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Degrees
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B. of Architecture University of California, Berkeley
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My Expert Service
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The focus of my decades of professional experience lies in custom residential design and construction with emphasis on ecologically responsible methods and on the individuality of people and the places they call home, or work in.
In addition to residential design, I’ve worked on an exciting diversity of non-residential projects, including: ecological community ideas, small college master plan, retreat center proposal, design guidelines for an environmentally-inclined developer, studio and gallery spaces for artists, massage spaces and a fitness studio, meditation center improvements, site planning & stage construction for a rock festival, a restaurant kitchen and dining room, and two small amphitheaters. I've done many kinds of stonework -- for walls, patios, cairns, stairs, and retaining walls. Along the way I’ve written a series of handouts and articles, and am very slowly working on a book on my love of stone and a series of interactive checklists of design considerations.
I've worked in all phases of design and construction, from variances, design proposals and schematic designs, color and material choices, to construction documents, permit drawings, construction supervision, hands-on building in many materials, even in repairs, maintenance and demolition. Often, I work with such materials as strawbale, insulating concrete forms, adobe, and earthen plasters, and for utility systems, use such techniques as solar water and radiant space heating, photovoltaic systems, greywater and rooftop harvesting. If you need any advice about design, site plans, alternative building methods, construction details and processes, permit processes, or building codes, my experience will hopefully have an answer. There is no question that is too small!
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Experience & Qualifications
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People say “architecture is an old man’s art,” and I think I’m finding out why. I did my first floorplan at age 8, and have been building or designing something ever since. My original architectural licensing was in Washington, overlapping with 12 years as a licensed general contractor, and my current registration is in Arizona. Academically, I taught architecture and interdisciplinary studies at the University of Hawaii for 5 years, and after transitioning out of academia, have occasionally done short-term teaching, mentoring & talks at colleges, high schools and public events. I had a grant from the National Institute for Humanities, and have been recognized twice by the Sonoran Institute, a local desert conservation group, in their Green Building awards program, with one of the award-winning projects having been on two Innovative Home Tours. Ecologically speaking, I’ve worked in temperate forests and plains, the coastal northwest, the tropics, and the deserts of the southwest, and can help adapt designs to any of these ecosystems.
To sum up, my qualifications include a huge amount of diverse design and construction experience, a permanent “can-do” attitude, a fairly agile mind (or at least a large supply of questions), a belief that every design or construction problem has opportunities for learning in it, and lastly, the durability and patience to endure till the end of any project. Let’s get started!
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Available Modes Of Communication
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email/chat
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Most Recent Client Reviews
(Read all 1 reviews)
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by
Sean Patrick
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May 5 2009
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5 stars. Extremely thorough and insightful. Robert Gay obviously has a great deal of experience. I highly recommend him.
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(Read all 1 reviews)
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Contact
Robert Castle Gay
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