For the first two weeks of April, Chelsea will be in the Moshaweng Valley area of the Kalahari Desert in northwest South Africa. She will be lending her design expertise to the planning and design of a new school and community building [...]]]>
(photo courtesy of Chelsea Gorkiewicz)
Written by Chelsea Gorkiewicz, FabCab Architect

For the first two weeks of April, Chelsea will be in the Moshaweng Valley area of the Kalahari Desert in northwest South Africa. She will be lending her design expertise to the planning and design of a new school and community building called the Skills Development Center.

Chelsea will be part of the Kalahari Experience, which is a service project initiated by Frankfurt International School (FIS). Since 1991 teams of high school students and teachers have been working with the Tswana people in the Moshaweng Valley in South Africa, which is an isolated area in the Kalahari Desert. Most of the 10 villages in the Moshaweng Valley are accessible only by unpaved road. Many of the people in this area are not original residents, but were “displaced” during apartheid. They were sent to this semi-desert area that is now home to approximately 30,000 people. It is one of the poorest areas in South Africa.

The Kalahari Experience brings together teachers and high school students from collaborating schools worldwide to participate in bringing specialized, targeted instruction in English to the underserved community schools in the Moshaweng Valley. At the same time, participating students gain understanding and empathy of cultural diversity, historical and political influences, and challenges faced by residents and students in these communities in South Africa.

Through her husband who teaches at FIS, Chelsea has gotten involved in the development of a new Skills Development Center sponsored by FIS. The new Skills Development Center will be located in Padstow, a small township that has been voted poorest town in South Africa for the last four years. There’s a basic preschool and primary school building in the village, but there is no middle or high school. The community needs a new school and community building to support secondary education, adult learning and job skills development.

Chelsea will be gathering information in the community and at the building site, meeting with community leaders and materials suppliers, and preparing a schematic design for the new Skills Development Center. She hopes to implement sustainable design features throughout the project, including: rainwater collection systems and vegetable gardens, composting toilets, a kinetic playground to help pump well water, and building materials sourced within South Africa that can be assembled using local unskilled labor, bringing much needed jobs to the community.

Check back at the end of April for photos from her trip to South Africa and more information about these projects!

At the recent Seattle Home Show, we were frequently asked about our suggestions for the best ways to heat or cool a FabCab. Fortunately, due to the inherent energy efficiency in every FabCab design, there are several answers that are [...]]]>
(photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy)
Written by Gerard Del Monte, FabCab Client Representative

At the recent Seattle Home Show, we were frequently asked about our suggestions for the best ways to heat or cool a FabCab. Fortunately, due to the inherent energy efficiency in every FabCab design, there are several answers that are also applicable to standard home designs.

There are two factors that control your comfort and energy efficiency: insulation and infiltration. The structural insulated panels (SIPs) used in FabCab walls and roofs ensure that there is an uninterrupted thermal shell that is extremely airtight. Consequently, it doesn’t take much energy to either heat or cool a FabCab.

One popular traditional heating option is the radiant floor. Typically, this involves an insulated concrete slab with polyethylene pipe in it. Run warm water through the pipes to gently heat your floor, and you and your family enjoy toasty toes. There are also ways of doing a radiant floor with a typical wooden floor system (as used over a crawl space or basement). Another possible hot water heating system uses thin Euro-style radiators. These are fairly unobtrusive, and like a radiant floor can be fired off with a glorified hot water tank.

Depending on where your FabCab is located, you may also need cooling as well. Ductless heat pumps are a tidy solution. Due to an open floor plan design, no ductwork is needed. Depending on the size of your home, units are tucked away under a beam and serve to efficiently heat and cool your space. The outside units that FabCab specifies are very small, about the size of a classic suitcase. The inside units are quiet and barely thicker than one of our typical beams.

A FabCab home can be used for various solar applications as well. Our window wall, when facing within 20 degrees of either side of true south on the compass, provides natural passive solar heating. The thermal mass of the timberframe helps store BTUs, which moderates the swings of indoor temperature making your home less expensive to heat and more comfortable. This is especially so when you have a concrete floor, adding to the thermal mass.

Shed roofs are also ideal for mounting solar panels, either for hot water (flat panels, or vacuum tubes) or electricity (solar photovoltaics). There are generous government incentives for installing solar systems in your home, making them even more desirable, as well as being environmentally responsible.

There are many answers, and we can help you decide which is best for you and your family.

As the nation’s largest home show, The Seattle Home Show offers an unparalleled experience.

FabCab will be displaying a timberframe exhibit (backyard cabana style). We invite visitors to relax on our couch in the “living room” and watch design videos as well as play with our interactive displays about healthy living. Visitors can [...]]]>

As the nation’s largest home show, The Seattle Home Show offers an unparalleled experience.

FabCab will be displaying a timberframe exhibit (backyard cabana style). We invite visitors to relax on our couch in the “living room” and watch design videos as well as play with our interactive displays about healthy living. Visitors can also explore our patio area where they can learn more about pre-fab housing, see photos of FabCab models, get a rainscreen demo, and learn more about our innovative products and materials such as structural insulated panels (SIPs), recycled carpet tiles, and timberframes that are machine-milled, numbered, and shipped in our kit of parts.

2-for-1 e-tickets from FabCab: “Like us” and add a comment on our Facebook page and receive a code for 2-for-1 tickets, free parking, and more.

FabCab has a growing list of preferred contractors per region and after meeting with Jim Hall to build the Camano Island project, we knew we would form a lasting partnership. Jim carries a team of experienced craftsmen which [...]]]>
Jim Hall CGP, James Hall and Associates, Inc.
FabCab Preferred Contractor | Built Green Verifier

FabCab has a growing list of preferred contractors per region and after meeting with Jim Hall to build the Camano Island project, we knew we would form a lasting partnership. Jim carries a team of experienced craftsmen which is comforting to FabCab as well as our clients. Jim says, “Building a home is the biggest investment most people will make and there is a great deal of emotion wrapped up in the desire to ‘get it right.’ Guiding customers through that process and watching them experience the sense of accomplishment is my greatest reward.”

Jim remembers, “My first encounter with FabCab was at the Home Show in Seattle. It was instantly obvious that they had captured a stunning design, top quality structural components, Universal Design, and Built Green components in a complete package. After examining every nook and cranny, I spent a long time talking to the representatives of FabCab. Each person I talked to reflected the vision and professionalism represented in the FabCab home on display. It was a complete package. It wasn’t long before I was building a waterfront FabCab home for a Green Realtor on Camano Island. It was then that my original impressions of the company were verified. The attention to detail in the plans was extraordinary. As site specific issues came up, they were quickly resolved. When the homeowners wanted advice on interior and exterior finishes, FabCab was there to help them complete their vision. The home was constructed quickly and is now getting the finishing touches. It is stunning. I have been building architecturally designed custom homes on Camano Island and in the surrounding area for 23 years. It is not an exaggeration to say that my experience with this FabCab project has been one of my favorites.”

If you are interested in contacting Jim for a future project, you can reach him at 425.508.0090 or on his website.

James Hall and Associates, Inc. | Camano Island, WA 98282
www.jameshallandassociates.com

Nestled in the woods on the edge of the bluff above Quartermaster Harbor, the Butterfly House on Vashon Island has been a long time in the making. Although the clients have owned this 9 acre undeveloped lot for a few years, they were having difficulty finding an affordable house design they loved. They [...]]]>

Nestled in the woods on the edge of the bluff above Quartermaster Harbor, the Butterfly House on Vashon Island has been a long time in the making. Although the clients have owned this 9 acre undeveloped lot for a few years, they were having difficulty finding an affordable house design they loved. They learned about FabCab through friends, and they decided to have FabCab design a custom home for them.

The Butterfly House combines FabCab’s timberframe and SIPs structural system with a floor plan unique to the client’s needs, with a separate bedroom wing, flexible space to accommodate guests, and open living spaces that blur the line between indoors and out. A large screened porch assures maximum enjoyment outside, even when bug season is at its peak!

The Butterfly House is about to be submitted for a construction permit, with construction slated to begin this coming spring.

“The aesthetics of FabCab with its really modern look and exposed timberframe construction really resonated with us. My husband and I both loved it immediately. We were suddenly very excited about the possibility of having found an affordable and beautiful home for our property. Evermore thanks to Emory and Chelsea and all the others who are literally making this long standing dream of ours come to fruition.” – Sara and Jed

The Challenge Light wood framing is a great building system; it’s fast and efficient to construct, and adaptable when needs change. But it’s not impermeable. At some point in a building’s life, moisture is bound to get behind siding and into the walls; it may be from an extraordinary weather event or the [...]]]>

The Challenge
Light wood framing is a great building system; it’s fast and efficient to construct, and adaptable when needs change. But it’s not impermeable. At some point in a building’s life, moisture is bound to get behind siding and into the walls; it may be from an extraordinary weather event or the deterioration of a caulk joint. As originally developed, light wood framing could handle this too; each component was designed to shed water to the exterior. And when weather or age did allow water in, there was enough air infiltration within the walls that moisture was able to evaporate without causing damage. This is similar to the way masonry walls handle moisture: when it rains, water gets absorbed in the masonry; when the sun comes out, the water evaporates.

That equation changed starting in the 1970s when energy efficiency became an important factor and new building materials and methods came on the market. A “tighter” insulated assembly is a great boon to the comfort and utility costs of homeowners; new materials reduced construction costs.

An unintended consequence was that using materials of varying degrees of water absorption in a tight assembly could trap moisture inside walls, leading to rot and mold in the wood components. This was a problem especially with new materials such as “synthetic stucco,” which relied on an impermeable coating on the outside face for waterproofing. When that coating failed at any point, water could get in but not back out. That coating failed reliably, as it was also exposed to the elements. An epidemic of building envelope failures followed, giving rise to a whole industry dedicated to repairs of the damage.

The Response
The building industry has reaffirmed the wisdom of providing what the building code calls a “weather-resistive barrier” behind the finish siding. It’s a second line of defense, protected by finish siding from the solar exposure that would cause it to deteriorate, against water from the exterior. Whether the weather-resistive barrier is building paper or Tyvek, it is integrated with flashing at openings in the wall and installed to shed water back to the exterior.

As in a masonry wall, water also dissipates through evaporation as well as runoff. To ensure that both processes can proceed, architects and builders have begun to adopt a siding assembly called a rainscreen. In a rainscreen assembly, the siding is held off the weather-resistive barrier with vertical spacers, providing drainage/ventilation passages with screened openings at top and bottom. The passages allow water to drain and encourage it to evaporate.

Flashing is an integral part of the system, accommodating interruptions of the weather-resistive barrier at window and door openings as well as transitions in siding materials. Every joint and transition in materials needs to lap in the right direction, to shed water back to the exterior.

The finish siding then functions to protect the weather-resistive barrier, or drainage plane, against the wind and sun. Water intrusion behind the finish siding are anticipated and handled. Some designers even leave space between siding components to promote water evaporation.

Our Practice
At FabCab, our exterior walls incorporate rainscreens. We go further, using structural insulated panels (“SIPs”) instead of stud walls to eliminate the wall cavities where moisture can be trapped. SIPs walls and rainscreens are just two methods we employ to ensure that your FabCab will successfully resist the elements over the long term.

Camano Island will soon have a completed FabCab perched on the banks of Puget Sound! This two-story 2-bedroom custom FabCab is currently under construction and was designed to be a Certified Built-Green Home and withstand the climate of Puget Sound.

FabCab homes are designed as a pre-cut kit of parts, which result in [...]]]>

Camano Island will soon have a completed FabCab perched on the banks of Puget Sound! This two-story 2-bedroom custom FabCab is currently under construction and was designed to be a Certified Built-Green Home and withstand the climate of Puget Sound.

FabCab homes are designed as a pre-cut kit of parts, which result in very little onsite waste & very high energy efficiency. The FabCab design team adapted its kit of parts system to work with the existing foundation of the previous cabin on the site. The design was a breakthrough for the site, and the structure’s layout allows sweeping views of the water.

The clients, Linda Evans, a Certified Green Realtor with Windermere Real Estate’s Camano Island office, and her husband, John Cavanaugh, asked FabCab to design the home on its exising footprint and hired Jim Hall of James Hall and Associates, a Certified Built-Green contractor from Camano Island, to erect it. The former house was deconstructed vs. demolished, and an estimated 90% of it was either reused by other people or recycled. The Evans/Cavanaugh home will also feature a storm water management system that will incorporate a “living wall” of plants that will be watered from a hidden cistern behind the wall that has captured runoff from the roof gutters.

Additional green strategies include:

• The pre-cut FabCab structural components reduce waste at the site and speed up the construction process, also minimizing the impact on neighbors.
• The components provide increased energy efficiency over standard construction.
• Highly-reflectant “cool” roofing of partially-recycled and fully-recyclable materials enhance roof durability and reduce both building cooling loads and the heat island effect.
  
• Reusing the foundation reduces waste, thus minimizing the amount of new materials and embodied energy necessary to build the structure.
• Improved air quality through the use of materials that do not off-gas such as no- or low-VOC paints, stains and glues, no carpeting in the home that holds dust, animal dander, etc. and a heat recovery ventilator that provides fresh air exchanges while minimizing heat loss.
• High energy efficiency through the use of SIPs panels (structural insulated panels) that provide a higher R-Value insulation than traditional stick-built homes and windows with a low U-Value that provide superior insulation over standard windows.
• Water Sense(R) plumbing fixtures that are an average of 20% more water efficient than standard plumbing fixtures.

Linda and John look forward to many years to come in their new cabin, knowing that it optimizes the enjoyment of the site while minimizing the impact on their Puget Sound site.

(photo courtesy of SFO) Written by Maura Parente, FabCab Marketing and Design

After recently flying out of San Francisco Airport’s new domestic terminal, the first LEED Gold certified terminal in the country, I acknowledged an unusual movement my mouth seemed to be making, considering I was at an airport…I was smiling.

SFO is [...]]]>

(photo courtesy of SFO)
Written by Maura Parente, FabCab Marketing and Design

After recently flying out of San Francisco Airport’s new domestic terminal, the first LEED Gold certified terminal in the country, I acknowledged an unusual movement my mouth seemed to be making, considering I was at an airport…I was smiling.

SFO is notorious for long security lines and it was a pleasant surprise to arrive at the newly opened Terminal 2, or T2, and not be daunted by a sea of travelers. T2 was designed to efficiently and comfortably move people and only houses two airlines – Virgin America and American Airlines.

After passing through security, I was ushered into a space that incited the smile. I had happened upon giant jellyfish-esque pieces of string art swaying from the ceiling. They were whimsical and embodied the adventurous attitude of San Francisco. Other than the colorful jellyfish, the terminal is white and has a new-agey feel. Long clerestory windows pulled in natural light, flooding the space and my smile continued even when I passed the bathrooms. Universal Design can apply to elements other than spaces and when I saw the signage for the bathrooms, I liked what I saw – large, clear, directional signage that was FUN and attractive.

The terminal’s principal architect, Arthur Gensler got many things right and succeeded in fusing clean inspirational architecture and funky art from local to international artists. After looking into the project more, I came across the project design brief, which was equally as impressive. The brief was a collaborative effort by SFO/Turner/Gensler and discussed innovative concepts such as:

• Creating an emphasis on service, hospitality and comfort
• “De-stressing travel in a pat-down world”
• Providing world-renowned local food
• Completing a multi-modal hub connected to public transportation
• Removing complexity by designing spaces to be intuitive and naturally lit

A variety of seating and lounge areas are innate to the architecture and Silicon Valley’s influence is apparent in the computer cafe areas and standing bars. I also ran into countless eco-conscious practices (such as refillable water bottle stations and compost areas) and relished the atmosphere that encapsulated San Francisco’s diverse charm.

Not surprisingly, I’m looking forward to my next trip to T2.