SHARE

Array

Oct 5, 2022

Oh, I can’t believe it’s been a whole year and I haven’t blogged since the last staff retreat! My first year I wrote often and then this year came and I was…I guess good at my job doing billable work that paid us money?? Lots of apologies about that. Good news is we have a new office member and as usual, she’s making the usual naive noises about wanting to blog frequently. You may not get the same frenetic energy but if it only comes once a year is it really worth the wait?

Anyway, this year’s staff retreat.
I bill this day as the greatest day of the year because every other day we are mild-mannered office kids just doing our jobs in our usual kick-butt manner but on retreat day we step it up a notch and really party hardy.

We all met at Sean’s house for a sleepy hello and right away headed over to coffee. Swung through the drive-thru ’cause we were in such a hot rush and spent an inefficient amount of time explaining our coffee requests to the microphone. This time two haven members had their own mugs. Someday everyone will, I think Sean’s still coasting on his solar panel, water catchment, electric car cred and thinks he doesn’t have to do anything more for the planet since he’s so far ahead.

We were heading to mini-golf this time in lovely Abbotsford, Canada. Nobody had done anything too illegal this year so the border crossing was easy and we cruised right up to Abbotsford’s premier entertainment destination. When we arrived the place was empty with all the attendants busy on their phones. We got a sweet deal that gave us a dozie tickets for some amount of money, and since there are 5 of us and we golfed twice I guess that means we used 10 out of 12 tickets? WAIT SEAN WE LEFT WITHOUT SPENDING ALL THE FUN TICKETS?!

We descended into the castle basement where I guess all the fun happens and it was another world down there. First 18 holes were generic jungle themed. The curators were a little inaccurate with their time periods because there were definitely dinosaurs and human structures in the same space which isn’t realistic, come on. I have a 4yr old son and he’s pretty into dinosaurs and I think we all know that that dinos lived in the triassic, jurassic and cretaceous periods and humans didn’t come till later in the quaternary period. duh. I expect more historical accuracy from my fantasy castle play place.

Oh yeah we were playing mini golf but it was somewhat unclear to me if this was the kind of mini golf that is similar to croquet where bumping other ppl’s balls is preferred or if this was a super serious game where bumping is only done by very bad people so I gave it a shot and I was right! Finished with the first 18holes and I think the rankings were Sean, Amy, and then the rest of us, I may have been last. Having fun isn’t the way to a great score. Also Amy was second? Right? I was as surprised as you.

A Conversation with Josh from True Bearing Built

A Conversation with Josh from True Bearing Built

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Josh, a seasoned professional with 23 years of experience in the construction industry in Washington State. Josh is the driving force behind True Bearing Built, a company that has made its mark as a mid to high-end...

read more
Hits from our Self-Guided Tour of Seattle

Hits from our Self-Guided Tour of Seattle

A couple of weeks ago we all took a day out of the office for a self guided architectural fieldtrip of Seattle. We had just submitted a number of projects at the end of the code cycle and we needed to recharge. We left Bellingham in the morning and made great effort...

read more
Elevator Lifts as Design Elements

Elevator Lifts as Design Elements

As an architect, there is a core need to provide inclusive design. While any elevator is a costly proposition, how it is integrated into a space can greatly impact the character of a room. This article from Architecture Now highlights a crucial shift in perspective...

read more
Considering: The Rise of 3D-Printed Prefabricated Homes

Considering: The Rise of 3D-Printed Prefabricated Homes

The construction industry is on the cusp of a revolution with the rise of 3D-printed prefabricated homes. As highlighted in a recent article on ArchDaily[1], this innovative approach to building promises to address some of the most pressing challenges faced by the...

read more
Revisiting Josiah’s Internship, 2023

Revisiting Josiah’s Internship, 2023

This June, we had the pleasure of hosting Josiah Redburg, a talented and enthusiastic intern who joined our team at Haven Design Workshop. Josiah impressed us with his skills, creativity, and personality. In this blog post, we want to share some of the highlights of...

read more
Middle Housing Amenities

Middle Housing Amenities

Middle housing provides a means to fill the gap between single family/detached/suburban-style housing and high-density multifamily building types. It is seen as crucial component in addressing our housing needs while we experience rapid population growth and...

read more
Site Design

Site Design

Preconstruction site work is an essential and often underappreciated phase in the development of any architectural project. It's the unsung heroes of this stage—the surveyors, engineers, and environmental consultants—who ensure that the foundation of our structures is...

read more
How we use Rendering Software for Visualization

How we use Rendering Software for Visualization

Architectural Visualization Simplified: A Client's Guide As a client navigating the world of architecture, understanding visualization techniques is essential. These visual tools help you envision your dream spaces before they become reality. Let's explore two main...

read more
The New Life of Industrial Architecture

The New Life of Industrial Architecture

In the same way that societies transform, times change, and cities evolve, industrial architecture is modernized. The article titled The New Life of Industrial Architecture in Cities: 20 Renovations and Conversions of Old Factories and Warehouses | ArchDaily...

read more
How to Choose a Contractor: First Questions

How to Choose a Contractor: First Questions

When it comes to creating quality architecture, finding the right contractor is crucial. The builder you choose can significantly impact the execution of your design vision. In this post, we'll highlight key criteria for making an informed decision. Experience in...

read more

Join our quarterly newsletter

Sign up for our free newsletter containing our latest projects, insights and resources.

Blog newsletter form