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PrintTips & Trends: Profiles
ward+blake architects,snake river interiors, sustainable builders
Mitch Blake & Tom Ward
ward+blake architects
Neither Tom Ward nor Mitch Blake, principals of Ward+Blake Architects, can name their single “most interesting project” in their fifteen years in business. A quick glance at their portfolio shows a wide scope of work. Both are Westerners: Tom was raised in Wyoming and graduated from Arizona State University; he returned to Jackson in the late 1980s after spending ten years in New York City. Mitch, a native of St. Anthony, Idaho, and a graduate of the University of Idaho, migrated back north after working in Salt Lake City for several years gaining experience with concrete, masonry, and steel. The two met in 1990 at Berlin Architects in Jackson, and formed a strong professional bond based on similar design and building ethics. They launched Ward+Blake in 1996. In 2002, Tom developed a post-tensioned rammed-earth process to address building systems with a low-carbon footprint. In 2004 he was awarded a patent for the process he named “Earthwall.”
TH&L: What is your approach to design in the Tetons?
TW: We are moderates at heart and we use a recipe: Combine the art and science of architecture with the client’s wishes and the site’s characteristics to develop a creative building solution.
MB: We like to think of our work as traditional western with a modern viewpoint.
TH&L: What is the first question you ask?
TW: Why this location? What attracted your attention to this location?
MB: This usually makes people stop and think, and usually it’s a hard question to answer.
TH&L: Do you have a business motto?
TW: We really have a design manifesto: ‘Take our design cues from the land and integrate the building seamlessly onto the site.’
TH&L: What do you enjoy most about the business?
TW: The healthy competitive edge that makes you want to do better.
MB: When the project is even better than you thought it would be, because I always want to do a job over.
TH&L: What are you planning in the next ten years?
MB: Tom’s “Earthwall” building process is an application that can be used internationally, and that’s something we are pursuing.
TW: And, create an exciting Jackson Hole, Wyoming, architecturally.
TH&L: What makes your business different from those of other architects?
MB: We are a boutique firm that believes in the blending of environment and community. We are experts in building fine homes in demanding climates.
TW: We designed the Teton Radiology building in Rexburg, Idaho, that combines technology and human comfort. Each procedure room has natural light for the comfort of patients and technicians.
TH&L: What’s something else people should know about you?
MB on TW: Tom can quickly put things into a nutshell, hitting the heart of the matter for a quick solution.
TW on MB: Mitch has a passion for what he does, and he can be a bird dog.
Elisa Chambers
snake river interiors
Elisa Chambers attended Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, then moved to the West Coast to experience a new environment. Daunted by the number of designers in California, she went to nursing school and later worked as a nurse. “At the same time, I’d buy a house, fix it up, decorate it, and then sell it,” Elisa says. She made her first trip to the Tetons in 1990. “When I walked off the plane I said, ‘I have to live here.’” In 1992, she moved to Jackson, working as a family therapist while buying and building, decorating, and selling homes. In 1998, she opened the Snake Rivers Interiors retail showroom.
TH&L: What is your approach to design in the Tetons?
EC: It’s about the individual and the location. Less is more; let the outside speak for itself, seek a self-enhanced environment with low impact, no clutter—natural and cozy, chicken-soup stuff. My clients dictate the direction; we learn about each other, and create to their needs. We work all over the United States; it’s a real referral-based business. When we build a home for a client, we often move with them to other projects in other areas of the country.
TH&L: What inspires you?
EC: My husband and kids, every day! It used to all be about me—now it’s all about us. I think of myself as an athlete. I like biking, skiing, being outside, and gardening.
TH&L: What do you most enjoy about the business?
EC: Almost everything! Putting the puzzle together—It’s like 52-card pickup, as each piece of information needs to be looked at to make sense out of it. I like the architectural and building side as well, working with a team.
TH&L: What is the first question you ask?
EC: ‘How did you find me?’ I like to know what made them choose me over all of the very good designers in town.
TH&L: How has your business evolved in the last decade?
EC: Times have changed and it seems everything is online; people want to move so fast. Building and designing a home requires good information to make quality choices. My job is to jump through these hoops—not ‘one-click design.’ My business is to take the time and put the love into each project.
TH&L: What are you planning in the next ten years?
EC: I want to do the same quality work, but be more efficient, and “greener” in the process. Also, to take the time to be a soccer mom. When I lose my passion I’ll eject—I’m Italian, and I need my fire fed.
TH&L: What has been your most interesting project?
EC: Every project is unique. One I worked on in Three Creek for out-of-state clients was really enjoyable. The team was incredible! It was a great melding of the minds during our weekly meetings. Clients, architect, builder, and interior designer all communicated so well and listened to each other. Everybody has something important to say. For me, it’s about the journey and to learn about myself every day.
TH&L: What’s something else people should know about you?
EC: I’m more sensitive than I let on. I’m married to Andy Chambers and we have four children: a five-year-old son, Gavin, and two-year-old triplets: Olivia, Alexander, and Parker.
Kevin Kirchner, sustainable builders
Kevin Kirchner moved west in 1993 and started working in construction. Focusing on “making a difference, living sustainably, and building responsibly,” he named his Victor firm Sustainable Builders with this intention. Kevin was first introduced to green principles as part of a neighborhood recycling program while growing up in Pittsburgh; then the 1973 oil crisis happened. “That really opened up my world and made me see that there are causes and effects to all of the decisions I made—good and bad.”
TH&L: What has been your strongest influence?
KK: I started reading about Permaculture, an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies. I made some site visits, took some courses, and things started to click. The [practices of] forest gardening, companion planting, wetland enhancement, and recycling a home’s gray water are just so smart for the planet.
TH&L: What is your approach to design?
KK: I love to build; it is my calling. But building is inherently bad for the environment, so I look at it phase by phase, the sum of the whole, the team [architect, builder, and owner] making as many green choices as we can. It is much easier than it used to be. There is an outline for green building now from USGBC and LEED ratings. And, Energy Star ratings on home appliances, from kitchen to heating and cooling units, etcetera.
TH&L: What inspires you?
KK: Making a difference! Starting from a science-based approach and making it green, and then making the green choices measurable. Did you know that 72 percent of electricity in the U.S. is used by buildings?
TH&L: What is the first question you ask?
KK: ‘What are your top five priorities for the building?’ I ask each person to answer that, so we are all on the same page. For one family member, it may be budget or air quality, another may want views, or a big garage. All of these things need to be stated and clear.
TH&L: What are you planning in the next ten years?
KK: Building high-end homes has given me the opportunity to work with some wonderful building materials, and that’s helped expand my skill set. I’m happy to have had that experience. I want to take it and help future homeowners build green [on smaller projects]. You can do green building on a budget—you just need to be flexible.
TH&L: What makes you different from other builders?
KK: I’m a small company. I’m out there pounding nails. The builder and the crew always have some ownership of the building—you are a part of the building for as long as it stands, so it needs to be good. I have a responsibility to that building’s environmental footprint.
TH&L: What do you enjoy most in your work?
KK: My favorite thing to do is take a picture of the site at the start, continue to take pictures throughout construction, and then see the finished photo essay.
TH&L: What’s something else people should know about you?
KK: I have passion! I ski, garden, and cook. I want to be totally self sustaining at some point of my life. You know it’s easy to go to Florida and be self sustaining; the challenge is to be self sustaining in the mountains.
