Application PortfolioMSc Advanced Sustainable DesignUniversity of EdinburghFall 2010

Applicant: Colin Garratt

P.O. 21648 - 1424 Commercial Drive, Vancouver B.C., Canada V5L 5G3cwgarratt@hotmail.com, 778 996 2030 - 403 806 3771

As a Canadian who has spent nearly five years living and working across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America, I have developed an accute awareness of the relationship between natural and built environments. Pictured above, local fishermen in the Ke-nyan community of Lamu have provided an economically sustainable model for thou-sands of years. The market building shown is centrally located, uses locally sourced coral walls and is designed to create a climate controlled area for vendors. Sustainable building design is imperative to continued human development throughout the world.

I have been preparing for a Masters in sustainable building design my entire adult life. Throughout the course of academics, running businesses, living abroad and working within the Green building movement, I have fostered and developed a passion

for finding and solving design problems in the built environment.

My objective is to become an expert in sustainable building and implement the goals that industry and government have and will establish. I have been working as a construction industry professional for seven years, and see the attainment of this Masters degree as a mandatory stage to further my professional career while working to facilitate the major changes that are

occurring in the industry.

Icefall Lodge is a helicopter access lodge lo-cated in the remote icefields of British Co-lumbia, Canada. This self sustainable lodge is equipped with internet, telephone, hydro-electricity, plumbing and a gas kitchen. Built in 2008, I worked as a lead tradesperson.

My building career began in trades; I re-ceived a certificate of house framing in the summer of 1997, and began working as a carpenter in residential construction.

In 2004, I was awarded a Bachelors of Com-merce (B.Comm.) degree from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, specialising in International Business. During this period I participated in two study abroad programs, at the Prague School of Economics and at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

In July of 2009 I was certified by the Canadian Green Building Council as a LEED Accredited Professional in New Construction and Major Renovations. I am a member of the Nevada Chapter of the US Green Building Council as well as the Alberta and the Cascadia Chapters of the Canadian Green Building Council. I cur-rently volunteer at the Vancouver Branch of the Cascadia Chapter on the events committee.

My work in the construction industry has varied widely; I have built sustainable lodges in remote ice fields of British Columbia and worked in the Nevada desert in commercial construction. I was employed as a Senior Estimator at EcoLogic Construction in Las Vegas, and as a carpenter and building consultant in Chamonix France. In addition, I own and operate a contracting firm based in Western Canada, Borealis Build-ing Company Inc. (www.borealisbuilding.com)

I was hired to design, plan and build this 550 sqaure foot garage in 2009. Lo-cated near a remote lake in Alberta, Canada, the waste from the structure was minimized to the two bags shown.

As small overnight sleeping hut I built in 1998 in the Canadian Rockies. The hut is still used today. This type of vernacular architecture has fostered a personal as-thetic between my structures and nature.

A guesthouse in the French Alps built in 2005. Concrete walls, burnt cedar exterior, and custom finished wood-work, creating an energy efficient envelope. I worked as a carpenter.

In 2009, I was hired to design, plan, and build a new bathroom in a 1910 urban prarie house, begin-ning from the main house beam. Features included a steam shower with waterproof speakers, two dimmer light switches, heated floors, original glass block win-dows and fresh air ventilation to flush the steam system.

Borealis Building Company’s commitment is in creating better living environments. This is achieved through a well-designed and well-planned building process. Comfort and utility is essential to sustainable healthy homes. Borealis Building is also a signatory of the 2030 challenge, whose goal is to create carbon neu-tral buildings by the year 2030. My company’s projects this year included two bathroom renovations, a new construction sauna, hard and soft landscape proj-ects including stone work, stepped concrete and composite decking, a recreation-al boat garage, and the remediation of water-damage in a residential structure. The Company’s sales were in excess of one hundred thousand dollars for 2009.

I was hired to design, plan and renovate this urban yard in Calgary in 2006. Stained cedar decking and fenc-ing, patio blocks with new plants and sod created a comfortable space from an otherwise unusable yard.

Running Borealis Building Company since 2002 has been financially fulfilling and constantly demanding. My business is in executing projects from concept to com-pletion. My duties include soliciting clients, researching best practices, working with regulatory bodies, managing labour, controlling materials and scheduling op-erations. My strength lies in the planning and design of buildings with respect to their communities and environments. Through my experience I have discovered that a successful building process depends entirely on the quality of the design.

During the summer of 2008 Borealis Building Co. was hired to plan and build this landscape for a newly constructed residence. As the owners were looking to create liv-ing areas outdoors, five individual spaces were created each for a different purpose. The property backs onto a greenspace limiting the need for a conventional grass yard.

Recent projects from Vancouver, B.C. include; a refurbished deck utilising hundred year old railway ties as the frame (l), a fence using all recycled wood with a sixteen foot gate supported by airline cable and tractor wheels (c), and a bamboo fence secured in concrete to support grape vines and a fig tree (r).

A retired couple have hired me to design, plan and build a structure for thier property next to the University of British Columbia’s endowment lands. The existing site is entire-ly concrete and asphalt. This shed will provide storage as well as a tea room that will dou-ble as a plant nursery. Ample planters will be built to create harmony with the surround-ing protected temperate rainforest . This project will be completed in the summer of 2010.

I have researched technical degrees in design and Masters of Architecture pro-grams and found that this specific de-gree is the correct program for me. It will allow me to implement a scientific process in researching and generating solutions to the problems inherent in building design. By attaining a Mas-ters degree, my options could include a career in a design or architecture firm, expanded project management development, a position in a regula-tory capacity or I may continue in aca-demics. I am dedicated to the change that a masters degree would provide.

A conceptual sketch for a 900 square foot coah house project on a recreational property in Point Roberts WA, United States. Designed for a young family, the house has two bathrooms, a patio and sleeps four.

I plan on working to design systems that better enable a symbiotic relationship between natural and constructed environments. The efficiency that results from reducing energy waste is an increasing eco-nomic determinant. Stewardship of our planet has become a significant political issue and a competitive advantage for business. I strongly feel my knowledge, skills and abilities will allow me to introduce and facilitate new models and systems for the building industry. The potential for international commercial and governmental cooperation is unprecedented. I envision that this generation’s ability to manage the built

environment could be our defining success.

A thousand years ago, monks in the French Alps developed and built foot-trails and refuges that are still in use today. These secure buildings, despite the remote location, are exceptional examples of environmentally aware buildings. As a North American seeking the highest stan-dard in advanced building design eductation, I am drawn to your program as a leader in the field.