Excerpted from Builder/Architect magazine, Inland Northwest Edition
Written by Valerie Clausen
Gordon Longwell believes an architect should possess two things: talent and a sharp pair of ears. "A good architect listens and visualizes what the client wants to create," he says. " I'm there as a coach as well as a teacher to help clients achieve their hopes and desires." His formula obviously works. With a project mix of 80 percent commercial and 20 percent residential, Longwell's Hayden Lake firm, g.d. longwell - architects, averages from $15 to $20 million in annual construction revenue. His staff includes three licensed architects (including himself), two architectural graduate students, two CAD draftsmen, one interior designer, and an office administrator. Longwell works primarily within a 300-mile radius from Coeur d' Alene to Seattle.
Born in Homer, NE, population 370, Longwell got his first taste of the builder's craft in high school, converting an old WPA gym into apartments with his Dad. Later, he helped build several homes for his parents and then recently his own lake cabin. The experience proved invaluable. "I learned to speak the language of the builder," he says. After receiving a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Nebraska, he worked for an architectural firm in Sioux City, IA, designing primarily commercial jobs--schools, hospitals, and churches.
Longwell was offerred a job at Coeur d' Alene's Architects West while on vacation with his family. In 1978 he accepted the position and relocated to North Idaho. After two years with the firm, he worked for Jim Bellamy, then finally founded his own firm in September 1981. Times couldn't have been worse, he remembers, he had a young family, the economy was bad, and there was little construction. But, he survived.
He's the first to admit that hard work and talent aren't the only keys to success. "We have an excellent reputation with area builders," he says. "They love to work on our projects because our documents are so thorough, They know that what we draw can be built." Longwell and his staff also understand the pitfalls of construction and regard projects as a joint venture between owners, architects, and builders. "The relationship with the builder is the key ingredient to our success."
His Iowa school-design experience served him well for the Timberlake School project in Spirit Lake, ID. Situated in Lakeland School District, one of the largest and fastest growing in the area, the job required a major bond issue to raise the necessary financing. "We're really proud of this project," Longwell says, "because it delivers more bang for the buck than any school project in the Northwest." Working with builder Contractors Northwest, Longwell's design challenge was to integrate 650 middle school and high school students into one building (106,000 square feet) without mixing the two populations or duplicating facilities. Creative scheduling does the rest. His solution was to design four wings: vocational (art, graphic design, computer graphics); high school academic; middle school academic; and the commons. School administration is located in the center of all four wings "to give the students some form of visual contact." Besides separate academic quarters, Longwell even designed separate area for lockers, gymnasiums, parking lots and bus drop-offs in answer to parental concerns. The school is also designed to be flexible, functional, and easy to maintain. Above the corridors, a penthouse mezzanine houses cable trays, cable wire, ductwork, and mechanical elements, so maintenance crews can perform repairs at any time without disrupting classes. The Timberlake concept is so unique and practical, it has generated calls from superintendents throughout Idaho and Montana. The firm is now doing design work for the Whitepine District in Troy and Deary, ID, as well as Boundary County School District in Bonners Ferry, ID.
The Coeur d' Alene Tribal Wellness Center, located in Plummer, ID, is a $5 million, state-of-the-art health and fitness facility. The 43,000-square foot center houses weight training, basketball, volleyball, aerobics, and an aquatic center in addition to conference rooms, office space and a daycare facility. Through discussions with Coeur d' Alene tribal elder, the late Lawrence Aripa, Longwell architect Cory Trapp incorporated some tribal traditions into his design--the healing powers of the medicine circle shine through a central skylight. In addition to the colors of the medicine circle, the center uses warm, comforting earth tones in the tiles and other finishes; indirect lighting accents the feeling of open space.
Together with Polin Construction, the firm faced many challenges building the center, including relocating Plummer Creek. Consequently, the soil was loaded with clay and the site had a high water table. A sump pump was installed to prevent the high water table from damaging the swimming pools. A dual pump system was also installed for backup. Because the 75-foot, five-lane community pool also had to function as a waveless competitive pool, gutters were installed along the sides to absorb the movement of the water. (As the town couldn't provide fire protection for a building this size, the pool also functions as a backup reservoir for the lcoal fire department.) The center also houses a physical therapy pool, whirlpool, and wading pool.
Residential work forms a small portion of g.d. longwell - architects' workload but includes high-end showpieces for corporate executives. "We want our clients' homes to be one-of-a-kind," Longwell explains. To do this, prospective clients complete a detailed questionnaire to establish habits and lifestyle. "We want them to feel everything is customized, including storage details for clothes, shoes, pantry items, etc. We make sure we live up to our clients' expectations as well as their friends' expectations."
The concept for a North Idaho lake home is a case in point. Modeled after the turn-of-the-century Stanley Underwood design for Ahwanhnee Lodge in Yosemite National Park, the 8,500-square foot, three-story home is located on a unique site. To maintain the 10-foot, grandfathered setback from the water, the existing house had to be renovated to complement the new structure. The site was narrow, bordered by a rock cliff, the lake and a common access road. Working with Style-Built Construction, Longwell's design solution was "to stretch the home horizontally. In a was this is a plus," he says, "because all rooms have views. Each level diminishes in size, step fashion, and horizontal roof lines provide form and shape from each level." The footprint houses the main family activities; the second level has children's rooms and office space; the third includes the garage and master bedroom. A dumbwaiter operates from all three levels. The landscaping reflects the owner's love of gardening and integrates the rustic, natural rock wall behind the house and the stairway to the water's edge. The north side of the property houses herb and flower gardens.
In another custom project, the site wasn't the problem, size was. Integrating a 10,000-square-foot home into the existing neighborhood posed quite a challenge. The home, designed for a corporate executive, is located near Hayden Lake Country Club. "The owners wanted the home to be 'lodge-like' but on a grand scale," Longwell explains. "Our palette of materials incorporated timber, wood siding and stone." Although the design uses heavy timber trusses, Longwell made them appear lighter through a scalloped Scandinavian treatment. "The neighborhood had much smaller homes," he says. "We didn't want the beams to appear domineering." Wood was used only above the wainscotting; stone ws incorporated at the retaining walls. The owners decorated the home with dark woods and dramatic colors--reds, greens and blues, to accent their collection of art and artifacts.
The house was 55 percent finished when it burnt to the ground on the fourth of July some years ago. Rather than make changes, the owners rebuilt the home to Longwell's original design. "Not too many owners get the opportunity to rebuild their dreams with such immediacy," Longwell says. "It's a subtle pat on the back to us that we did it right the first time. They didn't change a thing." (Longwell employed a test agency to check the foundations for heat damage--90 percent of the original was used.)
Gordon Longwell and his staff leave a lasting legacy. Their subtle, masterful designs incorporate not only lifestyle but the actual art of living. A true testament to the art of listening.