Jerry Gropp Architect AIA PS

My blogs

Gender	Male
Industry	Architecture
Occupation	Architect (Residential)
Location	Mercer Island, WA, United States
Introduction	I'm a native Seattlelite- born and raised in Seattle and a graduate of the University of Washington's highly-regarded School of Architecture, I thoroughly understand the NorthWest climate and other localized considerations we home designers must take into account. Eastern and mid-Western styles- many with wide white trim- are usually out of place here on the West Coast. A more expansive connection with nature than that glimpsed through smaller "stock" windows is needed to enjoy what's outside and to bring a feeling of spaciousness to the interior. A hallmark of "NorthWest Architecture"- Island or otherwise- is exposed natural wood framing with lots of job-built "stopped-in" windows bringing in the outside view and/or garden. The resulting effect is akin to that of our modern cars with the building envelope being either solid or transparent. This is in contrast to the usual ordinary building practice of framing a big box with cut-out openings limited by the sizes of often expensive and usually overly complicated stock windows.