Stem Pods

Appropriate

2009-06-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

In Choosing the word appropriate to describe the techniques and materials that we employ at Stem, I have been very conscious of choosing this word. In our current world of million dollar marketing campaigns I often see words Like " Green" & " Sustainable" used in a way that seems very inappropriate. We live in a time where I believe many of us have lost sight of what is sustainable. The 4000 sf home that has a few " green" finishes and low E windows is a project that left the drawing board heading down an unsustainable path. Questions like; Is this needed ?
Can we stack functions ? How often will this really be used ? need be asked. In regards to the institutions of modern architecture I respect there process and goals, but programs like LEED are in some ways out of touch with what should be the simple and intuitive integration of lifestyle and systems of a residential structure.

In our designs we choose techniques and materials that we have tested in the field in various applications, or we choose selected new product that have been employed by other organizations that we trust and have been successful. Some times we do need to be the ones to test new ideas and we do this with caution as often the success of this application can depend on detailing. Research and development are critical in the success of new ideas. I often find answers to question that I am not asking at the time and then have them tie back into another matter later down the process.

Along with new techniques and materials we also employ methods that have been working for centuries around the world and in fact I believe that this is an area that all of modern architecture should explore more. I would be interested to know if the Pantheon would pass today's standard for engineering, not that it needs to this and other building of it's era have stood the test of time.

Another factor that should be considered when choosing appropriate materials is the embedded energy. What this means is the amount of energy that was put into producing the material as well as transporting that material to it place of use. for example steel is a material that has a very high embedded energy, the manufacturing process requires heat and heavy machinery to extract the metal from the ore. Once that raw material has been extracted then we move into the intense manufacturing process that require huge amounts of heat. This material is found in very few places and so there for transportation to the rest of the world is challenging, and costly.
On the other hand wood is a material that in many parts of the world is growing native, and can be harvested from the site of a building, and with realatively minimal work turned into a usable member. Essentially the material is local, and the work required to bring it to its useful life is minimal.

The matters discussed in the previous paragraphs are some of the components to making appropriate decisions about how and what we build. Like all good design rules are never solid but at Stem we strive to create products and structures that are not only well design but also appropriate.

Emergence Continued

2009-06-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Continuing directly from my last post:

So we had our shop, we had a great organization of people, and we had enough money to begin
constructing our first models. And so we began, now building indoors, and podularly has a few different challenges than conventional techniques. One of the major changes is that due to the size of the structures they are framed much faster and this has nessesatated a different critical path, due to window scheduling. Essentially we create them so quickly that while in a conventional structure you can order windows as you begin framing, we have found that we need to order them a few weeks in advance or change the order in which we build. The later solution is what we have employed up to this point, with actually going ahead and siding ( obviously allowing for window & trim) finishing interior systems, insulation, and even interior finish then installing windows just before interior trim out. In many ways this is working very well, clearly not so applicable for structures that are needed to be protected from the element, Got to love the shop.....

Another Challenge with Podular techniques is that after a few weeks of assembly you have a structure to move that can weigh upwards of 4 tons, and this is a relatively small building.
we have experimented with a few different ways of moving the structures, including what we were calling shop skids, this was just 4x12 beams with 45 degree cuts made on each end to effectively create a ski. this concept is still how we move buildings around the yard, but we have recently created a metal frame that is capable both as a skid as well as a lifting device. employing the skid under the buildings and connecting that using four 16' long 3/4 inch cables to a spreader bar makes moving our units fairly easy with the right crane that is.

for my next post I will do some thinking about the design advantages and challenges assocaited with this construction technique....

Stem Emergence

2009-06-03T07:47:00.001-07:00

Hello To the Blogging word My name is Matthew Maher, I am an Entrepreneur living on Orcas Island of the Western Coast of Washington State. I am beginning this blog as to make our presence known to folks who might be interested in our line of Innovative Podular structures. As well as to be in touch with the demands of what people are looking for, essentially a way for feedback both for our business and on our designs.

Stem is the name of our business, many folks ask what does that stand for ? It is not an acronym, In creating this business, and this business model we were striving to create and organization that was different from the pack, that had roots, and branches that would both connect us to our local community and resources as well allow us to " Branch" out into the greater word, when we were ready. I imagine you can see where I am heading..... We were looking for a name that would be simple and would stick in peoples minds, Have we succeeded ? The stem of a plant is what provides the connection between its roots which provide the nutrients of the surrounding soils, and the Branches, leaves, and fruits. This connection is a flow back and forth, both parts of the organism are very dependent on the other for sustenance.

I will continue in the future both in discussing our business & design philosophies , but I would like begin now do describe in a little more detail what it is that we are doing at this time. The Stem Story really begin years ago while I was still in design school, where I began to think about how we as a culture where going to continue to live on this planet. Being in architecture I began exploring the idea of what I now call " Podular". From here we jump forward several year, I graduated and realized that I was not going to do so well behind a drafting board at age 22 so I began building again, this work as well as my drive for adventure eventually brought me to beautiful Orcas Island, where I have been contracting for several year and have build several conventional homes as well as a variety of other building and community projects.

Everything was going mostly fine, the building company was still small but we where doing good work and it seemed as thought our reputation was growing in a positive direction. Some where in the winter of 2007 while exploring a real estate venture I began to feel the ecomomy changing. I could feel that confidence was slipping a little and it was clear that we had a problem and that prices were overly inflated. This venture that I was exploring was going to be using Podular cabins to create a eco resort environment in the Cascade mountains. Well simple answer would be to say that this project did not happen and I am mostly glad for that. From that project I did how ever gleam the idea of taking the " Podular cabins" and creating a business around this.

So in November of 2008 I sat in our offices in Eastsound and began brain storming with Kevin Sterling and Matt Nelson, about what our potentials where. We were fairly serious about the undertaking but I don't know if any of us knew how we were going to do this. We are all competent builders and generalist, so we had that aspect covered. I had been designing for years and as of late and begun with more clarity to explore what at that time I was calling
" Microcabins" and I had worked up several designs using Google Sketch-up.
What we really needed was a place to construct our ideas. So the hunt was on for a shop we could borrow or a hanger for rent. That journey ended us at our current location at 5230 Orcas rd, outside of Eastsound. This was in many ways an interesting turn in this venture. The facility was well lets say well used, it had been an automotive shop for years and not exactly a greased machine. We had weeks of clean up before we could even think about beginning on our work. We persevered through the clean up and organizing and in late November we began production of two units. The Forest Cube designed to be a simple, modern accessory office/ studio space, and the Saunath a sauna shower house combination where our first two models completed soon followed by the Therovian a compact bunk house/ writing studio.

More to come time to get the day rolling