H2hotel

The H2hotel sits on the site of a former gas station, so right away, the beauty of the area has been greatly improved just by getting rid of the gas station.  David Baker and Partners have designed a beautiful and understated hotel that fits right in as you head to the square.  In addition, the hotel is the first hotel in Sonoma County to be Leed Gold Certified.  

The hotel boasts a living roof.  Rain water is filtered through the roof and a vegetated swale to reduce the run-off into the city’s storm drain system.  About 85% of the materials used in the building are recycled, including the steel and concrete to the flooring and custom furnishings.   Energy consumption has been limited by using occupancy sensors for all lights, fans and air conditioners.  Solar panels on the roof are used to heat the swimming pool and hot water in the guest rooms, further reducing electricity consumption.

Many of the materials fabricated for the hotel—including those for the green roof, custom furnishings, and framing—were sourced and manufactured within 500 miles of Healdsburg.  Other green features include, refillable bath amenities, reusable water carafes for guests to fill with purified sparkling or still water at the water bars on every floor, sustainable bamboo flooring and Fair-trade, chemical-free felt rugs from Peace Industry. 

All of the artwork in the hotel has been created by local artists and artisans and one of the most striking is the Spoonfall by Sonoma County based artist Ned Khan.   The water sculpture greets guests outside the lobby entrance and inspired the name of H2hotel’s restaurant Spoonbar.  With 2,000 stainless steel espresso spoons suspended from a metal screen, a shifting pattern of moving spoons is created as each fills with water and then spills its contents on the spoons below.  For more photos click here.

JBL Photography at Williams Selyem Winery

By Jordan Lebovich, JBL Photography

The AIARE Wine and Learn in November was held at Williams Selyem Winery and the Architect Alex Ceppi, founder of D.arc Group LLC was on hand to talk about the building design, systems and the challenges that they faced when he signed up for the project.  With Alex’s focus on world class sustainable Architecture and his careful integration of site, technology, material research and, environmentally-rooted design, Alex has been able to generate a brand of architecture both, dramatic and ecologically efficient.  The Williams Selyem Winery is a prime example of this.

The project came about when the winery owners decided to boost productivity.  As a result they needed more space.  They also wanted a clubhouse for their members and to represent what Williams Selyem is all about.  They wanted to set the standard for innovation and sustainability in the area by creating a modern building, but rooted in the heritage of the county.  The building reflects that by having a barrel wall façade and a bottle wall along the back of the tasting room. 

To achieve their goals and not take up valuable vineyard land, they located the winery at the top of a hill.  Alex broke up the building into several spaces to maximize square footage.  There are spaces for the employees, visitors and production.  The spaces are connected by bridges that go through rock outcroppings and past old oak trees that they were careful not to disturb during the construction.  The result is that there are amazing views of the Russian River Valley from just about every side.

Many of the materials used in the project came from local sources.  The redwood used on the ceilings and doors came from old fermentation tanks and the field stone on the outside walls came from the site.  The vegetation is all local and drought tolerant. Some of the site’s power is generated with solar panels and eventually more panels will be added to make the facility completely self-sufficient.  The building uses a high-efficiency evaporative condenser to cool it and to chill the wine tanks.

Williams Selyem Winery continues to produce Pinot Noirs that are exceptional and because production is limited, wines are sold through allocations on a first-come, first-served basis. Twice each year during the offering periods, members receive a newsletter and order form with a specific allocation. The allocation is not reserved or guaranteed, so early orders are encouraged. The next offering is in March, cheers!  For additional photos, click here 

Mount Baker National Forest

 

"The clouds and fog were constantly shifting during the day and every now and then, the sun would peak out and light up the landscape to reveal the awesome beauty of the area.  As I was exploring, I could barely see the mountain and then the wind shifted and the fog parted just long enough for me to capture this shot of Table Mountain."

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is one of the most visited forests in the country and is  located east of Bellingham, Washington on the west side of the Cascades between the Canadian border and Mt. Rainier National Park.  In the park you will find glacier-covered peaks, spectacular mountain meadows and old-growth forests.

The park was formed in 1897 by President Grover Cleveland who turned eight million acres of forest into reserves.  In 1905 the forest reserves became part of the newly formed United States Forest Service. In 1908 the Washington reserve was divided into two sections. From Canada south to the Skagit River, the Washington National Forest was established; and from the Skagit River to the Green River the Snoqualmie National Forest. In 1924 the Washington National Forest was renamed the Mt. Baker National Forest. Throughout the years Congress shifted the boundaries and in 1973 the Mt. Baker and Snoqualmie National Forests were merged.

From Bellingham you take SR 542, also known as Mount Baker Highway east to the Mount Baker Ski Area.  Along the way we stopped at Nooksack Falls located along the North Fork of the Nooksack River. The water flows through a narrow valley and drops 88 feet into a deep rocky, river canyon. The falls are viewable from the top of the falls near the cliffs edge. The falls were featured in the hunting scene of the movie The Deer Hunter.

After viewing the falls we continued east and headed up into the mountains.  Unfortunately it was very foggy and we couldn’t see Mount Baker. After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker (0.43 cubic miles) is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season—1,140 inches (95 feet or about 30 meters).

At 10,781 feet (3,286 m), it is the third-highest mountain in Washington State and the fifth-highest in the Cascade Range.  On clear days Mount Baker is visible from much of Greater Victoria and Vancouver, in Canada and, to the south, from Seattle and Tacoma in Washington.

While on a mission to survey the northwest coast of America, the British explorer George Vancouver recorded in his journal:

"About this time a very high conspicuous craggy mountain ... presented itself, towering above the clouds: as low down as they allowed it to be visible it was covered with snow; and south of it, was a long ridge of very rugged snowy mountains, much less elevated, which seemed to stretch to a considerable distance ... the high distant land formed, as already observed, like detached islands, amongst which the lofty mountain, discovered in the afternoon by the third lieutenant, and in compliment to him called by me Mount Baker, rose a very conspicuous object ... apparently at a very remote distance."

The official narrative of this voyage was published, including the first printed reference to the mountain and by the mid-1850s Mount Baker was a well-known feature on the horizon to the explorers and fur traders who traveled in the Puget Sound region.

While we didn’t get to see Mount Baker, we did see Table Mountain.  The clouds and fog were constantly shifting during the day and every now and then, the sun would peak out and light up the landscape to reveal the awesome beauty of the area.  As I was exploring, I could barely see the mountain and then the wind shifted and the fog parted just long enough for me to capture this shot of Table Mountain.   In late October it is not unusual to have snow, but it was strange to be in this winter wilderness, when just an hour and half west it was sunny and in the upper 50’s in Bellingham. 

Topping Out Party

Overlooking the Sonoma Valley in Glen Ellen, there is a new home under construction and the builders on this project decided they wanted to celebrate the efforts of all involved by hosting a Topping Out Party.  Eric Joost of E. Joost & Associates, David Lawson of Ironwood Builders and Leif Calvin of Timber Creations hosted the party for the owners, AIARE and the crews involved on the project.   Claudia Cleaver of Morse & Cleaver Architects also attended. More photos.

Art For Life 24

What started in 1988 as a grassroots effort among the artist community in response to the AIDS epidemic has become the wine country's premiere art auction event, raising well over 2 million dollars for people living with HIV and AIDS. 100% of the money raised at the auction is used to not only improve the lives of people affected by HIV, but also to reduce the number of new infections of HIV in Sonoma County.  To view more photos from the event, click here.

Unveiling of POW/MIA Monument at Santa Rosa Memorial Park

A granite monument was dedicated to the POW/MIAs from all wars and was attended by several hundred veterans, active duty personnel, family members and those wishing to honor the sacrifices made by those who served their country.  A Coast Guard honor guard and retired Marine bagpiper were also on hand to provide honors.  Taps was played near the end of the ceremony.

Local artist Tim Montesonti designed the memorial and was on hand to unveil the monument. Even though the monument is a sober reminder of the many service men and civilians who were taken prisoner or who are still missing in action, everyone was pleased and heartened that these people will not be forgotten and that efforts are ongoing to find those who are still missing. For additional photos of the ceremony, click here.

Moon Rise Over Chalk Hill

The moon was full the night before, but was still big and bright as it came up over Chalk Hill.  The fog was also moving in and the two made a very beautiful combination.  I was also seeing what my camera could do in very low light.  The results are kind of interesting. More photos.