Ellen Bildsten Architect on a Mission

By leslie a . WestBrOOk

broken window and doors, and a boiler system to fuel both domestic hot water and radiant floor heating. Lighting design focused on concealed LED light fixtures. Provisions were made for future rooftop photovoltaic panels and a passive hot water system.

Perched on the edge of the Pacific in Montecito, six beachside units had been built in the 1960’s by a group of Los Angeles friends on a minimal budget. The new owners of one unit wanted to create a user-friendly, sophisticated and energy-efficient space. The overall design relates interior spaces and finishes to the sky, sand and water. The upstairs layout was reconfigured to open the floor plan from one end of the space to the other; the kitchen, dining, study and living areas flow together, taking advantage of the magnificent ocean views. A fourteen-foot sliding glass door opens to the outdoor deck; the panels disappear into a wall pocket to blur the line between indoor and outdoor living space. New bands of skylights span the living space, and windows draw in mountain and ocean views.

The entry, bedrooms and baths occupy the ground floor, with views to the garden. The steel stair was pulled away from the 2-story wall, allowing space for a sculptural element that varies in function from front entry bench to display shelves for art objects to media cabinets in the upper floor living room. Energy efficiency far beyond requirements include the use of Energy star appliances, spray-in foam insulation, thermally efficient window and doors, and a boiler system to fuel both domestic hot water and radiant heating. Lighting design focused on concealed LED light fixtures; provisions were made for future rooftop photovoltaic panels and a passive hot water system. These systems are integrated into the structure to not detract from the elegant simplicity of the design and natural power of the setting.

Architecturethe built environment - not only defines the spaces in which we live and work, but molds the way we interact with our world. Ellen Bildsten, a talented Santa Barbarabased architect, shifts towards the personal and the environmental by designing architectural spaces that encourage the creation of community ties and efficient living.

Designs by her architecture firm in Southern California have included numerous residences along the Central Coast and Los Angeles, as well as commercial restaurant projects like Ca’Dario Pizzeria and the Gourmet Dining Room at Santa Barbara City College. However, her current *raison d’etre* is focused on what she calls “community-driven projects.”

“The big thing we are pursuing,” she told me in her renovated downtown studio, located in Santa Barbara’s newly-designated high density living zone, “is affordable multi-family housing.” While president of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Santa Barbara in 2011, Bildsten worked with others to organize a design brainstorming event to convince the City of Santa Barbara to adopt zoning policies that allow higherdensity housing development. The City adopted Average UnitSize Density (AUD) in July 2013, which remains in effect for eight years, or until 250 units have been constructed in the high priority areas, whichever occurs first. The key to this higher-density zoning change is that the existing high cost of land in Santa Barbara is shared among more units, thereby creating affordability through density and skillful design. According to Bildsten, this creates housing for diverse members of the community, young and old, encouraging community interaction and addressing our dire need for workforce employee housing. She contends that developing rental and for-purchase housing in the walkable and bikable Santa Barbara neighborhoods near work, schools, shopping and recreation will alleviate our traffic congestion problems and improve the health of the community.

Ellen is thoughtful and extremely imaginative; she offers innovative ideas for architectural projects in short order. A key design focus is indoor-outdoor connections which make small spaces feel expansive and encourage healthy outdoor living.

“For renovations, the value an architect can bring is working with what’s there and making interventions to transform it cohesively.” She enthusiastically added that new construction projects are “Fantastic! You create something just right for light and views and completely appropriate for your client’s goals and priorities.”

She applied this design approach to the 1,500 square foot, two-story, two-bedroom, two bath unit showcased on these pages as a prime example of community living in a renovated multi-family housing unit originally built in the 1960s. The condo is one home, in a six-unit development on Miramar Beach, that is light and open but completely private, that takes full advantage of the expansive Pacific Ocean views. “We unified the spaces for free, open living, eliminated small rooms, and added skylights to bring light into the center of the space,” the architect explained.

Energy efficiency is big on Ellen’s “to do” list. For the Miramar Beach project, the homeowners were willing to go above and beyond the usual requirements. However, as Ellen pointed out, a certain level of minimal energy efficiency is now the legally mandated norm in the state of California.

“In terms of moving the conversation forward and truly thinking about energy – it comes back to integrated, mixed-use, walkable communities,” she reiterated. “We need to live with each other. We need a new model – sharing resources and living closer together and helping each other out. We need to age in place. We need to bike, walk, and take public transportation. That’s far more energy efficient!”

Was she born with this innate sense I wondered? “Basic stepping back and looking at things with a critical eye at large and small scales is perhaps due to having an architect father,” she admitted. A native of Queens, New York, she graduated from Cornell University – with BAs in both architecture and art history. Ellen moved to Santa Barbara in 1999 with her husband, the director at the KITP Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and professor of physics at UCSB, and their three daughters now aged 14-23. She has been a licensed architect since 1995, and first worked in Santa Barbara with Bob Easton Architects, later teaming up with Susan Sherwin to create Bildsten + Sherwin Design Studio Inc. for over 12 years before launching her solo practice in Fall 2014.

Her new firm is much more focused on this emerging paradigm that is near and dear to her heart.

“It’s the power of architecture to address urban design needs and translate those concepts down to the design details that keeps me fired up and passionate. If Santa Barbara has any problems – it’s such a beautiful town with so many good things happening –it’s that we don’t have enough market-rate affordable housing to allow our workforce to live locally. It seems only right that we figure out a way to accommodate those working in our community.”

And Ellen Bildsten is just the woman for the job.

Ellen Bildsten, Architect AIA, LEED AP

Bildsten Architecture and Planning, Inc.

424 Olive Street, SB, CA 93101 805. 845-2646 studio 805. 895-7248 cell www.sb-designgroup.com

2011 President of AIA Santa Barbara American Institute of Architects