On behalf of many of our clients, we are pleased to report that nearly all of our projects located adjacent to or within the recent wildfire zones in Northern California have survived.  Two strawbale projects in particular were directly in the line of fire, and both survived.

Principal Anni Tilt and Project Manager Jeff Day were team leaders for CASBA’s Hybrid Straw Bale Workshop held at the 30,000 sq. ft. mixed-use office and warehouse project we designed for Hummingbird Wholesale and multiple other tenants.  David Arkin was an instructor, along with CASBA veteran Jim Reiland of Many Hands Builders, and Erica Ann Bush of Day One Design.

This month we had photographer Ed Caldwell capture our remodel at Esalen Institute. For more information on the project, visit http://www.arkintilt.com/esalen-institute-lodge-renovation-addition-staff-housing.

Learn more about the amazing programs offered at the Esalen Institute, an inspiring place to visit, located on the California coast.

Oregon’s first full scale straw bale commercial building, the Mahonia, is a mixed-use new building that will feature a unique hybrid system of wood framing and straw bale.

Come be a part of history by helping us with the straw bale building process! The workshop will be a hands on experience that will allow you to participate in all aspects of straw bale construction from bale raising to the earth plaster finish. This will be a three day event and will feature additional education on practical applications of salvage materials and solar use in commercial construction. Details

We had a great CASBA workshop at an Arkin Tilt remodel in Palo Alto. We wrapped a portion of  an existing house with straw bales, to increase the thermal comfort and add beauty to the home. Clay for the plaster was harvested from excavation for an addition onto the rear of the house. The owner, contractor Ian MacLeod, ATA project manager Amanda Knowles, and Anni and David had fun placing the bales and applying the first plaster coat.  For more information and future workshops, visit the CASBA website: www.strawbuilding.org

Arkin Tilt Architects stands with roughly 700 other member firms of the AIA’s COTE, calling for climate action from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).  We are grateful to AIA Leadership for their great work, including the excellent

After several years of careful design planning and collaboration with the homeowners, the Maybeck Studio renovation was completed earlier this year. Our team and the construction crew from Cerami Builders worked with creative and respectful sensitivity to the home's historical details.

We are excited to receive an Award for Design Excellence 2017 by the Berkeley Design Advocates for our Maybeck Studio Renovation. Kudos to a great team including the owners, Verdant Structural Engineers, and the incredible craftsmen at Cerami Builders.

On February 16, ATA participated in the ground honoring at the Mahonia project site in Eugene, Oregon. It was a meaningful and rewarding experience for the project team and local community. Read more about the Mahonia project by clicking here  

Great article on the Lodge renovation published just in time for the Benefit weekend October 15-16, 2016.   Esalen’s Long Term Development Team has been an excellent client, exceeding our expectations for decision making and collaborating with Arkin Tilt Architects in crafting solutions that were a good fit to their needs, largely because the process we outlined paralleled many of Esalen’s programs and values. Tom Beil served as the project manager for ATA, his photographs are featured in the story.