How Washington Architecture Firms are Engaging Their Community?

Building in Seattle can bring opportunities to work with the environment and build to fit into the landscape in ways that are not available in other locations. One architect firm in Seattle is taking advantage of that and creating homes that are beautiful and well suited to the environment that surrounds them and the community they have built.

Sustainable Urban Projects Just Work

Working with the community and remaining engaged provides insight into what is working and what isn’t and what exactly the community needs. Being aware of both housing and commercial needs, focus on environment or sustainability, enabling them to work within those desires and focus when creating new buildings. The architecture and design firms that are currently operating in Washington are finding ways to remain engaged in their community in order to ensure that all their needs are being met. This can be done through mentorships, internships for students entering the industry, relationships with schools and other community groups, holding leadership roles on committees and community groups, and more. By remaining involved and visible throughout the community, the firm can become a key part of their city and will be able to better meet the needs of local residents.

As the population continues to grow and center in urban areas, it is becoming more and more necessary to approach sustainability in mind. Architects and builders are some of the most influential people in this respect and are able to include sustainability in their designs. Things such as adding gardening space allow for there to be more greenery provided, spacing in multiple unit residences will allow for gathering spaces and filtering of both the rainwater as well as pollution, and creating homes that fit into the landscape are all ways of using sustainable options in the building. Using sustainable building materials and finishes is another way to provide sustainable urban builds. Cork, bamboo, and other renewable sources are being used more often to create homes that are environmentally friendly, and they are quickly replaced through new growth. Using skylights and windows for natural lighting can ease the use of electrical lighting, and even the direction the home faces and where the windows are placed can be key factors in the heating and cooling of the building—creating sustainable urban projects. They help to create welcoming and maintainable spaces that provide several benefits for the environment as well as people who live there. Including more greenspaces allows for rain waters to be filtered and released, reducing floods, while trees can provide shade and lower cooling costs, and improving how communities are built allows for shorter commutes.

By ensuring that all of the needed services and amenities are within walking distance or in access to public transportation, sustainable communities can be created. These sustainable communities allow for society to thrive, protect the environment from additional damages, and create safe spaces that are less likely to be damaged by the increasingly unpredictable weather.