Farewell Schuler

Larissa Schuler, Intern Architect

Larissa Schuler, Intern Architect

Sadly, we said farewell to Larissa Schuler, our Intern Architect, last week. 

During her six months with Inertia and Gravity, Larissa was involved in almost all aspects of our projects and our firm. She did some great schematic design work and helped us immensely with our marketing effort.

We'll miss having her energy in the office, as well as her sense of humour. All the best, Larissa!

Office Skydivers

Normally, we think we’re pretty lucky to have the great staff that we do. Occasionally, we’re lucky just to have them stay alive long enough over the weekend to show up again on Monday morning. 

The steadfastly responsible, somber and occasionally comically derisive Tom Jenson skydives far more frequently than anyone would expect. He started two years ago and had done it at least three time and has plans to go again. He says he skydives as a way to celebrate his nieces' and nephews' 18th birthdays, but we think he might start doing it for no reason at all.

His affection for skydiving has been infectious and this past weekend, Chris Fedyna joined him! 

Tom: loving the view of the Alberta plains.

Tom: loving the view of the Alberta plains.

Chris: calm and serene during his first dive ever. 

Chris: calm and serene during his first dive ever. 

Coffee

Some of us here at Inertia are fans of coffee. We are fairly indiscriminate about our modes of coffee making. Yes, we have a Keurig and a Nespresso machine. We also have a grinder and a French press. What we haven't had is a coffee shop that we can walk to.

Now, this was a deliberate decision. When we signed the lease on our Highfield office we were very busy. We contemplated renting an office with a more fashionable address. But Inertia has been through one downturn in it's history, and we've learned that the last thing you want when things get slow is high overhead. As well, our commitment to our staff is unwavering, and we didn't want to be faced with the prospect of eroding our team just to pay the rent.

Which brings me back to coffee. Early in 2014, we were watching an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (which we recommend for obvious reasons), and Jerry Seinfeld took Patton Oswalt to a Handsome Coffee, a shop in Los Angeles that was quite clearly in the middle of nowhere. 

Handsome Coffee as featured in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Handsome Coffee as featured in Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

We decided to check it out. Last year, when we were in Los Angeles for the Dwell Home Tour, we took a detour to the industrial wasteland south of Downtown Los Angeles. The coffee business was going strong (as was business at the taco truck outside that would deliver your tacos right to your seat in the coffee shop!). Bluebottle has since purchased the location (and the talent), and a restaurant has moved in across the street, but we still had to pass a number of crumbling brick warehouses and razor wired lots to get there from our parking spot.

We thought, if Angelenos can have a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, why can't we! And yet we didn't ... until just a few months ago.

The latest Analog Coffee is in our 'hood!

The latest Analog Coffee is in our 'hood!

Fratello Coffee Roasters has been in the coffee business coming on thirty years. Their roastery on 9th Street SE has served a growing number of Analog Coffee locations in Calgary as well as a much broader network of shops that serve their beans. And, a few months ago. they decided to open their training counter up as a full service coffee shop!

Darcy manning the counter at Analog in Highfield

Darcy manning the counter at Analog in Highfield

We're thrilled to be able to walk to our local coffee shop. And it's not just any shop; it's arguably the best coffee in the city. We recommend to all of our clients (and everyone else) that you pay a visit when you're in the neighbourhood. And say 'Hi' to Darcy from us!

Garage Slab

Progress continues on our Bridgeland House. Just the other day the garage slab was poured. It may seem like a basic thing, but it was more complex than it looks. Our neighbours' grade became higher than expected during their redevelopment. To avoid the possibility of their drainage collecting in our backyard, we wanted to raise our rear grade as high as possible. The grade of the back lane is fixed though, so any change in grade had to be transitioned over the garage apron and slab. But of course no-one wants to have a steep slope in their garage. The team at Rusch Projects were able to twist the apron just enough to raise the slab and therefore the backyard grade.

Framing Complete

Framing complete!

Loading the basement stair

We were on site at our Bridgeland House yesterday for a final framing review and had a chance to see the framers load the basement stair. While it's not something you think about much when living in a house, it's a significant component that takes a lot of effort to load and install. However, we think the steel and timber stair that goes to the upper floor will be even more work.

Compliments to Rusch Projects and their framing team for an excellent framing job!

Roof Framing

Gary Campbell took another series of photos of the roof trusses being erected on the top of our Bridgeland House. I guess one can't be sure, but it seems as if the framers are posing in some of these shots...

Crane

Last Friday the tall walls were craned into position on the Bridgeland House. Then, just yesterday the crane came back to place the steel beam. This beam supports the upper floor so that the main floor is completely free of posts. But the real reason the beam is there is to show itself off. The beam will be exposed at the stair which will also be made using matching steel stringers.

Gary Campbell took all of these photos. When he first sent them, we thought we'd curate the best. But they make such a great slide show, we've included them all!