We talk about the use of reclaimed building materials on our blog a lot, and while this may seem like a new concept, making use of salvaged materials is nothing new. Since humans began living in built structures, using and re-using various building materials has been a pretty common practice. According to the design blog Networx, today there is a renewed appreciation for these old-world methods, as well as the desire to be environmentally friendly.

Salvaged doors are a great reclaimed material to use in the construction of a new home. They provide a great deal of character to your home. Just think of the story a beautiful craftsman-style door could tell, with unique features like stained glass and architectural details. A salvaged door in good condition is a true piece of art and can add a lot of beauty to your home.

Would you consider adding a salvaged door as a design element in your home? Share your thoughts and ideas with us!

Image Courtesy of Anyajazz65 on Flickr via Networx.com.

Structural Insulating Panels for Roofs and Walls

Introduction to SIPs

• Buyer Benefits: Two years ago, Norm Abrams of This Old House stated on TV and wrote in articles that he wouldn’t build his own house any other way than with SIPs. See the reasons below
• Builder Benefits: SIPs can be a little intimidating to builders who haven’t used them. But experienced SIP contractors sing their praises. Many have switched exclusively to panels,citing the following reasons for their decisions.

SIP Benefits for Buyers

• Extremely strong structure. There is considerable evidence that homes with SIP wall and ceiling panels have survived natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, straight-line winds and earthquakes better than traditional stick-framed homes right next door.
• Lower energy bills. Discounting the “human factor”-thermostat settings and so forth-a number of side-by-side tests show that between 15% and 40% less energy should be needed to heat and cool a home with SIP wall and ceiling panels. In tests by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, SIP walls outperform fiberglass walls by over 50%.
• Improved comfort. Thanks to extra R-values and tight construction, the wall and ceiling surfaces in a SIP home will stay warmer than in stick-framed homes. The warmer those surfaces are, the more comfortable the home is.
• “Freeze proof.” What happens if the power goes down? During the late 1990s, several New England SIP homes survived over a week without power or a wood stove and never came close to freezing.
• Indoor Air Quality. While there is no guarantee here, most homes built with SIPs are tight enough that builders can’t ignore upgrading mechanical ventilation compared to that found in a standard home. In many studies in North American housing, the best indoor air quality is found in homes that are tight and equipped with upgraded mechanical ventilation.
• Green building product. On a life-cycle basis, a more energy-efficient house built with SIPs will be less damaging to the environment, in terms of overall resource consumption. Much less dimensional lumber is used in a SIP home than in a traditional framed structure.
• Interactive systems benefits: For example, a more energy-efficient home may cost slightly more to build but in turn can be heated and cooled with smaller equipment that costs less to install.

SIP Benefits for Builders

• Speed of construction. You can order the panels with all pre-cutting performed in a factory. They show up on the jobsite all pre-numbered, ready for assembly corresponding to numbers laid out on a set of shop drawings. On most jobs you should be out of the weather and dried in sooner. Time is money.
• Fewer framers. A crew can consist of one lead framer assisted by minimally skilled helpers. Whenever a job involves craning panels up to frame a roof, it helps to have two people familiar with panels: one on the roof and one on the ground.
• Shell installation option. If you’re having a tough time locating skilled carpenters, a growing number of manufacturers have regular crews who will install a shell on your foundation for you to finish.
• Rigid frame. It’s easy bracing SIP walls. In fact, once you have two corner panels up, you can lean a ladder against the panels when needed.
• Less jobsite waste. If you’ve ordered a set of panels with all rough openings for windows and doors pre-cut at the factory, the only true waste you’ll have is taking a few cases of empty tubes of adhesive caulk containers to the dump. And the factory can efficiently collect and recycle their cut-outs much more effectively than you can at the job site.
• Less theft. While 2x4s and 2x6s are prone to “walking off” unsecured job sites, panels are too specific to the site’s building system to be worth hauling off somewhere else.
• Cost competitive. While most builders say they pay a little more for SIPs than for the comparable framing and insulation package in a stick-built home, as a group they believe the benefits are worth the costs. The amount extra they pay varies; while a few say it costs them an extra $1 per square foot of finished floor area, the amount may be higher when roof panels are used. However, when roof panels enclose extra living space in a loft, the price per square foot is surprisingly competitive. If at the design stage you optimize a structure to use panels, the most experienced SIP builders then say a house framed with SIPs should cost about the same as a house framed with comparably sized dimensional lumber, and maybe even a little less.
• Easier to hang drywall. There is solid backing for all drywall against exterior walls, which means there is less cutting, faster attachment and less waste material.
• Fewer framing callbacks. Wall panels go in plumb, square and straight. Once in place, a SIP won’t warp, twist or check.
• Increased referrals. A fair number of small builders report their marketing efforts have decreased ever since they started using SIP building systems.

Reprinted from http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/buildcentral/sip/benefits.aspx

Design Rendering of Trilogy Design Build Project "Calecho"

Trilogy is a Design Build residential construction company. But just what is Design Build?

What It Isn’t

Let me answer that question by first giving and example of what Design Build is not. Suppose you want to build your dream home (or any home, for that matter.) What’s the first thing you do? Right, buy a lot. So you contact a real estate agent who helps you find a lot. Now you own a lot. It may be , in industry parlance, a highly build-able lot. Or it may require expensive infrastructure that you weren’t counting on. You’ll find that out later on. Okay, still you own the lot. Now you need someone to design a house for the lot. Taking a deep breath you initiate an interview process and then hire an architect. An engineer. And you may or may not need other specialists or someone to help with planning, building permits and all the other details necessary before you can even begin to build. Then you need to hire a builder. You audition a bunch of builders. You may ask for a bid from each one. The bid is based on a budget based on the drawings the architect and engineer have produced. Some of the bids are low, some high. Some of the builders say the plans are adequate for construction. Others say the plans are inadequate and they  need more information, something the architect disputes. So you lay awake at night. Which builder do you hire? One builder says your lot will be difficult to build on. Another says it’s a piece of cake. Do you hire the lowest bid? What if a builder with a fantastic reputation comes in at a higher price. Is he worth the extra money? And then a couple of the builders say they don’t like fixed price budgets and that their clients prefer Cost Plus contracts and budgets. What are they talking about? The one thing you know for sure. Every builder, the architect, the engineer, the interior designer, everyone associated with the project seems to have a different opinion about every question you ask.

This is not Design Build. Design Build proposes a completely different organizational structure.

What It Is

With Design Build the client engages one entity to oversee the entirety of the home building project to include but not limited to lot choice, planning, architectural design and interior design. The Design Builder puts together an experienced team and facilitates the interaction between the design and build project participants. Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Construction, Interior Design, Interior Decorating integrate seamlessly around the table provided by the Design Builder. Most Design Builders will even suggest that they take a roll in helping the client and the real estate professional secure the best lot. The Design Builder is the party responsible for the successful outcome of the project.  The Design Builder is the bottom line when it comes to cost or labor or timeline. The Design Builder helps the home owner establish a responsible budget amount, and then governs the process so that the owner reaches budgetary goals. And architectural goals. And goals that include time frame and completion dates. A good Design Builder even advises the client with issues concerning project impact and sustainability. The Design Builder is the owner’s partner in the design and construction of the home. The Design builder supplies all the manpower, materials, and know how needed to build the home. Design Build not only offers the client a degree of integration, fiduciary responsibility, and efficiency that is atypical of the conventional “design then engineer then build” construction process. But Design build offers the homeowner client an unmatched level of security, commitment and accountability as well.

Trilogy Partner’s Design and Build approach results in successful projects. Its strong and enduring client relationships proves the worth of Design Build as a management process. Visit the Project Gallery to see examples of Trilogy Design Build projects.

There was a lot of talk earlier this year when Apple secured a 98-acre plot that was formerly owned by their rival Hewlett-Packard in Cupertino, California and with good reason. Co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak worked at that Hewlett-Packard location over 40 years ago when he and Steve Jobs first built the Apple-1. It looks like Apple has come full circle and are building themselves a city within a city in Silicon Valley, more precise an “Apple City”.

Renowned British architect Norman Foster looks to be taking the reigns on the project for the new environmentally friendly campus for Apple, which is right up his alley with his recent Masdar project in Abu Dhabi.

Masdar City in Abu Dhabi

Foster won the Pritzker Prize in 1999 and has designed his fair share of recognizable structures such as the Gherkin in London and the Beijing Airport.

Archdaily.com reports that the new Apple headquarters will “utilize Foster’s innovative vision for sustainability, ability to perfect a building for its users down to the finest detail, and ideas to maximize efficiency in the workplace.” There has been talk of an underground transportation system linking the two campuses together so staff can move between the buildings without the use of a car.

We can’t wait to see the early designs coming out of Foster + Partners.

The Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) exhibit Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement showcases 11 projects on five continents that offer practical solutions to underdeveloped communities through architecture. The MoMA states that, “Together, these undertakings not only offer practical solutions to known needs, but also aim to have a broader effect on the communities in which they work, using design as a tool.”

Metro Cable in Caracas, Venezuela. Designed by Urban-Think Tank

We have seen first hand through our work with The Haiti Orphan Rescue Program (HORP) how we can make a difference in the lives of so many people by providing them with the proper tools and means to live their lives.

The exhibit is currently at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City  until January 3, 2011. For more information please visit MoMA.org.

The attendees of the International Code Council’s (ICC) final action hearings held in Charlotte, North Carolina last month unanimously approved a package of revisions to the commercial section of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).  The changes states that “new and renovated buildings constructed in jurisdictions that follow the 2012 IECC will use 30 percent less energy than those built to current standards.”

The proposal was submitted jointly by New Building Institute (NBI), The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is largely based on NBI’s Core Performance protocol.

To learn more about the changes please visit Energycodes.gov.

We were excited to head down to the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i for our second project with South Park’s Trey Parker last year. Kaua’i, the Garden Isle, is the oldest island in the Hawaiian chain. The setting was a lot different than the home we created for him in Steamboat. The scenery was dominated by lush gardens and the beautiful Wailua River.

Take a look at some of the interior shots of this Hawaiian home below.

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Make sure you come back later in the week to see the exterior of this remarkable home.

British architecture might be undergoing a major change with Prince Charles’s foundation, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, taking on a more advisory role in future development projects. Since the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) had its funding cut recently, the Prince’s Foundation is considering stepping into the role left vacant and that means possibly influencing the architectural planning committee. Many fear the Prince’s favorite traditional style architects would soon win bids on future landmark developments.

Paul Finch, chairman of CABE, said “”Stylistic preferences will make it more difficult for certain building types to win planning approval.”

Gateshead Millennium Bridge is the world's first and only tilting bridge, and was designed by Gifford and Partners with Wilkinson Eyre.

What do you think of the monarchy getting involved on such a level that can change the United Kingdom’s skyline?

The November issue of Architectural Digest marks the last issue under the leadership of Paige Rense Noland, who was editor in chief of the magazine since 1971. The issue features Rob Lowe and his 20-room Georgian-style estate outside of Santa Barbara on the cover. Rob shares the home with his wife Sheryl and their two sons. The home was inspired by Mt. Vernon and other historic homes in Lowe’s native Virginia-area.

Courtesy of Architectural Digest. Photography by Mary E. Nichols

Courtesy of Architectural Digest. Photography by Mary E. Nichols

Courtesy of Architectural Digest. Photography by Mary E. Nichols

Courtesy of Architectural Digest. Photography by Mary E. Nichols

Architect Don Nulty says the home is “almost contemporary” in styling and interior designer, David Phoenix, adds “It’s a large house, but the scale fits the property. It’s very peaceful, very relaxing.”

What do you think about this impressive home?

We are very proud of the home we built for South Park co-creator, Trey Parker last year. We talked a little about this hilltop home when we mentioned the coverage it received in Architectural Digest, which was a dream come true. Heavily influenced by Japanese culture this beautiful home comes complete with a 700 square-foot teahouse guest cabin.

A bevy of new photos were recently added to our gallery page, but we wanted to share some of the photos with you below. We are going to be focusing this post on the exterior of the home, which is a unique fusion of western American and Japanese ryokan-style architecture.

Take a look at some of the photos below.

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners- Teahouse Guest Cabin

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

Another great feature about the outdoor living space is the use of heated stone pavers so the outdoor spa can be used year-round, even in the cold and snowy Colorado winter.

Trey Parker told Architectural Digest that he loves bringing his friends from Los Angeles to his Steamboat Springs home. “Being able to share it with people who may have never been to Colorado before is great. I love to walk with them around the rocks and the aspens, to step outside and see a deer or a porcupine.”

To learn more about Trilogy Partners please visit us online at TrilogyBuilds.com or give us a call us at 970-453-2230.