INTERIOR DESIGN

Sustainable by Design.

David Dowell, one of two partners at the Kansas City architecture firm, El Dorado, remembers hearing the term, “sustainable design,” in the early 1990s when he was pursuing his master’s degree at the University of California, Berkley, in the College of Environmental Design.

“There were amazing people there who were leaders in the early articulation of what we now call sustainable design. Sim Van der Ryn was top of the list. Gail Brager, and Chris Benton were focused on thermal comfort and building performance.”

Dowell was in good company at a critical time in his career. Van der Ryn is a pioneer in ecological design who focuses on not only on the impact of materials and systems on their environment, but also how structures themselves impact people and their physical and psychological well-being.

At Berkley, Dowell was also exposed to revolutionary ideas around sustainability and the evolution of the concepts of the impact of inclusion and social justice. He found these ideas engaging and exciting, but not necessarily essential. However, early in his career, he and his partner Josh Shelton worked under Bob Berkebile, founder emerita at BNIM. Berkebile has devoted much of his career and personal commitment to environmental concerns and social equity.

“I didn’t work much with Bob,” Dowell says, “But I did work at his old drafting table, so I think I absorbed some his teaching through my hands.”

Recently, El Dorado was recognized as the best small firm in the Midwest by The Architect’s Newspaper. The firm has been a lead partner in major redevelopment projects in established neighborhoods in Kansas City, including the Crossroads Hotel and the Kansas City Art Institute campus.

Dowell believes Berkebile’s teachings influenced Ed Dorado’s sense of sustainability, which is deeply rooted in the firm’s ideas about craft, knowing where materials come from, how to work with them, and appreciating the people who do the work. He is aware that “sustainability” is a broad term that means different things to different people. He and his associates spend a lot of time talking with clients at the beginning of a project – whether it is residential or commercial – to understand the priorities, goals, and constraints.

“I’m not anti-technology, far from it, but every approach to sustainability is, by definition, concerned with the health and well-being of people. We now know that means being concerned with the interlinked network of relationships between people, animals, plants, and time.

“In the end, sustainability is about how much a project takes or gives. The more a project gives back, which can be defined in a broad way, the more sustainable it is.”

El Dorado works on projects that are new construction and renovations. Dowell and his colleagues think that both types of projects have the opportunity to be sustainable.

“I think I was experimenting on myself, which is better than experimenting with clients,” she says. “But in the last few years, I’ve changed out the rug to something simpler and replaced the pillows with ones that have texture rather than color.” She says the change has delivered a new sense of calm in the room. “Maybe, in my case, with raising children and working all day, what I want to come home to is something that’s relaxing, welcoming, and peaceful.” In addition to the calming effect, Schmidt thinks neutral backgrounds provide a lot of flexibility, as well. “We have a client whose whole house is neutral, but she has a very colorful art collection and accessories that she changes in different seasons. A neutral background allows her to add personality on a whim without a big commitment. I’d rather the artwork and other textures attract attention rather than the palette of the room itself,” Schmidt says. While the neutrals of decades past might have led homeowners to forbid red wine in the living room, Schmidt notes that today’s textiles offer wearability even in rooms that withstand a lot of use and traffic. “When it comes to lighter-colored materials, we use a lot of natural materials like wool, which repels and cleans very well. When my children were young, we had a light-colored wool sofa, and I had it cleaned once and never had an issue. It just repelled stains.” Schmidt also appreciates the evolution of outdoor fabrics that have a soft hand.They recognize “environmental responsibility” means different things to different people, but he believes most of his clients want “They’re not the plastic-y, scratchy material of the past,” she notes. to do the right thing. Often, the firm’s focus as they move forward is how to make a significant impact toward sustainability. If there is any “bling” in Schmidt’s rooms it usually appears in light fixtures or the texture of tile.“If the project is new, we consider site selection, size, and orientation. If it’s an existing structure, we try to honor the “Someone might not think of tile around a fireplace that is neutral and matte as ‘bling,’, but it has a nice, chiseled stone energy that went into the making the home or building in the first place and then honoring it and keeping it going for an face to it. You may notice the simplicity of a room, but the artother generation.” work, light fixtures, accents – such as the pillows – and the objects on the tables add a lot of interest.”Increasingly, the architects at El Dorado have two things in the

forefront of their minds and discussions when they are considering sustainability. One, how to intelligently utilize resources that are free – such as wind, solar angles, seasonality, and the thermal mass of the Earth. Second, the firm introduces ecologically oriented landscape architects in the process from the beginning.

“Buildings are part of ecosystems and endure more beneficially when designed with that in mind.”

David Dowell has been a studio consultant for the Kansas State University Department of Architecture for the fifth-year students in the architectural design + make studio since 2011.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patricia O’Dell started the lifestyle blog “Mrs. Blandings” in 2007. Her curiosity led her to Patricia O’Dell started the lifestyle blog “Mrs. Blandings” in 2007. Her curiosity led her to write about designers, artists, business owners, and industry leaders. She’s been published in write about designers, artists, business owners, and industry leaders. She’s been published in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Chicago Tribune, Flower magazine, Kansas City Spaces, and Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Chicago Tribune, Flower magazine, Kansas City Spaces, and The Kansas City Star, as well as archdigest.com and elledecor.com.The Kansas City Star, as well as archdigest.com and elledecor.com.

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