisonburg Parklet Project made a return to Harrisonburg.

As I said, it has been a good year. Thanks for all those that have trusted us to deliver design for your project. I look forward to the coming year and the opportunities that have yet to reveal themselves. We have a bright future.

Happy New Year, we don’t like your design. The life of an architect.

by harrisonburgarchitect | Dec 29, 2013 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect

My professional life is filled with emotional extremes. While there is tremendous satisfaction from winning a new project, delivering on expectations, and seeing your design built, there is a dark side to our profession. I live in a world of rejection, constantly being judged by others for our designs. My ability is compared to a magazine that can be purchased at a cash register in most home improvement stores. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good year. We had the opportunity to design some incredible jobs for awesome clients. Those are the good stories that I love to share. However, for every project I have the opportunity to design, there are two more that I was not deemed the best design professional.

Perhaps this is what architecture schools are preparing us for through the jury process. For anyone that has experienced presenting your finished design after not sleeping for hours on end only to get ripped apart, you understand. For others that have not had the pleasure, let’s just say, going to get those cavities filled is like a walk in the park compared to such an event. While most potential client interviews only last for an hour or two and there is a lot less emotional investment – losing is never fun. The other outcome is to design a building, being emotionally invested along with your client, get the project built, and then open yourself up to public scrutiny. You have to have thick skin to design anything, but a built structure that will last for, hopefully, 100+ years; you need to be extraordinarily tough emotionally.

While this is an emotionally taxing profession, with support from your family and friends, you are able to keep it all in perspective. There is no way to make everyone happy with everything you do. We design everything from traditional to modern, house to bank, office building to warehouse. There is no possible way every design will be considered a success by everybody.

As we enter into the New Year, this is the time I need to thank those that give me support. This is the time I apologize for being grumpy and ill-tempered at times to those closest to me. I have my dream job. There is nothing I would rather do than build a better future through design. I will continue to need your support and understanding on days when things don’t go my way this coming year. My wish for you is that you have the best New Year possible. May it be prosperous and rewarding!

What are the most challenging aspects of your profession? How do you stay emotionally ready for the next obstacle? How are you getting ready for the coming year?

Design adds value not cost, hire an architect for better performance, aesthetics, and process

by harrisonburgarchitect | Dec 20, 2013 | Harrisonburg Architect

We have a wide variety of projects under construction right now or just finishing. The key unifying element is each of the clients understood that design added value to their project. We are very thankful to our current clients and hope they love these spaces as the finishing details get installed. If you want to know more about the value design adds to your project, give us a call and read more here, here, here, and here.

Apartments

Office Addition / Renovation