About Design
VISION
Kent Smith embraces diversity as an essential part of the building process and explores every opportunity for inspiring design. By incorporating innovative building technologies to create an efficient and sustainable built environment, the results blend modern aesthetics with a vibrant and exceptionally comfortable solution.
No other art form exemplifies a civilization’s relationship to the environment as much as architecture. A.K. Smith Architects will take on projects that can make a positive contribution to that built environment, regardless of size or budget. We never lose sight of our opportunity to provide creative and innovative design solutions.
Why choose A.K. Smith Architects?
Whether you are contemplating building the home of your dreams or planning that once-in-a-lifetime remodel, you will want an architect who has the vision to understand and interpret your values.
We take a completely integrated approach to green building that yields tangible, beautiful results!
FULL TEAM INTEGRATION AROUND CLIENT GOALS
We clearly establish Client Goals & Objectives and the Design Program at the outset.
To optimize choices and assure their complete development throughout the project, we engage all design disciplines from the start. Client Goals and Objectives are implemented throughout the Design Program, including building longevity and performance, safety, accessibility, and convenience.
SITE AND ORIENTATION
Locate Near Transit: We consider the cultural context within client objectives. Urban in-fill and transit-proximate locations encourage energy savings and reduce automobile dependency.
Optimize Solar Orientation: Orient long axis east-west to maximize control of daylight and strategically control heat gain or heat refusal.
Optimize Views: Take advantage of relationships with nature and views. Encourage utilization of outdoor areas as exterior extensions of interior space, and place glazed openings to connect inside with outside.
Site for Least-Impact on Nature: Minimize impact on existing, native vegetation through design choices that allow significant trees, shrubs, and established perennials to remain in place throughout construction, valuing appropriately natural habitat and ‘micro-habitat’ areas within and adjacent to the chosen site.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY
Create ‘Inert’ Building Thermal Envelope: Emphasize a highly-insulated, tightly-sealed building of optimal thermal mass to minimize outside energy input, and minimize sizes of required heating/cooling and domestic hot water equipment.
Design Natural Energy Flows: Utilize ‘bioclimatic design’ principles to fully integrate the home into site-specific energy flows. Use thermal siphoning and chimney effects for passive ventilation to create a natural ‘energy machine.’
Optimize Daylighting: Utilize natural daylight as effectively as possible to minimize energy consumption in lighting and minimize unwanted heat output of lighting fixtures.
Use Borrowed Light to extend daylight penetration into interior spaces.
Use Reflected Natural Light from light shelves, skylights, and monitors to temper sunlight, enlivening interior environments, and diminishing dependency on artificial lighting.
Choose High-Performance Glass, including ‘low-emissivity’ (low-E) glazing, appropriate for each specific elevation’s exposure, that effectively select wavelengths of solar energy to exclude from the interior.
Utilize High-Efficiency Lighting and Lamps: Strategically locate energy-efficient lighting fixtures and lamp types suitable for each application. Smart controls coordinate with available daylight, and minimize artificial lighting waste through motion- or presence-sensing switches.
Select High-Quality Door and Window Products: Choose units for openings to provide excellent performance standards for air infiltration prevention and insulation quality, and to include selected glazing types.
Optimize System Efficiency: Conduct thoroughgoing energy modeling and analysis. Then choose heating, cooling, and fully integrated whole-house system controls for greatest efficiency.
Encourage Energy Productivity: Utilize active, direct and/or passive solar, earth-sourced, water-sourced, or other feasible ‘renewable’ energy form available at the site—such as wind, solar hot-water and solar photovoltaic electricity—to strive to make the home a ‘net energy exporter’ for the average day.
Maximize Financial Incentives: Assist Client in utilizing governmental financial incentives, where available, including tax credits, energy-efficient mortgages and other programs.
INTERIOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND COMFORT
Provide Ample Ventilation: Assure adequacy of ventilation, with individualized control in each space wherever possible. To balance solar inputs, utilize fresh air to heat, cool, and stabilize indoor temperatures.
Minimize Construction Effects: Minimize occupant exposure to materials off-gassing, mold, or other noxious substances imported during construction, with construction materials or created by the construction process.
Avoid Long-Term Health Impacts: Prevent creation of conditions that may contribute to development of future noxious effects through ‘best-practices’ based execution of the work.
Maximize Comfort: Create thermal and moisture balance in each space, linking comfort to natural daily cycles, as seasonally appropriate.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
Establish and promote lasting, healthful, and comfortable interior environmental conditions.
Practice Water Conservation and Reuse: Assure water efficiency to meet or exceed local governmental requirements.
Choose Water-Wise Landscaping, Planting, and Irrigation: Design for low water consumption in site landscaping.
Promote Gray-Water and Precipitation Reuse: Incorporate rain/snow-water capture and separate gray-water for selective irrigation.
Incorporate High-Performance Fixtures: Choose easily maintained, water-efficient plumbing fixtures for kitchens, bathrooms, exercise, and water therapy equipment.
MATERIALS CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
Utilize locally sourced, locally manufactured, renewable, salvaged/reclaimed and recycled materials wherever choices permit; use materials efficiently; and design for recycling.
Design for Efficient Materials Use: Fit designs to optimal dimensions for efficient utilization of construction materials wherever possible.
Recycle and Conserve During Construction: Provide contractors with facilities, orientation, and requirements to recycle and reuse materials, such as concrete form materials and other lumber, solvents, temporary bracing and supports, and soil materials.
Designate Proper Disposal: Exercise care in storage, handling, and disposal of paint, lubricants, solvents, and other materials that may do harm to any part of the environment, including the health of the completed home.
Utilize Local Materials: Choose locally extracted, harvested, manufactured, and assembled materials and product assemblages as available.
Incorporate Salvaged, Reclaimed, and Reconditioned Materials: Use structural and finish materials derived from previous architectural or industrial uses, such as reclaimed/resawn lumber and timbers.
Restore Unused Materials: Return as many materials to the supply chain as possible.
