We're hiring. Please write your own job description:

After four years Spark Architecture is getting more and more work, and needs your help. We've moved from the occasional bigger education project, and many odds-and-ends projects into the residential market. Not the millionaire's and starter-castle segment, but the +/- $200k market. Instead of frowning and mourning the quality or non-existance of those new homes, we're dedicating ourselves to the challenge of doing a better job. What a learning curve! Can it be done? Good design has many faces, some obvious from pretty pictures, others more hidden such as many sustainability driven design strategies, or the overall impact on a given neighborhood.
We have a couple townhouse neighborhoods on our boards, as well as a few single family residential projects.  A couple potential multifamily developments are on the horizon. And we need your help to make these projects the very best they can be.

How to write your own job description:
(switching into first person singular here, Sophia speaking)

I've seen incredible talent go to waste by folks being pushed to do things they really did not care about, or to work under logistically not so great circumstances. You've probably met them:

• The amazing Designer promoted to be project manager and stuck in endless meetings. The  introverted Geek expected to attend public functions as the face of the firm.
• The talented young graduate or intern pigeon-holed into cheap labor tasks instead of tapping into his skills.
• The experienced guy retiring because he's tired of PM BS instead of mentoring and sharing his experience with the new kids.
• The burnt-out newly (or almost) licensed kid that quits architecture and lives on an organic farm instead (of course that's cool too!). 
• The woman that quits to have a family, or doesn't have a family because her career seems too demanding.

I want to create the opportunity to align your skills and lifestyle preferences with your work. What those skills are, and whether that means working part time or from home,  incorporating sabbaticals, only you can say.

I'm confident that we can find great use for your talent, whether you're a design-, accountant-, PR-, PM-, graphics-, code-, Revit-, lighting-, landscape-, detailer-,  interiors-, construction-, visualization-, financial-, specifications-, legal-, or you-name-it sage (or aspiring sage).

Company Culture:
Spark Architecture is just starting to grow, so you will make a big impact on what our culture may become. A few things that are likely to stick around:

• Don't panic. I'm the kid that had to move out of studio because all the frantic panic and all-nighter heroism just made me unable to focus. A little stress here and there is good and part of our profession, but weekends and nights should be an exception to the rule instead of gold star points. No martyr mentality encouraged here. // If you've read this far you won't be surprised that I'm also a mother of two little ones, and a Yoga teacher for fun//
• Blame everyone else. Just kidding! I have a real hard time with folks that constantly complain about their circumstances or others behind their back, point fingers, or blame others. At the same time I encourage positive confrontation, which means a culture where questioning proposed designs, office culture, habits, and solutions is a good thing, and your annoyance with me or anyone else is voiced right away before it can build up into a stomach ache. Read Barbara Pachter if you're curious on how to do that, I had to learn it too.
• Live. Seriously. No count-down to retirement. It will be a challenge to put this into practice, but I get really excited about creating an opportunity to live a good life, whatever that means for you. I love Patagonias company culture - go surfing (fishing) when the fishing is good, and work the rest of the day. Initially we may not be able to offer high salaries, but we can offer flexibility. As we grow benefits and salaries should come along. 

Great Falls:
If you already live here I hope you share my appreciation for this place, and what it might become. I grew up in Europe, traveled the world, and spent a decade in the 6+M Phoenix Metro Area. I still enjoy traveling and visiting those places, but Great Falls is a great place to live. You can afford to buy a historic building downtown, or acres for a hobby farm a few miles out of town. We have great schools. Great Falls is just starting to wake up, and you/we can be part of it. We still need more bike and pedestrian friendly areas, and I'm waiting for a few more good dining choices, but things are happening. Yes, it gets windy, but we also get lots of sunshine and blue skies. Did I mention the truly un-crowded mountains, lakes, and rivers nearby?

If you're not ready to make the move to Great Falls, but live in Montana we can try a remote-work arrangement. We have one person out of state, but that is currently limited to "unsupervised" contractor/consultant relationships.

Send me a note:
Any suggestions, ideas, and interest in working or collaborating? It could be a summer internship, a part time job, a mentorship in either direction, or a path to ownership. When you first reach out feel free to include links to your work, but don't include file attachments. I look forward to hearing from you! Sophia@Spark-Architecture.com

Cheers,
Sophia

Solar or not?

During a recent Q&A session on Facebook we were asked about our opinion on solar. We love renewable energy sources, but can we afford them? The answer is YES, but note that that could be changing in the next months:

Timing and Incentives: Chinese production has driven the cost down to $2.50 for large  installations, and less than $4 for small supplemental installations. Incentives have been going down, and the biggest one, a 30% federal tax credit, is scheduled to expire 2016. As a result some people even predict an increase in cost due to a sudden increase in demand over the next year.

Side note: Consider the remaining expected lifetime of your roof. The federal tax credit can potentially be applied to the whole system including re-roofing. If you have to un-install and re-install the PV system for future re-roofing, budget additional $3,000 for that work to be done. On the upside, metal roofs currently seem to bid competitively with asphalt roofs, and have a significant life expectancy.

Northwestern Energy (NWE) currently provides an incentive of $2,000 for a 2k (or more) Watt system (depending on local availability - Bozeman and Missoula have very limited allocations). When I talked to NWE today they mentioned that due to USDA’s public purpose funding re-allocations, this may be lowered down the road.

The State of Montana currently offers $500 per resident or $1,000 per household in tax credits for installing non-fossil forms of generation. There are low-interest loans available through the DEQ for up to $40,000 (3.25% , 10 years). Property taxes will not increase for the portion of the installation during the first ten years, while the lifespan should be 25 to 40 years.  The Montana Renewable Energy Association provides further up-to-date information about various incentives, detailed project case studies including cost data, as well as detailed information by the Montana Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee citing average cost data. The calculations below factor in electrical cost at current rates. Historically there has been a steady climb in electricity rates which if continued would make the scenarios below significantly more favorable towards Photovoltaics (PV).

Sizing
In our latitude, it is possible to yield approximate 1,500 to 2,400 kWh annually from a 1k Watt PV system, subject to local variations in weather and terrain. A less than optimal angle or solar orientation will decrease this number. PVWatts offers a quick online calculator that factors in location, angle, and available roof space.

Scenario 1: “Power my home”: The average American household  consumes just under 11,000 kWh annually, while Northwestern Energy states an average of 8,000 kWh. To simplify we’ll assume an annual consumption of 10,000 kWh and assuming a $.11 for combined delivery and supply rate through NWE for a total of $1,100/year, or $84/month. Based on local yield rates, a 5k Watt PV system can potentially offset the entire home's energy use. Citing actual average cost from 24 Montana installations  with a conservative estimate of $3.65 /per Watt installed, the cost would be around $18,250. Applying the incentives mentioned above, the cost drops to $11,499, or a financed monthly payment of $112. You may end up paying up to $30 more a month for the first ten years. If electricity costs continue to rise, that number may become zero, or even result in actual monthly savings. After these ten years you’re all set with energy for the remaining lifetime of your system (15-30 years, a value of $16,500 to $33,000 at current energy prices). Nice investment!

Scenario 2: “Energy Supplement”
Following the same assumptions from the example above, we’re looking at a 2k system with a potential 4,000 kWh production. This will save $400/year, or $33.33 a month. We’ll assume a higher cost of $4/Watt, or $8,000 before incentives and $3,500 after maxing out all current incentives. Financed, we’re looking at $34/month for ten years. A wash from day one! If you’re a long-term thinker, the remaining lifetime value after the pay-back is limited to $6,000 to 12,000 compared to the earlier example.

Side note:  Most of this energy will be exported to the grid due to the difference between peak solar production (midday) and peak residential energy use hours (mornings and evenings/nights when people are home), with weekends and holidays being the exception, which makes Northwestern net-metering system an attractive offer, allowing your system to “deposit" excess power into the grid, and “withdraw” it when you actually need it. If you are off the grid, you would have to invest in additional battery storage to make your system work.

Ideally a home is designed around the use of solar power, therefore the loads are calculated and metered to ensure that the smallest PV system possible is required to meet  annual loads.  A stand-alone system the design needs to be geared towards peak loads, which can be influenced by time-of-day energy use, and will be different for a home that is occupied during the day (i.e. home office, stay-at home Mom), versus a home that sits empty during the day. For an existing home, such a system may be a less efficient due to limited space, obstructions, and orientation of the array.  Before installing a PV system in an existing home, it is recommend that home owners first reduce the energy load. It is helpful to understand how energy is actually used within the home, as this may point to easy ("free") ways to reduce the overall load.  Further energy savings with shorter payback periods may be found by installing more efficient appliances (i.e.high efficiency freezer), and improving  insulation and weatherization by  sealing air leaks (see www.energystar.gov for more ideas, $100 invested in weatherstripping may pay off in under a year!).

When you're ready to move forward with your PV system, a quick calculation by a reputable solar installation company will confirm how long it will take for the array to pay for itself in energy saved, with all current incentives applied.   

Conclusion:
At the time of this writing incentives and pricing make the purchase of a PV system an attractive and economical option.  Great Falls is blessed with sun and wind, and I  encourage installation of a residential photovoltaic system as an opportunity for clean energy.  In my architectural practice to design homes and communities I embrace opportunities that minimize the dependence on nonrenewable energy sources and instead incorporate smart design strategies and onsite generated energy as much as possible.

Authors: 
Sophia Sparklin, AIA, LEED AP with Spark Architecture;
James Erickson, MArch, PhD with ​Architecture :⇔ design ∩ research ∩ environment


Additional Technical Details:
The ideal orientation is "true solar south", which is around 167 degrees. The ideal tilt angle is 40 degrees. A typical panel is 39" wide by 65" high, and weighs 2.5 to 3 pounds per SF. If you have lots of space poly-crystalline panels will be more economical, with limited space mono-crystalline panels will be more efficient on a smaller footprint. Last, pay close attention to the inverter. Most come with a warranty of 10 years, although some come with up to 25 years warranty. Inverters can impact the efficiency of your system significantly, especially in situations of partial shading. Some systems can be upgraded to serve as emergency power during grid failures, but the solution will look a lot different if you just need some light and a charger, or if you need to run several freezers. Thanks to Conor Darby at Onsite Energy in Bozeman for these additional tips!