Meet Scott Rodwin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Rodwin.

Hi Scott, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am an architect. I graduated from Cornell in ’91 and while I was in Ithaca, I stumbled into co-housing (Ecovillage of Ithaca) and got introduced to the then-nascent idea of sustainable design. I moved to Boulder shortly thereafter and helped co-found Nomad Cohousing in North Boulder, where I have lived for the last 26 years.

As soon as I arrived, I started researching and advocating for green building through the American Institute of Colorado, ultimately founding AIA Colorado’s Committee on the Environment. I have worked and volunteered in several positions bringing education and resources to the industry and the general public over the last 30 years, including being the President of the Colorado Green Building Guild, Pres. of the AIA Colorado North Chapter twice, and extensive writing and teaching on the subject. I have taught green building for the City and County of Boulder, for USGBC, for Naropa, and the AIA at their national conferences.

I started my firm in ’99. We’re now 27 people and have been a leader in the Colorado sustainable design movement since our inception. We have designed and built (we are also the general contractor) several LEED Platinum Homes, numerous Net-Zero homes, and a few “regenerative” ones, and have been recognized with dozens of local, regional, and national awards for our work.
www.rodwinarch.com

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While green building has enjoyed consistently increasing attention and importance, the nature of the design & building industry is cyclical and events like the Great Recession of 2008 were devastating to our industry.

Going from being an architect to being a designer/builder was particularly challenging – as you do not have to learn and be good at two very different skill sets. Fortunately one of the designers in my office was an experienced contractor, and when the 2008 Recession hit, he and I took that opportunity to pivot and re-invent how we delivered buildings to our clients, by building them as well (we had started doing that in 2001, but it was a small and disorganized operation). That move has led to dramatic growth for our firm and a much higher level of quality product and experience being delivered to our client.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are known for creating extraordinary green custom homes. In helping our clients understand that they don’t have to choose between beauty, functionality, and sustainability. They can have it all.

Any big plans?
Just keep slowly improving and expanding. We’re currently working on 6 Marshall Fire rebuilds (in addition to 14 other houses), as well as a restaurant, and a mixed-use building.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rodwinarch.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodwinarchitecture/

Image Credits
Alivestudios.com