|
|
JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Marked Focus on Sustainable Design
Parlette Residence
|
Famosi Residence
|
W A Design is an architecture and construction firm established in 1987 by David Stark Wilson. Since its inception, W A Design has completed a broad range of new residential and commercial projects throughout the Bay area and beyond. We offer an alternative to the standard architect / client / contractor relationship by providing architecture and construction services within the same company. This approach enables us to deliver a more cost effective and higher quality product to our clients.
Our design philosophy emphasizes the inter-relationship of building and site. Each design begins as a considered response to a set of criteria dictated by the site and client. Although progressive in approach, our designs draw heavily on the vernacular building of the area in which we are working. Ordering principles for a given project borrow from their context and often metaphorically relate to the natural landscape. This connects our buildings to their specific site and circumstance in a meaningful way.
A crucial component of the overall design objective on each project is to apply the design of sustainable and solar features as an integral component of the architecture. From initial building siting concepts through building organization and material selection, each phase is looked at with sustainable ideas at the forefront of the design decisions.
David, senior architect Chris Parlette, and the project team develop each design to extend and enhance the initial concept. Our design services frequently include lighting design, color consultation, furniture and interior design. While our design talent allows us to work within a given context, we employ our construction experience as a basis for fully integrated design solutions. Our field construction superintendent is in constant communication with the office, thereby streamlining the construction process. Our goal is to integrate our diversified talent and experience to realize the highest level of design and achieve a more sustainable design paradigm.
|
|
|
|
We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.
provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.
|
|
