“We Built This City” - Starship
In honor of National Tradesmen Day on September 20th, we are taking this opportunity to celebrate the workers that help us bring SweisKloss’ beautiful designs to life.
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Classrooms Under the Heavens
The Chinese mid-autumn moon festival takes place on September 17, a few of days after an asteroid the size of two football fields is expected to closely pass Earth. No need to panic – collision is highly unlikely, but a celestial spectacle is possible. That got us thinking about skygazing and planetarium design.
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Architectural Design Case Study – Passive & Sustainable Strategies
SweisKloss always incorporates thoughtful solutions in sustainability and resiliency into our projects. Our recent new-build in the Westchester neighborhood is a case study in such solutions. In this home we incorporated passive design, energy efficient systems, natural light, water saving features and recycled materials.
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Design + Construct Spotlight of the Month: SK Makes a Splash
Just in time for the dog days of summer, SweisKloss designed and constructed this modern pool and spa for a recent new build. The homeowner wanted a contemporary pool and spa to be designed and built on the rectangular shaped lot in time for the summer months. Excavation for the 12’ x 17’ 8’ deep pool and 3’6” deep spa were started right away.
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Airports Get Grounded
Air travel can be chaotic and anxiety inducing. Crowds jostling to check bags, long lines at security, no room to sit at the gate, flight delays and cancellations, and this is all before leaving the airport! “Given record-breaking crowds at airports already this year, … this Labor Day weekend could be busier than any prior.. weekend,” according to Nerdwallet. And, during this long holiday weekend, the TSA expects to screen more than 14 million passengers (PR Newswire).
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Designing for “the Universe”
Having grown up with a brother confined to a wheelchair has afforded me a unique perspective on the challenges of adapting a home to accommodate disabilities ---rearranging furniture in the living room, finding space at the dining room table, and I could give a Masterclass on angling into the bathroom!
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Practicing the 3 R’s
It may feel like the summer is just getting started this week with temperatures soaring and the marine layer finally lifting, but it’s back to school for many students later this month. And every parent knows what that means –- endless lists of school supplies, shopping for new clothing, packing daily lunches. This back to school season we thought we would give you some tips on the other 3 “R”s – reduce, reuse and recycle.
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Paris Goes for Green (and Gold)
While gold is the goal of the Olympics, Paris is setting its sights on green, aiming to cut its carbon footprint in half compared to previous Games. “The last three Games produced an average of 3.5 million tons of CO2, which is more than the annual emissions of India and Germany combined,” according to NBC Boston.
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Happily Ever (Before and) After
As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” … unless we’re comparing before and after photos from our projects! Once a project is complete, it’s a joy to look back and see how far we’ve come. These images showcase how SweisKloss’ innovative and thoughtfully designed renovations transformed these spaces from before to after!
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Everything Needs to Be Designed
Even space stations. To acknowledge the 55th anniversary of man walking on the moon this Saturday, we thought we’d boldly go where we have not gone before in this blog – space!
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Practicing a Plastic Free July
We all know the evils of plastic (contributes to climate change, damages marine ecosystems, harmful to our health) and we’ve all heard the call… Go plastic free, opt for sustainable products, aim for zero waste. Nevertheless, since July is “Plastic Free” month, we thought we would take this opportunity to remind us all of ways to use less plastic.
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Favorite Summer Cocktails from SweisKloss Staff
Summer means backyard barbecues, picnics with friends and relaxing poolside. We thought we would share some of our staff’s favorite summer drinks (including non-alcoholic and kid friendly ones) to help make your gathering more festive and fun.
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“Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy” - Gershwin Said it Best
Today is the official start of summer!! So, now is the perfect time to transform your backyard into an oasis you can enjoy throughout the season (and beyond). These features will not only elevate your space, but also allow you to enjoy the outdoors in comfort and style all year long.
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Googie architecture… no, that’s not a typo
Anyone living in Los Angeles has seen or maybe even eaten at Norm’s, the iconic diner located on La Cienega, with a sweeping roof, bold use of glass, neon and steel, and most memorable, a sawtooth sign. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Norm’s is a stellar example of the Googie architect trend that was the rage in Southern California in the mid-twentieth century.
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Amenities that Improve Property Value
Whether you’re preparing to put your house on the market or interested in increasing your home equity, strategic amenities and upgrades can increase your property’s value. Research conducted by Zillow and The Harris Poll in November 2022 found “that 65% of sellers who have sold a home within the past two years take on at least two home improvement projects to prepare their home for sale” (Zillow).
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What’s Old Can Be New Again
Once uttered only by progressive designers, the phrase “adaptive reuse” seems to have worked its way into mainstream conversation these days. This is a positive evolution for an industry that can be quite wasteful when not intentionally sustainable. In the US, we “generated over 600 million tons of construction-related waste in 2018” (EPA) which includes concrete, asphalt, wood, and other building wastes. The EPA estimated that in 2018 “construction and demolition projects filled US landfills with almost 145 million tons of waste.” (See blogpost … for California’s efforts to reduce construction waste).
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How Do They Do That?
As a design + construct firm we select and order building materials with our clients every day from marble slabs to wood flooring. Did you ever wonder how these construction materials are made?
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Riding the Rails in Style
Recently, a co-worker journeyed along the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to Seattle on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. From her sleeper car, Jessica and company gazed at the Pacific Ocean along the central coast, and snow-covered peaks of Mount Shasta. She likened her Roomette to an RV, where every space is smartly utilized -- two comfortable seats by day transformed into beds by night, large picture window, a shelf doubled as a step stool to the upper berth, and storage was tucked under the seat.
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Don’t Let Your E-Waste Go To Waste
An ancient iPhone, an old TV set, remotes that belong to tech you no longer even have in your home, all those extra power cords in the junk drawer…. This year don’t just discard those unwanted electronic items. Several locations and organizations throughout the city make recycling e-waste easier than ever.
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Two Steps Forward, 1/2 Step Back
We’ve all heard the pitch: Buy an EV car, switch to electrical appliances, install solar panels– environmentally responsible changes consumers are encouraged to make to help combat climate change. But it isn’t always that straight forward.
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