Craft and Conversation
Every project begins with a conversation. In this issue, we’d like to share how those conversations have led us to collaborate on a school in Seattle, a cabin in Alaska, and a new home build in Idaho. This issue also features a remarkable timber structure from Singapore, as well as notes from our recent trip to the 40th Anniversary Timber Framers Guild conference.
From everyone at Cascade Joinery, we hope you have a wonderful fall season.
Work We’re Proud Of
Located in Seattle, Washington, the Bush School is the first Passive House certified, Net Zero Energy school on the West Coast. The school sets the bar for environmentally sound design. We’re proud to have supplied over 32,000 board feet of Premium-Architectural class Douglas-fir glulams fully fabricated in our shop, 12,500 square feet of Mass Plywood Panels, and 69 custom steel plate connectors. An additional 2,300 linear feet of tongue-and-groove decking, all finished with Penofin Verde stain, rounds out the full package.
The design incorporates classrooms, breakout and gathering spaces, and a dining area, all while gracefully blending with the surrounding historic buildings.
Additional photos and details here.
Architect Mithūn, Inc.
Project Partner Hutt Construction.
General Contractor Exxel Pacific, Inc.
Our next project takes us to Girdwood, Alaska, where full-length windows soak in the alpine views of the Chugach Mountain Range on this striking two-story cabin. Solid-sawn timber columns and a single-pitch roof stretching 80 feet with an intricate flat hip design at each corner add to the craftsmanship design.
Our favorite part was the handcrafted mortise-and-tenon staircase secured with mahogany expansion wedges. In total, we fabricated and finished nearly 11,000 board feet of Douglas-fir RFV-dried timber in our shop, and carefully packed and shrink-wrappedthe container flat rack for shipping to ship everything tothe Alaskan site.
Additional photos here.
Architect ECI.
General Contractor Willow Ridge Construction.
Engineer Fire Tower Engineered Timber.
Our final showcased project is comprised of three eye-catching trusses crafted from just over 1,000 board feet of conventionally dried Douglas-fir timbers. These identical 26-foot non-structural hammerbeam trusses, featuring custom steel collar ties, provide a distinctive rustic feel that fits right in with the surrounding mountains near Sun Valley, Idaho. The timber was left rough-sawn, and we applied a rich, three-coat dark brown finish to bring out the character of the wood, while the black powder-coated steel pieces elevate the overall aesthetic.
We couldn’t be happier with how this unique project turned out.
Additional photos here.
Work That Inspires Us
Singapore’s Geneo Life Sciences Campus has recently showcased a timber canopy build that feels more like a forest than a building. The canopy features cutting-edge engineering throughout its massive glulam columns and arches required to support its “forestamphitheater,” rising nearly 90 feet and spanning over 32,000 square feet in size.
The island’s tallest single-span mass timber structure was built from nearly half a million board feet of PEFC-certified spruce and 80 tons of custom steel connectors. The canopy, designed by Serie Architects in collaboration with Multiply Architects, evokes a Gothic cathedral vibe, while its open design channels natural light and air like a grove of trees. Engineered by our friends at Ergodomus and fabricated by Versowood and Venturer Timberwork, it is a perfect example of how advanced engineering and creativedesign can redefine what’s possible with timber structures.
Additional pictures and details can be found here: Ergodomus Sprint Canopy – Singapore.
Here at the Shop
This fall, we joined our friends and colleagues in nearby Suquamish for the 40th Anniversary Timber Framers Guild Conference. We caught up with familiar faces, met new collaborators, and returned home renewed by the warmth and dedication in the timber community.
The conference had plenty of highlights to pick from, including Clark Bremer’s shared practical extensions for joinery and shop drawings in SketchUp, Arron Sturgis’s talk on connecting timber frames to today’s sustainability goals, and Rick Collins’s work usingengineering and innovative tools to preserve historic timber structures. We had a fantastic time and would like to extend our thanks to the dedicated organizers who put on this year’s conference.
More information can be found here: Timber Framers Guild.
If these projects have you thinking about your own build, we’d love to connect. You can reach us at info@cascadejoinery.com or (360) 527-0119. We can collaborate with your project team to help execute design concepts as envisioned and solve structural challenges. Let us be your partners in delivering excellence to your clients.
Thank you for being part of our story and for letting us be part of yours. Here’s to new projects, lasting partnerships, and the continued joy of building together.