Through smart design and resilient material choices, we can build mountain homes that are safer, healthier, and better adapted to the realities of wildfire risk.

Universal design is the thoughtful approach of creating products, environments, and systems that are truly usable by as many people as possible, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.

Coastal environments are breathtaking, but they pose unique challenges for building durability. The combination of saltwater, wind, and humidity can accelerate wear on both interiors and exteriors. With thoughtful planning and careful material choices, beach houses can enjoy a longer, more resilient lifespan.

Trees are an important part of our environment and contribute to the overall health of our planet and its inhabitants.

Over the centuries, trees and built structures have not balanced each other well. In general, the built environment has displaced the tree canopy. Some communities have escaped this pattern, but many have not.

Art in this context is more than just creative expression. Whether art is applied to the building or an integral part of architectural expression, it binds our varied cultures together in a way that is nurturing and thought-provoking.

The Cascade Mountains present unique design challenges. Fueled by the Pacific Ocean, winter snows can be dense and moist on the west side of the Cascade Crest. Snow loads reach as high as 350 lbs on high westerly slopes. To address these loads, heavy timber or steel frames are needed. When combined with wind loading and the earthquake-prone nature of the northwest, these loads present a unique structural challenge. 

As with living organisms, buildings can change too. With thoughtful design, they can improve with time. Buildings can learn new roles to fit new purposes and circumstances. An added benefit of remodeling what you have is that it is sustainable.

The Winston Townhomes reside between the classic craftsman bungalows of Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood and a small commercial area featuring a community recreation center and a senior housing development converted from a historic brick school building.

Just as our society’s adoption of technology has quickened in the digital age, so has the evolution of the public library and what it provides: human engagement, access to technology, a welcoming gathering place, and much more. In Johnston Architects’ 33-year history, we have designed nearly 40 library projects, and what has evolved most in recent decades is the design of children’s spaces.

When we design public spaces, we should be continually asking ourselves how to create some of the bespoke feeling of a curated home, rather than using the more typical "matching" scheme that offices and libraries of the past have used.

Design firms can learn from JA’s approach and take action to better support emerging professionals, particularly women architects. Two-thirds of our staff are women and the percentage of women in leadership at JA is also unusually high: 73% of our firm leadership and two-thirds of our ownership group are women. According to a 2017 statistic from The American Institute of Architects, the national average for women in architectural leadership roles beyond project manager is just 17%.

While building information modeling software is changing the way building design is communicated and documented, the design and construction process itself has not fundamentally shifted to meet the promise of the technology as applied to private multifamily development. A different approach to design teamwork is necessary to move the industry forward.

Housing is on everyone’s mind these days, in communities large and small around the country and here in the Methow. The pressure to increase the quantity of housing is certainly strong, but it’s worthwhile to take a look at the quality of the housing we are building from a community design perspective.

This has been a rough winter in some ways! Skiing has been great, but leaky roofs, burst pipes and icy roads have not been so great, and some of our most vulnerable citizens have had their routines disrupted by the harsh weather. One thing the pandemic has taught us is that it is important to be near family and friends if we need help and the staff and board of Jamie’s Place are formulating a forward-thinking plan to welcome more residents.

In 2020, global architecture and engineering giant ARUP published the findings of a research collaboration with the University of Westminster in the form of a scientific article and short films compiling historical imagery, art installations, research, and case studies that supported the need for queer safe spaces in the public realm. To celebrate Pride Month this year, JA would like to highlight some of these concepts to normalize them and broaden the dialogue around these issues.

Community members of the western Washington city of Auburn came together to acquire and restore their 1939 post office with the intent to create a downtown center for the arts. The building is adjacent to an aging dinner theater that’s also part of the area’s revitalization.

Communal space means many things, from the proverbial central gathering table to small nooks and eddies around the periphery of a public space for people to see and be seen. More important than the objective beauty of a work of architecture is how people feel in a space. Places to pause and connect with nature, generate ad hoc run-ins with neighbors, or escape your private home space must be intentionally considered from the outset and nurtured throughout the design process.

This piece is (perhaps) an uncomfortably honest exploration of our white-washed culture and how we unconsciously lump the experiences of Black Americans with those from other non-white individuals in our "BIPOC" discussions. JA Marketing Specialist Jasmyn Flores dives deep into remembering that the lived experience of Black Americans is different than that of other minorities in the United States and why that matters.

JA has a lot of projects in the studio and designers often bounce between multiple projects in multiple versions of Revit. It can be a challenge keeping track of what everyone’s working on. To make things easier on everyone, our JA BIM Manager made a “Help!” button as part of a custom JA Revit Toolbar.

The Kirin's character and attributes shaped JA's design of the project which is intended to invoke a sense of calm, serenity, safety and protection for its residents. JA and the developer felt that the attributes of the Kirin also had a natural affinity with the character of Lower Queen Anne.