Upcoming Industrial Project

I've completed drawings for a new 30,000 sf office, showroom, and warehouse building on the Beltline to be constructed by First Companies. This will be a very nice facility, and I'm looking forward to the ground breaking. More details later.




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Jeup Furniture Under Construction

Jeup Furniture, a project I worked on while designing for Dixon Architects, is now under construction and coming together wonderfully. Joe Jeup has as good of an eye for building design as he does for furniture design. This is probably one of the nicest industrial buildings I've worked on yet. Congratulations to Jeup Furniture, First Companies, and Dixon on what's shaping up to be a great project.



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Clark Manufacturing Wrapping Up

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Congratulations to Clark Manufacturing on their beautiful new facility. The project, built by Lakewood Construction, is nearing the final phases of completion. I'm pleased with the building overall, but most impressed with the new cranes. This was one of the last projects I designed while working with Dixon. I'm glad to see it's come together so well.

O'Brien Residence is taking form

Preliminary Drawings for the O'Brien residence addition are underway. I think we've come across a form that works well with the context of the existing house, and adds to the overall composition.

Under Construction: Waalkes Residence

Demolition has begun on the Waalkes house remodel! They've salvaged hundreds of bricks from the former garage to use on the front of the new portion of the house. Here we're seeing a pile of rubble where the one stall garage used to be.



I'm excited to see it start to take shape.

Going Green

Work is well underway for a LEED Green Building consulting job. The scope of work is to advise, consult, and be the team leader and document the design and construction to obtain LEED certification status for the new building.

Stay tuned!

On the Boards: O'Brien Residence

Design work has begun on a new addition for the O'Brien family home. The addition will involve all new kitchen, dining, and living space, as well as extra childrens bedrooms and a new master suite.

Allen Extruders

Starting Construction:
Maxam Architecture completes drawings for Allen Extruders. The plastics manufacturer is adding an additional 17,196 square feet of manufacturing space and 12,265 SF of covered outdoor shipping areas to their existing facility. Allen Extruders is headquartered in Holland, MI.

Waalkes and Work on the Boards

Work is coming along nicely on the Waalkes residence remodel. The home will get a new dining room, vastly more open kitchen, a face lift to the dated fireplace, and a 2 stall garage. The before and after images are sure to be stunning.

Work on the Boards: A fresh batch of preliminary designs... 3 industrial facilities, a retail center, and possibly some Leed consulting. I'll post details as they firm up and once contracts are signed and the 'veil of secrecy' is lifted.

Maxam Architecture has Launched!

I've finally struck out on my own and launched Maxam Architecture. Thanks to all who have helped me get established!





The new office is located at 25 Ottawa SW, Suite 303. Its the building just west of the arena and just north of Bistro Bella Vita. I'm co-located with the Bird Design and Clark Communications. Its a very creative group, and will be great for keeping the inspiration flowing. The office itself has a great contemporary feel and will work great for client meetings. I'm looking forward to my first batch of projects!

My new email is david@maxamarchitecture.com





















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Getting Green

From the Green Building Council Website: "The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria."

I've passed the LEED exam and am now a LEED Accredited Professional.

However, before I become another vocal advocate of the green revolution, I must admit there is a part of me that is skeptical of 'Green.' The heavy emphasis that 'Green Building' has been getting in the world of design is a great boost to architecture, but also a minor curse. Green is great, but it is not all architecture is. Making a building energy efficient doesn't necessarily make it a great building. Architecture is more than the engineering that goes into it. Designing a building to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly is a great leap forward; but it is not the whole of architecture. Making a building that is just efficient is good engineering. Combined with good architecture, it can produce a great building. Lets not forget the Architecture in the rush to Green.

Islamic Cultural Center - Behar

For the curious among you, here are some renderings of the ICC Behar mosque that I've been working on. It's an entirely concrete structure, complete with a concrete dome and minarets. The design team was invited to a fund raiser dinner, where I was asked to speak to a crowd of a few hundred about the design. I'm not one to shy away from public speaking, but trying to explain a fairly high concept architectural design through a translator was an interesting experience. You have to slow down and space your sentences into easily translated blocks. Explaining the magnificent mathematical perfection and historical references of a parabolic arch through a Bosnian translator; Forget about it.

I've often heard that in Europe architecture as a profession is given a great deal more respect than it gets in the United States. It certainly is the case with this Bosnian Islamic congregation. I've worked with some very grateful and pleased clients before; but the ICC Behar are wonderfully grateful and gracious clients who display an amazing heartfelt gratitude for all the work we've done for them. I wonder if part of that is rooted in the more European view of the profession of architecture.

Update

Just a quick post for my curious readers. The work has been pouring in over at Dixon Architecture. I'm Currently working on a vet clinic, recently finished a mosque, have multiple manufacturing and office facilities on the boards, and a few new LEED 'Green Building' projects just starting up. Looks like my next professional hoop to jump through is LEED Certification from the folks over at http://www.usgbc.org/.

I'll post renderings of some of my recent work later, at least for the stuff thats public. Once the 'veil of secrecy' on some projects in the early stages becomes solid and the contracts are signed, I'll have more to post.

Grand Haven Cottage

I recently completed a cottage design for a dune lot in Grand Haven overlooking Lake Michigan. The lot is up for sale and listed at GRAR.COM

The site has an incredible amount of slope to it, and is regulated by the Department of Environmental Quality as a protected dune site, which limits the area in which you can build. Therefore the design keeps as small a footprint as possible.

Registered Architect

8 1/2 Years of College...
$75,000 dollars.
3 Years NCARB intern program fees...
$450 dollars.
9 Registration Exams and study guides...
$2,150 dollars.
Finally being able to call yourself an Architect...
Priceless.



12 years after starting as an apprentice draftsman, I can now call myself an Architect. The path to becoming an architect involved 8 years of being an apprentice draftsman and project manager, 2 college degrees, 3 years being an 'intern architect' and sending credit reports to the NCARB national council, and 9 exams on topics ranging from design to structural engineering. "Architect" is a title protected by state government by a 'title law,' meaning its illegal to present yourself as an Architect without going through the hoops and obtaining a state license. The State licenses architects in order to "protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public" as the phrase goes. It's similar in concept to the legal requirements for being an M.D. in order to prevent quack doctors from killing people.

It's a huge relief to have jumped through that final hoop and finished the goal I've been working towards all these years. Perhaps it's time for a vacation, or better yet some nice big commercial projects to help pay off those student loans.

Dixon Architecture

As some of you have heard, I've starting working with Ken Dixon and his crew over at Dixon Architecture. I'm currently working on 2 monstrous precast concrete manufacturing facilities, some bank work, and a few other miscellaneous projects. I'm really digging my teeth into the large scale commercial work again after having spent the past year doing residential.

Posted here is my design for one of the manufacturing facilities. The client hadn't been satisfied with any of the sketches he had seen to date. So when I came on board I boiled down the numerous different looks and concepts that had been developed for the project so far. I kept some of the concepts, further developed some, and tossed some other out completely. The result was this sleek modernist design. Night and dawn views of a building like this do wonders to show off what might otherwise seem like a fairly boring concrete box, if seen only as a basic line drawing or in a sketchy form. Some projects show off much better with a 'warm fuzzy' sketch, but in this case the crisp photo-rendering definitely came through to really communicate the clarity of the design.





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Ncarb Testing Completed

I've received my 'Pass' letter for the last of the 9 test administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards required to become a licensed architect. Just a few paperwork hoops left to jump though and I'll be able to call myself an 'Architect.' The title Architect is protected by a title law, and calling oneself an architect without holding an architects license is similar to posing as a medical doctor. Architects are licensed by the states in order to 'protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.' Obviously it's not in the best interest of the public to have any yokel designing public buildings. Perhaps I'll post more later on the path to becoming an architect, for those who might be curious about such a cryptic subject.

Lakefront Living in Wisconsin

My latest project was to take a floor plan designed by a fine home builder in Wisconsin and develop the floor plan into a full-fledged design. Off to the left I have posted the original wall layout I was given. The house sets on a lakefront walkout site. I always love lakefront houses because they require the rear elevation of the house be just as important and appealing as the front. This avoids the ‘3 sides vinyl’ syndrome so many new houses have; where all the attention, detail, and budget is sunk into a fancy front elevation and the other 3 sides are neglected flat vinyl planes.

I’ve been on somewhat of a Craftsman kick lately for residential projects. Either I’m developing a style, or I’m just stuck in a stylistic rut, depending on your point of view. Either way, these Craftsman designs seem to be working very well. They have enough detail and style to be charming, and yet can still be reasonably straightforward so as not to blow the project budget.

The color renderings are shots of the final design I developed. When given the chance, I prefer to design homes with a bit more of a contemporary flair to them, such as the Laverty Cottage, Merkebee House, or Orsini Residence. But even these more modern designs still have some Arts and Crafts overtones.

Click the comments link below to add your public comment.

Quoted:

"A porch is the transition space between the street, which is public, and the living room, which is private," Maxam said. "It provides the space to greet someone coming to your home.”

According to the National Association of Homebuilders, 42 percent of new single family homes had porches 14 years ago. Today, that number rises to 53 percent.

From an article on porches by Beth Lively at the Rapid Growth webzine.

"Boxy, but Good" : Maxam Design Vs. Stock Plans

New Project: 3 Bedroom Ranch for a site on Pine Island drive, north of Grand Rapids.

Parameters: Approx. 1400 s.f., Large bedrooms, One story, Affordable to build, Construction price of $180,000 or less.

I was presented with the challenge of designing this house, in lieu of the developer using a set of 'stock plans' available from a lumberyard. Competing with stock plans is often difficult from a desginer's point of view. There is a certain convenience and simplicity to flipping through a catalog until you see a design that looks about right and buying a set of plans. It is Architecture packaged as a retail shopping experience. However Architecture, like Medicine, will always be a professional service. Sure, there are over the counter medicines available for retail purchase that are somewhat helpful for many common situations, but if you really want to be healthy, see a doctor.

The trouble with stock plans is that there are many that look about right; but close analysis reveals the problems of not designing a house for its situation. A stock house often won't fit right on the site, puts the bedrooms next to the busy street, has the driveway too close to the intersection; and that’s just the site analysis. Sometimes the closets and bedrooms are a bit too small for a good furniture layout, or there are no windows to take advantage of a nice side yard view. Perhaps the steep 'McMansion' roof line looks OK, but costs far too much to build. Maybe the plans great, but that giant brick arch entry is just too pretentious and out of scale for the otherwise humble home. What I'd really like to know is when having more than 1 window in a room went out of style. Having light and views from 2 directions in a room makes all the difference in how a space feels. So many stock plans make no use of the corner rooms in a house at all. No amount of superficial arches or pointless 45 degree angles to 'jazz up' a design will make up for the loss of windows on both exterior walls of corner rooms.

"Boxy, but Good" is a phrase that often comes to mind when I want to describe a design that is simple and straightforward yet still well thought out. Often times 'boxy' designs are the boring ones that no one put much thought into, or leave you thinking that saving every possible penny at any cost was the motivating factor. My design seeks to take the typical 3 bedroom ranch and make it something more than a vinyl sided storage bin for the average American family. The simplicity of the shape keeps it affordable and easy to build. The layout of the rooms creates a very livable flow and tucks the bedrooms furthest away from the streets of the corner lot. Bedrooms are separated by closets or bathrooms to give some acoustical privacy. The living areas are well defined, yet open to one another to create a light and spacious environment without needlessly wasting space. The curb appeal comes from the logical overall proportions and the porch which wraps around to present a facade to each street of the corner. It’s a real functional porch, large enough to enjoy a glass of lemonade or even a whole meal, and right off the kitchen and dining.

"Boxy but Good?" Comments?