An important aspect of home planning includes knowing how the window positions and exposures will affect the amount of passive solar energy coming into the home. We recently worked with a client to explore multiple options and determine the best size of overhang for the window and the best site orientation of the home. The first video compares 4', 6', 8' and 10' overhang distances at the great room roof system. It directly compares the four options against each other, with a due South orientation of 180 degrees and a full calendar year at noon. We determined that the 8' and 10' overhang substantially reduce the passive solar energy gain of the space. the 4' allows sun penetration during the hottest summer months. The 6' appears to shade affectively from June 1- August 15, and then allows for passive solar gain to increase at the beginning of fall and maintain until late into spring. The second video then takes the 6' overhang and places the home at four different orientations of 167 degrees solar south, 180 degrees due south, 200 degrees due south and 220 degrees due south. We again analyzed for a full year at noon. Here we found that the building orientation at 220 degrees with a 6’ overhang substantially reduced potential solar gain. It appeared that an orientation less than 200 degrees would be favorable and also allow for some flexibility in siting the building at down canyon views.
When we design a project, we work directly with clients, contractors, and subcontractors during the design phase to ensure that the people who ultimately build the home become vested in the success of the project. This produces unique buildable designs that are on budget. One of the tools we use to communicate our designs is YouTube where we send out 3D video "spin links" like the example shown here. This process is fun, aesthetically informative and valuable for places like Bozeman and Big Sky, where architectural plans must fit well onto various landscapes.
Turn of the century buildings used these hooks for fire protection. Should a fire break out in one of the Main Street buildings, the firemen would arrive by horse drawn carriage and run up the stairs with a heavy duty rope and attach it to the hook. The rope would be attached to the horses below and then they would pull away from the building and collapse the roof inward thereby containing the fire to just one building! Simple and affective, this hook is quite an interesting piece of history and glimpse into the past.
Historic Restoration: Preserving the past, exciting discoveries and specialized solutions.1/23/2017 You never know what you will discover!While recently restoring the Historic Nevitt building in Downtown Bozeman, we came across a unique situation. The building, originally built as part of Bozeman's thriving downtown in 1888, had a large hook installed in the center of the ceiling directly at the top of a large open stairway to the second level. After crawling in the roof plenum we discovered this heavy duty metal hook bolted to the main structural roof system and we just assumed it was for hoisting heavy loads up the stairway as the building was constructed before the invention of the elevator. However, during the research phase of the project we made an interesting discovery. Turn of the century buildings used these hooks for fire protection. Should a fire break out in one of the Main Street buildings, the firemen would arrive by horse drawn carriage and run up the stairs with a heavy duty rope and attach it to the hook. The rope would be attached to the horses below and then they would pull away from the building and collapse the roof inward thereby containing the fire to just one building! Simple and affective, this hook is quite an interesting piece of history and glimpse into the past. Other discoveries are smaller in scale, but just as interesting. While working on the Bozeman Downtown Ace Hardware Store, we found a turn of the century tool box with tools and square nails! "A black and white view of the Nevitt building and others along the north side of Main Street in Bozeman, circa 1890's. Brick buildings and storefronts line the opposite side of the dirt street that fills in the foreground. Three men stand on the boardwalk in front of the brick buildings, and a horse and wagon stand at the edge of the street, with a dog in front. The Levy & Elias clothing shop is at the left of the image, with A.B. Carow to the right of it, the Nevitt Building standing at the center, G.W. Henke's cigar shp visible at the right of the Nevitt Building, the Montana Armory standing to the right of Henke's and the intersection of Bozeman Avenue and Main Street visible at the far right." Why is historic restoration important to our area?A big draw to small western towns is our unique history! We have such a short period of history as compared to a place like Europe, so it is imperative we protect and restore our historic buildings. They are our vernacular archetypes that define our community heritage. When these towns were being settled, geographic locations of importance (i.e. gold mining hot spots) shifted quickly creating ghost towns overnight. Fortunately, the rail road moved through Bozeman, and created a landing point for the miners and the communities that grew around them. In today's world, we would not be able to build structures like these due to updated building and zoning laws. "Main and Black streets, facing east, Bozeman. A large crowd of people line both sides of Main Street and block Black completely. An automobile and three buggies are visible in the foreground behind the spectators standing on Black, who face east. A line of men and horses, possibly a parade, walks west on Main Street. A copy of this photo is on display in the Commissioner's Office in the Gallatin County Courthouse. The large brick building on the corner is that of Willson & Co. The sign states the company was established in 1866 and incorporated in 1893. The Montana Armory, and a bakery, can be seen on the same side of the street." What makes historic restoration different than other building projects?Restoring a historic building has a lot of technical and specialized challenges to work through. The technical aspects are figuring out how to bring a building up to current codes and strengthening the buildings with steel without losing their original character. Each building is different and there is no real formulaic process, so it keeps it very interesting and educating. As well, we bring the buildings up to modern codes. On the Nevitt Building, we restored the windows to appear historically correct while also meeting current energy codes. To see the transformation of the Owenhouse Ace hardware, click here for a very interesting article with photos by Montana History Magazine. With all the different decades of building in front of us, we have to choose which one to restore to. Making that decision involves considering aesthetic appeal, what has structurally survived the best, and what meets the current owner's needs. Also, historical restoration gives us an opportunity to work with local artists and artisans for very specialized needs. When all but a few historic tiles have survived, we need someone to recreate tiles to match. Or, like on the Nevitt building, we completely restored the original 1888 copper transom window system (each 4’ section of copper mullion weighed an astonishing 50lbs!).
Historic restoration brings community together and allows us to celebrate our shared history and move into the future together, with excitement, positive energy and a sense place in our own time! Architectural Metal is a great addition to many of the modernized rustic designs that are popular in Montana and the region. It adds an artistic touch, repeats beautifully throughout the design and maintains the sense of historical influence. Here, the main beam is spruced up and strengthened with the addition of the architectural metal. The curve of the metal softens up this beautiful entry. Architectural Metal can be repeated throughout the design and create beautiful and purposeful curves. -Yellowstone Architects, Bozeman Montana
When building the bedroom for our small, sustainable house in Bozeman, one of our focuses was using eco-friendly material. We believe that sustainable design can be just as beautiful, and this Beetle Killed Pine is a great example of how! Beetle Killed Wood is sustainable for a few reasons. The Ponderosa Pines are already dead by the time they are harvested for lumber, so it is using wood that would need to be cut and cleared anyway, and because the wood is local, it uses much less energy to get it to site. We used it for our walls, shelving and cabinets. What do you think? Do you like the way it turned out? Where could you see Beetle Kill Pine in your home?
-Yellowstone Architects, Bozeman MT |