architecture blog

What's in season this fall...

If they can do it for fashion, we can do it for architecture.

Cool roofs are not tricky. They are what they claim to be: roofs that are cool in temperature. So although the concept is simple, the result is a very powerful tool for architects in the growing need and desire for greener buildings.

1. The Basics

Cool roofs stay cool by doing two things:

a) reflecting heat from the sun (called solar reflectance).

b) quickly re-emitting any heat that is absorbed (called thermal emittance).

In essence, the goal of a cool roof is to reduce the amount of heat entering the building. As seen in the diagram below, these two properties, solar reflectance and thermal emittance are what determine if a roof is technically cool.

Diagram courtesy of the lovely people at the Cool Roof Rating Council.

2. Cool Roofs Are Not A New Idea

There's a lot of technical jargon you can get into when it comes to cool roofs. Leave that to us architects. In principal, cool roofs work because:

Get it? White roofs absorb less heat than dark-colored roofs. A cool roof only absorbs 10-15 percent of the sun's heat versus 90 percent heat absorption for a  traditional dark roof.

The beauty of cool roofs is that they're a low-tech concept. Long before the days of electricity and air conditioning, warm-climate areas used light colors in their buildings to reduce heat gain. I think I even wrote something about this last year called Environmental Architecture in Greece.

In Santorini, Greece, cool roofs (and walls) are not a new idea.

However, since people don't always want white roofs, some smart scientist types have figured out a way to have cool roofs with darker colors by utilizing special highly reflective coatings. Cool roofs are versatile, coming in all types of materials that can be applied to a home just as easily as to an office or industrial building.

3. Cost

Inevitably, the first question we get after we describe a green feature to a client is "That's great, but is it more expensive?" Thankfully, for cool roofs, the answer is "not really." The added cost for a cool roof can be as little as 15 percent. This minor increase is far outweighed by the projected 20 percent or more savings in air conditioning cost (source). Besides, knowing you have a cool roof and are helping the environment will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Compared to other green building features with high upfront costs, such as solar panels, cool roofs are an affordable option.

4. It's Not Just About You

Don't be selfish when selecting a new roof. Having a hot roof not only increases your cooling costs, it also affects the world around you through an ugly phenomenon called heat island effect. 

Diagram of Urban Heat Island Effect, courtesy of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Heat island effect occurs as result of the numerous heat-absorbing surfaces that cities contain such as dark colored roofs, streets and seas of parking lots. This effect overheats urban areas, increasing the demand for air conditioning and electricity. Another not-so-fun aspect of heat island effect is that it's known to increase smog formation.

5. For Remodels Too

Whereas many green building features are better suited for new construction or extensive remodels, cool roofs are a viable option for any remodel or simple re-roofing.

On our recent remodel of the Fashion Square Car Wash, we specified a cool roof to reduce the air conditioning loads and heat island effect from the surrounding paved areas.

The re-roofing of the Fashion Square Car Wash started out looking very similar to a typical roof. So far, not very cool.

That's a little better.

6. Location, Location Location

There is a fair amount of debate as to whether cool roofs are beneficial in all climate zones. For us here in Los Angeles and other warm climates (hey Texas, Nevada and Arizona), it's a no-brainer: cool roofs work. The worry in cooler climates is that cool roofs don't allow for thermal gain in the winter. The good news is that there are numerous studies that have shown that cool roofs are effective in just about any climate.

Potential net energy savings from changing roof reflectivity. Savings are measured in dollars. Note that the net savings are the savings of cooling energy use less the penalties of heating energy use. Image courtesy of the Heat Island Group.

If you have any thoughts on cool roofs, feel free to leave a comment or send us a fancy form message.

The Fashion Square Car Wash remodel is a project that we've had in our office since early 2007. And just as the real estate market has transformed so much in these last few years, so too has the scope of this remodel fluctuated from medium to large to small; finally landing back at a happy medium.

We thought there was value in sharing this architecture process with you. So, instead of the typical approach of only showing finished project photos, we decided to provide a deeper look into the project - from concept to construction and, finally completion (in August 2009).

In the next few months, we're going to go back through our sketches, drawings and construction photos and post the process to a project blog. Although the blog is still being completed, we're off to a good start.

Check it out.

Our last post about the advantages of small homes got me thinking,  what really constitutes a small home? What is the size cutoff for a home to be considered small?

LEED for Homes (the industry standard for green homes) quantifies this well. Before you can even begin counting points for certification, your level is adjusted according to the size of your home. The smaller your home, the easier it is to get certified.

The chart below shows the home sizes they consider to be "neutral". If your home is larger than the "neutral" size, you're penalized; smaller, you're rewarded.

LEED for Homes Rating System

Threshold Adjustment Equation - "neutral" home sizes

I was relieved that my 1,400 sq. ft. two-bedroom townhouse falls directly into the "neutral" home size threshold. How does your home stack up?

The following is the full chart as it is found in the LEED Homes Rating System.

In the spirit of the recent Los Angeles Times article discussing the downsizing of the average American home from 2,629 square feet (last year) to 2,419 square feet (this year), I thought I’d touch on my reasons for liking small homes:

1. Simple Math: If You Build Less, It Costs Less

2. Resale Value

3. Quality Over Quantity

4. Energy Efficiency

5. Think About Trading Space For Power

6. Sustainability

7. Affordable Land

8. Subdivide

9. Keeping It Clean

A simple concept: small homes are easier and faster to clean. If you hire someone to clean, it will cost you less.

It's also not much fun cleaning rooms you never use.

10. Don't Forget the Furniture

11. Less Room For Junk

12. You Can Always Add-On Later

By no means is this a complete list. I would love to get some thoughts on this.

What spaces in your house do you not use?

What areas of your home do you wish were bigger? Smaller? 

At Modative, we're fans of small modern homes. We like designing them, even on tight budgets. Feel free to contact us if you're thinking about a small home. We can even help you find property.

Download a PDF of 12 Incredibly Obvious Things I Like About Small Homes

Over the past few months I've been thinking a lot about resumes. Actually, I haven't just been thinking. I've been writing a guide to attempt to get architects and other creative professionals to rethink the way they make resumes.

The guide is formatted as 22 quick tips to get you to rethink your resume in your own creative way.

Check out Rethink Your Resume

Image of courtesy of Neal Pann, AIA

Now that a few days have passed since the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Convention in San Francisco, I've had some time to reflect on the event. Although it was an overall good experience, I, being an architect, can't help but be critical and look for areas for improvement:

1. Less Architect Speakers

The best seminars I attended were by non-architects, or architects that have broken out of the traditional architecture role. As a profession, we're pretty insulated. As I've said before, outsiders to the architecture profession have much to teach us.

2. No Convention Center

Convention Centers are massive flexible spaces that can decently accommodate just about anything. Unfortunately, this great flexibility in uses means that every use is compromised. Lecture/seminar rooms have bad acoustics, viewing angles, seating and are just unappealing overall.The expo floor, full of companies pushing "green" products and materials, is in a huge air conditioned and artificially-lit space that smells of carpet off-gassing.

I suggest utilizing college campuses in their off-seasons: real lecture halls, the (outdoor) quad for the expo, plenty of restaurants and bars, and best of all, college atmosphere.

Moscone West Convention Hall. Image of courtesy of Neal Pann, AIA

3. Repeat Seminars

Rumors of which seminars and events were the best spread quickly by word of mouth, text message, and Internet blogs. I heard of several seminars on Thursday that I would've attended on Friday, but they were only given once. The AIA could even encourage this with a website or promo of Twitter (see #5 below) for instant feedback or a vote on which seminars should repeat.

4. Empower the Youth

The conference attendance was light on professionals in their 20's and 30's. My partners and I fall into this category and this was our first real convention. I suggest the AIA drastically reduce the cost for professionals under 35. This would encourage firms to send their youth in addition to sending older firm principals. These future leaders have the power to bring positive changes to their respective firms and the industry as a whole. Chances are they will also get the convention bug and continue to attend even when the price increases.

5. Social Networking

I provided updates of my #aia2009 convention experience on Twitter to those who cared to follow. There were others doing this as well, but not many. I enjoyed sharing experiences this way with other attendees as well as those who couldn't attend, following along from home. This is great publicity for the convention. I hope architects and the AIA step up the social networking attendance at next years convention.

I'm sure there is no shortage of opinions on the AIA and other professional conventions. Share away.

While many of our ideas are generated in the office during design sessions, great ideas often come from unconventional sources and in non-professional settings.

Here are some of my favorite idea sources and places:

While trying to sleep

You're in bed, frustrated, trying to sleep while your mind churns out ideas. Are they all good ideas? No, but some of them may be genius. Genius because you're too tired to see that they will probably fail. When fully conscious you may dismiss these ideas before they reach their potential.

The Shower (or bath)

You've showered many times before. The routine is clear. Your hair practically washes itself. So this frees you up for some quality thinking - no distractions and no other people (unless you're lucky). Think of it as a warm-water-idea-isolation-chamber.

The Inexperienced

My first few years out of architecture school, I knew little of how buildings are really built. This led me to try outlandish things that a more experienced designer would reject because it wasn't the norm. Many firms thrive this way. Young, fresh ideas balanced with older and more experienced professionals to keep things in check.

Although I've since gained experience, I still like to step into that naiveté every once in a while.

People Outside Your Industry

Most of my friends work outside of the architecture world. They keep me in check. When I tell them what I'm up to, they're quick to point out what doesn't make sense to them about my industry. These industry shortcomings so ignored within the profession are so obvious to outsiders.  Are these opportunities?

Children

Just Walking Around

I live in Los Angeles. It's not known as a walking city, but that doesn't stop me. Walking speed allows me to take things in - not just the buildings, but how people interact with the city. A ten minute walk can yield many ideas for how the city can be improved and, surprisingly, what is already working.

Long Solo Drive

Not the kind in traffic. The open highway, headed to a destination kind. Ideas can flow here just like the shower example, except without the warm water.

Do you have any favorite sources or places for ideas?

Starting today, we are moving our office. Thankfully, the new location is just next door.

Some features of Modative's new architecture headquarters:

• About the same size as our current office.
• Better location (not joking) - although only next door, the new spot fronts right onto Venice Boulevard, so it's easier to find.
• Better layout - a more open plan will allow for better internal communication.  

Our mailing address will remain the same. Our new office location is:

8734 Venice Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90034

The move begins today (04.17.09) and should be wrapped up by mid-day Monday (04.20.09). Our phones may be down periodically during this time.

Exterior view. Some interior pics coming soon.