News

The Chicago Tribune ran a couple of nice articles about the Passive House concept over the weekend. Thomas Ahleman of Studio Talo Architecture is one of only a handful of Certified Passive House consultants in the Chicago area. Check out the link below.

We are excited that construction is under way for our latest project in Evanston. The owners wanted an addition that would be bright, open and reflect their modern sensibility while responding to the character of their traditional home.

Thomas Ahleman was quoted in article on energy efficient Passive House principles in Professional Builder magazine "5 Passive House Design Lessons for Builders"

Congratulations to our friends at The Talking Farm who celebrated their first year of growing healthy delicious food at the Howard Street Farm with with their Hullabaloo last night. We look forward to working with them as they grow towards their goal of building a permanent net-zero energy building with greenhouse and root cellar.

If you build it, they will come. Last night, the Evanston Public Library officially came back, formally incorporating the Mighty Twig as a branch of the Evanston Public Library System. Congratulations to Marcia Mahoney and the staff that made it possible. We're proud of the part we played designing the citizen-funded and run 'pop up library' when the South Branch was shuttered by the city because of budget constraints. It's officially a branch library now but it will always be the Mighty Twig in our hearts.

This past week we helped our friends at The Talking Farm envision their new Demonstration Garden at the Howard Street Farm. The garden will feature hoop houses to extend the growing season, a rain garden and lots of beds; raised beds, enabling beds and strawbale beds. Stay tuned to the Talking Farm Website for upcoming opportunities to volunteer at spring cleaning work sessions.

Studio Talo principal Thomas Ahleman has teamed with college classmate Chris Wollmuth of the eponymous firm, Chris Wollmuth Design, on an addition to a home in Oak Park. In addition to sharing the same alma mater (go Bears), Thomas and Chris share an interest in making sustainable architecture that responds to its setting. The second floor addition is designed to maximize natural ventilation and natural light. Check out Chris' great landscape design work as well at chriswollmuthdesign.com

You've seen Pulp Fiction. We were brought in to this project , like Harvey Keitel's 'cleaner', when the project got messy under a previous general contractor. We've helped the owner pick up the pieces and are managing construction of the addition that was under way. We've also designed, and will be managing construction of, a new garage and loft which will be attached to a renovated sun room. The house is a state landmark and was once owned by the grand daughter of Czar Nicholas II. No kidding.

Well, it turns out that if you do a really good job consistently, people start to take notice. That's what happened in January when Studio Talo Architecture received Angie's List's Super Service Award for 2011. The award is given to a handful of businesses that are consistently favorably reviewed on the website www.angieslist.com. The website is a forum for people to rate and recommend firms with whom they've done business. Word of mouth is great, but word of web is even better.

In December, Thomas Ahleman successfully completed the second of two examinations to become a Certified Passive House Consultant. The Passive House concept is based on the premise that a well designed home that takes full advantage of the sun needs only a fraction of the energy consumed by a standard code-compliant home. The building science behind the concept has been proven in Passive Houses built all over the world from Alaska to New Orleans. Thomas is excited about combining the common sense of Passive House building science with the art of architecture.

In August, the Master of Architecture program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where our own Thomas Ahleman teaches, received it's accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Congratulations to all the faculty and students who worked so hard to put the SAIC program on the map.

Congratulations to the Chicago high school students who participated in the second ACE Mentor summer design build workshop. Under the guidance of ACE Associate Board member and ultimate frisbee phenom, Matt Snoap AIA, and with the assistance of our own Thomas Ahleman AIA, the students had another great summer. This year the students designed a pair of gateway markers for the West Humboldt Park neighborhood. The students worked in teams and produced plans, sections, scale models, and mock ups of their collective creations. Way to go ACE students!

In August, Studio Talo president Thomas Ahleman completed the Passive House U.S. training course on his way to becoming a certified Passive House Consultant. (The exam is in October...no pressure, Thomas.) The Passive House approach to design is based on a rigorous approach to building science that focuses on an extremely high performing envelope, controlled natural ventilation and getting the most out of that free energy that hits our buildings every day. To find out more about how buildings can be designed to use 90% less energy (no kidding), click on the link or give us a call.

The Skokie Park District and The Talking Farm have formalized a land use agreement which gives The Farm some dirt to call home. The two-acre parcel is just west and south of the SPD's Tot Learning Center at 3701 W. Howard. Stay tuned as The Talking Farm sets down roots and starts to grow! To learn more, visit the farm with something to say at www.thetalkingfarm.org.

Studio Talo Principal Thomas Ahleman visited Ms. Halvorson's kindergarten class at Kingsley elementary to talk about architecture. The class learned about buildings, teamwork and how architects can help the planet. If these kids are the future of architecture, we are in good hands! Today's vision of a skyscraper comes to you from Sophia, Jackson, Claudia and Eli. We will post a new drawing from Studio Kingsley each day for the next week. Stay tuned tomorrow for the work of June, Kiley, Zoya and Miles. Good job!

Studio Talo Principal Thomas Ahleman was recently selected by the American Institute of Architects to be one of a handful of professionals to assist in the process of accrediting schools of architecture. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) sends teams of academics and professionals, as represented by the AIA, to universities around the country to insure that their architecture programs are up to snuff.

Next month we'll be breaking ground on our fourth project on Noyes Street in Evanston since Studio Talo got off the ground seven years ago. We designed this addition/renovation with passive solar in mind to get the most out of the addition's southern orientation. Solar thermal panels will provide domestic hot water and assist with the radiant heating. When finished, the metal-roof clad addition will look like it was always there. In addition to designing the addition we'll also be managing construction so stay tuned for photos...

Wow. We recently posted an notice on the AIA Chicago website that we are looking for a new team member. We've received a tremendous response and are in the process of carefully reviewing all of the great resume's and work samples you sent. Normally we don't mind chewing the fat, but please hold off on calling until we've had a chance to review everyone's qualifications. Please do e-mail at info@studiotalo.com
And thanks for your interest!

Studio Talo was recently awarded the contract for renovating a beautiful 19th century masonry home in Chicago's Gold Coast. The work includes interior renovations of the home, coach house and creating a bright, airy breezeway connecting the two structures. Stay tuned for more images of the design in progress.

We were thrilled when the Evanston Public Library Friends asked us to collaborate with them to design a new type of library 'outpost' for Evanston's south side. On February 16th we presented our proposal to a very receptive Evanston Public Library Board. The new space is half the size of the closing branch library so we knew we had to be resourceful. We created a fun story time area, a comfortable adult area and even designed a modular furniture piece that will be used for multiple library functions throughout. Studio Talo will begin fabricating the pieces for the new outpost next month.