More Than Blue Prints

When Sundance Institute opened the doors to its new administrative headquarters in Park City last fall, the staff was eager to show off the structure’s unique design that incorporated the reuse of materials found on the site. Hand rails and wooden staircases were fabricated from the old wood flooring of the former Spiro Mine and Silver King Western Mine buildings where the Sundance Institute Offices now stand. Working within the shell of the original machine shop building, an exterior corrugated metal roof was sandwiched together with the original metal roof. Railroad tracks and old mine carts were saved to be used in other projects. “We tried not to throw things away, but to retain and use anything that we could,” says architect John Shirley, Jr. of Salt Lake City who worked with Paladin Development Partners, LLC on the project.

Reusing existing materials is one aspect of an increasingly popular approach to architectural design that emphasizes the place of buildings within a local ecosystem and the global environment. Sustainable (also called “green” or “conscious”) architectural design seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.

Park City Architect Hank Louis declares his passion for sustainable design by embracing “architecture that nurtures the spirit and improves the lives of all who experience it.” The founder and philosophical leader of DesignBuildBLUFF, a not-for-profit entity, claims that his organization “will not construct buildings as much as it will create unbounded joy.” DesignBuildBLUFF was developed upon the vision of the late Samuel Mockbee, an American architect and co-founder of the Auburn University Rural Studio program in Hale County, Alabama, which has been widely acclaimed for introducing students to the social responsibilities of architectural practice and for providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational buildings to the communities of western Alabama.

Louis has been principal of 15.15 Architects and Form Fifteen, and was a triennial studio critic at the University of Utah until founding the DesignBuildBLUFF program in 2000. In addition to his commitment to DesignBuildBLUFF, he currently leads the efforts at Gigaplex, an award-winning architectural firm based in Park City.

Fueled by unbridled enthusiasm, Louis and DesignBuildBluff have undertaken a project in southern Utah, building homes for Navajo residents in the Four Corners area. Mentoring students from the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning, Louis oversees the students in the design and construction of homes that are appropriate and sustainable for their designated environments, allowing architecture students to design and build homes with professors and industry practitioners for hands-on learning.

Financed by HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and other grants, DesignBuildBLUFF has a budget of $40,000 per house. All home designs include a roof that collects water. A ceiling might be fashioned of pallets, and walls are made of rammed earth which is fabricated on site. “We mix dirt and sand and harvest clay from the site. We throw it into the pickup and bring it over — then we mix the clay, sand, a little cement and water, put it in a mold and ram it down,” says Louis. “We also dig the foundation by hand and mix the cement ourselves. This demystifies the building process for the students.”

Part of the students’ curriculum is a class in Native American architecture, paying attention to the hogan ethic which includes an east-facing entry. “A big part of this program is the students becoming involved in another culture,” Louis says.

While DesignBuildBLUFF is currently building one home a year, Louis would like to increase that to two, constructing one each in the spring and fall. “I’d like to come up with a prototype house that could be built by the families themselves. We want to be able to include the Navajos in the process,” says Louis.

Park City architect Bruce Taylor was introduced to the concepts of conscious design as a student at Arizona State University in Tempe, where Taylor encountered programs in dynamic solar energy, photo voltaic technology and other philosophies of solar design. “From that exposure and philosophy of design, I gained a respect for how powerful nature is. We can’t combat nature, but we can sure enlist nature.”

Taylor remembers that when he was about 9 years old and living in upstate New York, his parents built a home. “I recall watching the architect and my parents working at a table with a set of drawings. And I remember the construction, watching the space evolve. I liked figuring out how things fit. The whole process appealed to me, even then. I just really liked it.”

Shortly after his graduation from ASU, Taylor’s family home burned to the ground. “It’s a family joke that my graduation present was to give [my parents] a new house.” Taylor incorporated passive solar features, large windows, appropriate overhangs, southern exposure, and minimized north facing windows for heat loss. “Even in a climate where the sun is a welcome thing rather than an ordinary thing, my father was able to cut his heating oil usage by nearly 90 percent because of the solar window orientation and the burning of firewood. That was my first project.”

Taylor says there are hundreds of features that can be incorporated into conscious building and design, including remodeling instead of building new, orientation on the building site, and use of renewable resources for materials, such as cork flooring or straw bale construction. “Even changing light bulbs from incandescent to fluorescent makes a difference,” he says.

Taylor discusses the inclusion of conscious design with his clients. “I wouldn’t say people come to me for green design, but it’s always part of the conversation. I explain why decisions are made, as opposed to discussing plans and elevations. I try to impress upon people that blue prints don’t just happen. Architecture is a process, and part of that process is awareness.”

In addition to his architectural business, Summit Design Group, Taylor has served on the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission, encouraging community-friendly design, such as the inclusion of pocket parks, open areas, sculpture gardens, and water features, that promotes the concept of a vital town center “where people can stroll, get an ice cream and sit on a bench and visit with one another.”

Taylor also designs what he calls “demographic housing” projects in Salt Lake City, providing for special needs residents — the disabled, the mentally challenged, the elderly, the homeless or battered women. “Architecturally,” says Taylor, “the design is nothing fancy or out of the ordinary. It’s more about how the thoughtful creation of space can affect the emotions of an individual.” Taylor recalls a home recipient who said, “I didn’t think I was worth living in a place this nice.” “It’s very rewarding to work for people who appreciate your efforts instead of simply expecting your efforts,” Taylor says.

Sedona Callahan lives in a small remodeled home exquisitely redesigned by Bruce Taylor, and has recently replaced most of her incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights.