Architect starts new firm focused on sustainability

Two years ago, Stan Cole left the Boise architecture firm he helped create over the previous decade, Cole + Poe Architects, to make a fresh start in a less administrative and more creative job with Steed Construction.

Now, he’s starting again, opening a new firm in Boise with a focus on urban, mixed use, sustainable development, which will build on his previous work.
The firm, Cole Architects, will partner with the Redmond, Wash., architectural firm Jensen Fey, whose specialty is high-end hospitality like W Hotels.
One of Jensen Fey’s principals, Kurt Jensen, is from Boise and approached Cole over the collaboration about a year ago, as his firm began taking on more work in the Treasure Valley.
“It just seemed like it fit really well, doing what I started out doing 12 years ago,” Cole said.
Cole has been working on projects with energy efficient features for years, including the highly touted Front 5 Building, on Front Street west of Fifth in downtown Boise, which involved the renovation of a 1970s warehouse into an office space that achieved the state’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for new construction.
The new firm’s first project is a similar adaptive reuse of a warehouse for Idaho Mountain Touring at 1310 W. Main St., which includes major energy efficiency renovations, including lighting, mechanical and insulation upgrades, as well as filling in 10,000 square feet that had not been used.
Cole Architects, which plans an official grand opening this month, will start out with three staff members, including Cole; Todd Charlton, a project manager; and Sara Richards, an intern.
It will occupy an historic salmon-colored art deco building at 401 W. Idaho with gridded windows, a metal-capped parapet and a corrugated glass front. Cole has been working to make the 2,000-square-foot building energy efficient and hopes to obtain LEED certification.
“Green” changes include installation of automated solar window shades; replacement of the black tar roof with a single-ply roof and a white reflective top coat; use of non-toxic carpets and paints; and high-efficiency lighting.
All three staff will also live within walking distance of the office.
The building, originally the John Regan American Legion Hall, dates to 1939.
“It would have been a shame to tear it down,” Cole said. “This way you can reuse the building, but you can still maintain high energy efficiency.”
Jensen, in town last week to help with the opening, said his 20-person Redmond office works almost exclusively on projects designed to be LEED certified, something most clients request.
“It’s client-driven now, them persuading us to do that,” he said. “The ultimate goal is ‘zero energy’ building design. That’s kind of the extreme.”