materials
the materials a building is made of determine what it becomes over time. a veneer of stone over concrete doesn’t age the way stone ages. plastic siding doesn’t weather the way wood weathers. a building made of materials that cannot receive the texture of use isn’t a building that will accumulate meaning over time.
truth to materials
we work with the materials available in the places we build. in the west kootenays and revelstoke that means timber, stone, and earth: the varied mountain aggregates of these valleys, the douglas fir and western red cedar that grow on the slopes, the rammed earth and straw bale assemblies we’ve designed and built ourselves. we also work in light wood frame, mass timber, and panellized prefabrication, because those are the best available technologies for building efficiently in this region right now. not every project calls for the same materials, and not every building needs to last five hundred years. there is a place for modest, durable construction that does its job well. what we ask of every project, regardless of budget, is that the materials are honest about what they are. the aesthetic flows naturally from authenticity and thoughtful design.
technical innovation
but working with honest materials doesn’t mean working with conventional ones. f2a is constantly developing new assemblies and refining existing ones. the steeps house combines straw bale infill with site-cut timber framing and a steel rainscreen cladding — replacing the large overhangs that conventional straw bale construction requires, which would have increased fire risk on a forested site. the result is a modern building envelope that sequesters carbon, performs at passive house standards, and looks nothing like what we expect straw bale to look like. the fast + epp headquarters in vancouver introduced tectonus seismic isolation devices to north american mass timber construction for the first time, and paired them with electrochromic glazing that dynamically adjusts tint in response to sun position, eliminating the need for blinds while maintaining views and reducing energy load. the building won the AFBC innovation award in 2023. these are more than aesthetic decisions; they’re technical solutions that push what buildings can do.
materials in your everyday life
we talk with clients about doorknobs and thresholds and finishes underfoot because you touch them every day. the material quality of the things you live with daily is a health and well being consideration, not a luxury consideration. material integrity doesn’t always mean expensive materials. It means materials that show their true nature, and are durable enough to earn their place. aluminum windows instead of vinyl, because aluminum lasts fifty years with no maintenance and vinyl needs replacing in thirty. wood frame windows when the budget allows, because they are warm and can be repaired.
on the projects we build, we can bring timber straight off the land into the structure, prefabricate custom windows and doors in house, and make interior features by hand that are unique to the space. on every project, we advise on material selection with the same standard: use the best available technology to achieve the highest quality and the greatest durability. that’s how the buildings we admire from the past were built, and it’s how the buildings worth keeping are built now.
