Building Small / Living Large

By: Elizabeth Marcellino | December 30, 2009 | Design Lifestyle

Bolander says he appreciates Frank Gehry’s comment that “buildings under construction look nicer than buildings finished,” and tries to keep some of that rawness in his finished work. The use of color keeps the simple work vibrant. The architect, who says he spends more time thinking about color than many architects, likes to use what he calls “complementary monochromatic” shades.

“My wife’s Aunt Dorothy wore great pantsuits that were almost monochromatic, but just not exactly so,” he says in explanation. “Great energy.”

The inventiveness of his color choices is echoed in his furniture design, where he sometimes uses castoffs and found objects to create artful tables, chairs and lighting. He calls his process of recycling junk into functional art “dross.” Reuse has become a personal theme as well. The architect signed on to “The Compact” — an idea hatched by a group of friends in San Francisco that became a national green movement. Basically, a person agrees not to make any new purchases for a year, buying only used goods or borrowing things, with exceptions for food, medicine and personal hygiene items. He started in January and so far, so good — though he admits his favorite pair of jeans is getting a little ragged.

“But I also realized that most of our buying — or most of my buying anyway — is actually out of boredom rather than need. I like these shoes,” Bolander says, pointing to a pair of Converse Kicks, “but I’m pretty sick of ’em.” Though the experiment is less than a year old, the architect thinks the discipline will have a longer-lasting impact. “I think a lot more about what I’m buying, why I’m buying it, how much I really need it,” he says. That thoughtfulness about resources extends to decisions he makes about land use, materials and construction. For the smaller Las Flores house, the architect used cast concrete walls and steel-frame construction more typically seen in commercial buildings. The choices were made in deference to the fire danger always present in the Malibu hills.

“Building more permanent structures may be the most green thing we can do,” Bolander says.

He’s completely conversant in the many options homeowners have to make greener choices, though he says the issues are complicated. And personal.

“Everybody comes with a different story and a different set of what’s important to them and what isn’t,” the architect says.

One Malibu couple may give up an ocean view, and site their home to allow for a shorter driveway. They’re hikers and what Bolander characterizes as “hard-core environmentalists,” and the pair feels that the longer driveway, which would be seen as others hike the area, may be too ugly to justify. The family in Malibu Lake won’t be installing a dryer in their new home, instead adding an exterior door to their laundry room so they can easily hang clothes on a line outside. When asked for an example of the “greenest” thing he’s designed, Bolander — completely serious — suggests an open window rather than bamboo flooring or other in-demand materials. He offers an example of a home he designed in Newport Beach, constructed to achieve enough cross-ventilation that it required no air conditioning.

“Smaller, more well-thought-out space; making some things a little more durable; windows that open; outdoor spaces that people can use — these, to me, are more green,” Bolander says.