Larch Lab is part architecture and urbanism studio, part think and do tank focusing on prefabricated, decarbonized, climate-adaptive, low-energy urban buildings; sustainable mobility; livable ecodistricts.
We utilize our work experience locally and abroad, a global network, local knowledge, and local wood – to design and construct circular, high quality Mass Timber buildings that meet the Passivhaus standard.
We specialize in community-oriented models of housing, including Baugruppen – self-developed urban co-housing. Our focus is delivering on livability, resiliency, comfort, and cost-effective construction.
Larch Lab is part architecture and urbanism studio, part think and do tank focusing on prefabricated, decarbonized, climate-adaptive, low-energy urban buildings; sustainable mobility; livable ecodistricts.
We utilize our work experience locally and abroad, a global network, local knowledge, and local wood – to design and construct circular, high quality Mass Timber buildings that meet the Passivhaus standard.
We specialize in community-oriented models of housing, including Baugruppen – self-developed urban co-housing. Our focus is delivering on livability, resiliency, comfort, and cost-effective construction.
larch lab
Larch is a phenomenal wood. It is durable. It is dimensionally stable. It is rot, insect, and moisture resistant. It is complex. As a conifer, it is technically a softwood – but owing to it’s physical properties, acts more like a hardwood. Because of its properties, Larch is an excellent species for exterior siding and joinery. Larch grows in a narrow climate band, but despite this – is both hardy and adaptive to climate change. It springs forth from the ashes of wildfires. Larch can be found in Europe, Asia, and in North America.
We are not a typical design studio. We are a Lab. We actively participate in investigation, research, and experimentation – running simulations, and testing hypotheses. We are massive proponents of knowledge share, and meshing our experiences and networks in the Pacific Northwest, and abroad.
think and do tank
Larch Lab is a socially responsible firm engaged in design, research, policy, and activism – working at the intersection of the climate and housing crises. We are urbanists. We swoon over cities; the vitality of pedestrian zones and car-free environments; accessible public transit; quality of life; bike- inclusiveness; and green mobility. With our network, we function as a bridge between Europe and the U.S. on urban development, housing, land use, decarbonized buildings, and the value-added wood industry.
prefabrication
After working in Germany, we realized we could no longer look at the construction industry the same way. Prefabrication allows for a high degree of quality control – especially critical for mass timber and passivhaus projects. Prefabrication is also resource-efficient, cutting down on material waste. It allows for faster installation, shorter construction periods, and cleaner construction sites.
decarbonization
We start with the idea that our buildings must have the lowest ecological footprints possible. We have experience with low embodied carbon materials such as rammed earth, straw, and cork. We perform Life Cycle Assessments, and incorporate a research-by-doing approach to ensure our values and design goals align.
climate-adaptation
Climate change is now. There is only adaptation. Larch Lab designs with the knowledge that code minimum buildings and the status quo are unable to deliver the schools, offices and housing we need for the 21st century. We take a fabric-first approach, designing buildings resilient to cold snaps and heat waves. We are experts in active solar protection. We are advocates for rewilding, biodiversity, and Sponge cities. Our planning process mitigates the risks from increased flooding and wildfire smoke. As cargo cyclists, we are also massive proponents of car-free, bike-friendly buildings and neighborhoods.
circularity
Flexibility. Resiliency. Demountability. Adaptability. These are all strategies to reduce the massive carbon footprints and waste of the construction industry. Larch Lab incorporates Open Building concepts from the very beginning. We work with out network of partners to design buildings that are circular. This means that the flexible designs allow lifespans to be extended through adaptation, that elements can be demounted, re-used, recycled, or even up-cycled.
mass timber
Larch Lab has been working on projects incorporating Mass Timber in Germany and the Pacific Northwest since 2003. Our experience includes numerous proposals and competitions, a duplex in Muellheim, the first building in Washington State to incorporate Dowel Laminated Timber (DLT), a kindergarten in Muenchen, and a 50,000 SF glulam & Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) school in King County. Our partners also have ample experience, across a variety of project types, both in the U.S. as well as internationally.
passivhaus
Passivhaus is a low-energy standard providing durable, comfortable, climate-resilient buildings. Larch Lab has been advocating for Passivhaus buildings since 2010, when Michael passed the Certified Passivhaus Designer training. We are adept in the art of air-sealing. We are wise in the ways of PHPP and designPH. We aim for cost-effective solutions to achieve high designs with superior performance.
baugruppen
Larch Lab has been advocating for non-market and social housing for over a decade. We are specialists on Baugruppen – a form of urban co-housing we were exposed to while working in and around Freiburg’s Vauban neighborhood. Baugruppen are self-developed, community oriented, amenity-rich, multi-generational, family-friendly housing. Larch Lab is exploring new development models and forms of co-production and co-ownership. Our goal is an abundance of housing types that status quo development is unable to deliver: family-sized multifamily homes, maisonettes, cluster apartments, and multi-generational homes.
experience
We have more than 15 years’ experience in the planning of commercial, institutional, public, and multifamily projects. We have worked on award-winning buildings, projects with tight deadlines, and difficult budgets. We are in the business of connecting people, and planning for the new ways they want to live.