Geoffrey Warner, FAIA - ALCHEMY Principal Architect, Owner, and weeHouse Founder 2020 - Alchemy Architects
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Geoffrey Warner, FAIA 1.0 Summary of Achievements ALCHEMY Principal Architect, Owner, and weeHouse® Founder 2020 1 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA | Alchemy Architects, LLC
Geoffrey Warner embraces Big Thinking for Small Projects.
His weeHouse and related explorations leverage design systems
®
and prefabrication with an emphasis on craft, restraint, efficiency,
and a celebratory use of resources.
Geoffrey Campbell Warner has crafted his studio as a forerunner weeHouse®
for the future of architectural practice. Alchemy’s uniquely integrated A client’s 2002 request for a $50,000 cabin led to her 330 square-foot
process—developed through years of experience and experimentation prefabricated “wee house,” which gained international attention
with manufacturers—embraces balanced aesthetics; practical production; as a symbol of architectural optimism. That success encouraged
and efficient cost, materials, and energy use. Alchemy paves a way development of the weeHouse as a flexible, pre-designed modular
for others that is both achievable and sustainable. Warner’s impact system, leveraging modular factories around the country to create
on design is not in spite of small projects, but because of small projects. dwellings “from 300 to 3,000 square feet.” Organizing a design-centered
architecture office around a design-delivery product (and one with
Hands-On Building a registered trademark) was unique in 2003 and continues to be so more
A product of the Midwest, Geoffrey embraces the farmer’s practical, than 15 years later. The weeHouse is anything but “wee” when its wider
hands-on sensibility, combining it with an admiration for the poetics global ramifications are considered.
of the industrial and agrarian landscape.
Learning from the Past, Embracing the Future
Influence Informed by the years of research behind the weeHouse, Alchemy’s latest
S. Claire Conroy, Editor-in-Chief of Residential Design Magazine, wrote efforts have centered on hybrid panelized or modular delivery methods.
of Warner’s work in 2020, “There are two powerful housing ideas that These cross-fertilized efforts have led to developing design systems for
caught the imagination of the public during the early part of this panelized BarnHouses; an ADU program of lightHouses; a one-room,
millennium. The first was the modern modular movement, and the second sustainable mobile hotel; and a passive house homeless community
was the tiny house crusade. At the forefront of both of those waves solution. Developing these complementary systems stems from Warner’s
was Geoffrey Warner of Alchemy in St. Paul, Minnesota. … The weeHouse belief that creativity can be more accessible within limitations. With
is a synthesis of modular and tiny house, with the dual goal of making a focused delivery platform and streamlined materially, designers
architect-designed housing more affordable and accessible.” are liberated to concentrate on the problem’s essence.
2 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Overview 2.0 Accomplishments 3 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA | Alchemy Architects, LLC
Overview
Delivering design.
One small
project at a time.
Warner has embraced small projects knowing the economics
of developing them is offset by their global importance lightHouse
weeHouse Studio
in a more sustainable future. 335
450 sf
335 sf
Supporting creative research and innovation while maintaining
billings within a practically run office demands new ways to
weave common threads in project delivery systems. The work
represented here illustrates how Warner and his team at Alchemy
Architects has used its limited resources to make quality design
more accessible for over twenty-five years.
Warner’s office is dedicated to limiting waste and maximizing
the impact of a carefully curated design. His process merges
modern design aesthetics with the intimacy of an efficient
footprint and appropriately targeted technology, thereby
achieving affordability and good environmental stewardship
weeHouse
lightHouse
NOTE: All photo copyrights are owned with full rights by
BarnHouse
Alchemy except as noted. All drawing / graphics copyrights
Various
are owned with full rights by Alchemy except as noted.
4 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Significant Work | Design-Delivery Programs
Warner’s design-delivery programs celebrate living large
while adhering to sustainable practices.
Design-delivery programs. Social change outcomes.
weeHouse® BarnHouse lightHouse lightHotel Envision Community
The Arado project is the first Warner’s BarnHouses consist of The lightHouse ADU (accessory This mobile urban art project Housing our homeless
weeHouse. It was initially a panelized, pre-designed dwelling unit) grew out of the arose from the weeHouse work with dignity using the same
fabricated by Warner and toolkit that leverages farmer- weeHouse work. Designs offer to embrace efficiency and quality and sustainable tools
subsequently built in a modular tech thinking and celebrates flexibility despite fewer technology on a Very Small and principles as the
factory, leading to the “barn space” over options, and the goal scale. Civic engagement weeHouse, BarnHouse,
weeHouse system and the idea “box space.” of streamlining practical promoted public and city and lightHouse. Cluster
of productizing architecture solutions for livable awareness about the potential housing now allowed by the
to make it more accessible. small housing. for quality, sustainability, and City of Minneapolis due to
cost and helped open the door precedent set by
for municipal code changes for previous works.
the Envision Community.
5 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Significant Work | Crafted Work
Furniture, Lighting, and Polivka Logan Bungalow Loft Goodrich Bungalow Hopkins Baumann Loft
Small Scale Construction Design Office Minneapolis, MN Saint Paul, MN Minneapolis, MN
Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN 1995 2001 – 2016 2008
Minneapolis, MN 1991 1400 sf 2300 sf 2600 sf
1991 – 2001, occasional 1000 sf
pieces since then.
Warner’s initial studios The industrial design studio Warner and his wife, Dawn’s, Warner and his wife, Dawn, The success of this project —
were located in shared interior started with a pre- typical 1920s stucco bungalow again renovated their home— a home and office renovation
workshops that created existing layout of sheetrock had “an expansion attic” that a larger, three-bedroom in the basement turbine room
opportunities to learn from and paint, with the goal provided room for a single bungalow for their growing of a prominent Minneapolis
craftspeople, experiment with of bringing meaning and bedroom. Over the course family—and used it as a mill —came from embracing
different tools and materials, materiality into their space. of a year, Geoffrey leaned laboratory for atypical solutions the character of the space itself
develop and realize design The An-Arch studio project heavily on salvaged materials that meshed salvaged, and leaning on the history to
through doing, and make ends was designed and built equally for the details and crafted industrial, and traditional inform new pieces that speak
meet by rolling design by the eight recent architecture elements, transforming it into aesthetics. Many of the to its past. Much of the
into a build service. school grads. The solution was a practical, spacious industrial strategies and techniques character grew out of
an industrial parasite with highly loft space with two bedrooms developed on the bungalow experimentation on the hands-
crafted technical elements and a bath while retaining the work have been carried into on work, and embraced by the
perched on or merged into house’s bungalow origins. other Alchemy design solutions Owners, themselves talented
the existing structures. These and continue to be celebrated graphic designers.
prefab parts reduced time for their expressiveness and
and disruption during the build. practicality.
6 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
WEEHOUSE
SIZE
SIZE: 350 SF SIZE
SIZE: 450-2200SF SIZE 1000-1200SF
SIZE:
CUSTOMIZATION CUSTOMIZATION CUSTOMIZATION
COST: $75K
TIMELINE: COMING SOON
Since
COST
COST:
TIMELINE
its inception
COST
COST:
STARTING AT $125K
TIMELINE: TIMELINE
TIMELINE:
in 2002, the weeHouse®
STARTING AT $150K
has continued to develop through variations
10-14 MONTHS 8 MONTHS
of sizes, layouts, finishes, locations, and
customization.
Regardless of the numerous iterations, all
weeHouses have in common a well insulated
building envelope, appropriate solar
Significant Work | weeHouse®
orientation, care in design and detailing, and
efficiency of space.
For the past 15 years, all versions of the
weeHouse® achieve a ‘big house feel’ in a
smaller, modular package through judicious use
of floor-to-ceiling glass, open kitchens, reduced
circulation space, and built-in cabinetry.
See the following pages for information on
sizing options and a few examples of floor plan
samples. Each weeHouse® is customized but
these floor plans give an idea of what is capable
within our standard modular framework.
Cumberland weeHouse®
© 2017 Alchemy LLC
1x 2x 3x 4x
1200 - 1600 SF 1200 - 2000 SF 1800 - 2400 SF
300 - 850 SF
2x
options
PAIR TALL TWIN CROSS
Arado weeHouse weeHouse® System Marfa weeHouse Two Harbors weeHouse Linden Hills weeHouse
Pepin, WI Design Program Marfa, TX Two Harbors, MN Minneapolis, MN
2002 2003 – Present 2006 2005 2007
336 sf 300 sf – 3000 sf 500 sf 950 sf 2000 sf + basement
A $130,000 lot with a $50,000 Starting from the concept 30,000 acre lot, 500 sf house. This was the first weeHouse A not-so-wee weeHouse.
build budget. Farm land two of separate boxes as separate One of the first weeHouses, built in a modular factory. Designed as a spec house
hours from the city. The functions that make up a house it draws inspiration from Mostly finished in-factory, for a realtor, this modular urban
solution is a minimalist shell to be delivered by modular Donald Judd’s Minimalist it was completed on-site house was sold at the
conceived at the intersection factories, the weeHouse has concrete boxes located by the Owner, Scott beginning of the Great
of a formal idea and an tested many different on the grounds of the Chinati McGlasson, a builder on the Recession to the incoming
efficient method of fabrication approaches and morphed Foundation in Marfa. Even original Arado weeHouse Minneapolis Institute of Art
and delivery; a jewel box house to communicate and deliver with space and budget to project. McGlasson is an director and her architect
achieved by respecting the its design for residential and spare, offsite construction accomplished furniture husband who embraced
budget. The house is so simple sometimes commercial proved a successful tool designer (Woodsport) it as a flexible receptacle for
that it continues to tell its own applications. Through the for the remote site. A concrete and his additions helped art. The value of having four
story from a period before process Alchemy has not only rectangular foundation rises to establish an ethos of craft boxes placed by noon,
sustainability and prefab were leveraged the capabilities of up from sandy soil, hosting now associated with every completed a little over a month
in fashion. It spawned the modular factories, but also the straightforward boxes and weeHouse. Press coverage later was an apparent if unusual
weeHouse as a design delivery brought to them new value- their rugged exterior shell that connected the process to one construction to see in an
platform. added methods like in-floor matches the high desert’s harsh of smart economics. upscale, urban setting at the
heat, EPDM roofs, and exterior embrace. time. It is currently Warner’s
insulation. home.
7 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Significant Work | weeHouse®
weeZero Rocky Brook weeHouse Corning weeHouse X-House Sonoma weeHouse
Moab, UT Dorchester, NH Corning, NY Ukiah, CA Santa Rosa, CA
2009 2013, 2015 2016 2016 2017
1300 sf 600 sf, 2100 sf 1500 sf 950 sf 1040 sf
The weeZero is the first A house built in stages On a $375,000 budget, One-hundred percent off-grid The mandate from owner and
net zero weeHouse by a modular delivery process, a three-bedroom age-in-place house built with active solar on design collaborator, BJ Siegel,
incorporating best sustainable this house is as much about retirement house for the owner the roof and lead-acid batteries the Senior Design Director
practices. The home is a quiet, landscape as it is about the provides ample living and in the foundation. Natural at Apple, was to embrace the
hovering, oxidized box that is dwellings. The rocks, creating space and a guest ventilation is aided by ample ethos of the original Arado
visually absorbed in its red-rock weathering steel siding, room for visiting arts-related shading from prefabricated weeHouse: design simply, build
desert landscape. Inside, and walls take on different friends. Simple agrarian roof panels that cantilever off smart, but incorporate a more
a cool, luxurious bamboo characteristics as they cluster, structures were placed the upper module—protecting liberal budget. This led to a
interior surrounds the kitchen emphasizing close views in a horse paddock clearing, the exterior stair. The lower high-end illustration of the
and bath. Water recycling, overlooking the brook below. adapting urban logic to crate module also cantilevers seven- luxury of less. A 30-minute
passive solar, solar electric, The process and economics a place that belies its actual feed off its concrete plinth video of this project has been
and solar thermal collectors were detailed in Dwell to age. The projects uses hybrid foundation to provide shade viewed four million times in
were added to achieve a provide context for other, modular construction and and shelter throughout the day two years.
practical low-energy house. similar efforts. a panelized second floor for and extend the X-House’s small
the lofted “barn” space. footprint into the landscape. Photo © 2018 Brian Ferry.
Rights with accreditation.
8 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Significant Work | Public Realm + Commercial
MONTESSORI TRAINING CENTER
O F M I N N E S O TA
Saint Paul, MN
The Montessori Training Center of Minnesota (MTCM) expansion
celebrates form, color, and light inviting exploration, imagination, and
discovery. It reflects the Montessori methods which parallel the ways
Alchemy works: interacting directly with materials, discovery, and
thoughtfully prepared environments.
Conceived as a modular project, the classroom spaces were readily laid
out as three distinct pods connected to the larger school. Each pod
contains a foyer with locker storage, accessible restroom, kitchenette
(outfitted especially for crafts and science projects) and an open
classroom layout for a flexible learning environment. A Greenhouse
serves as a link between previous and new structures. Decks and areas
for outdoor play encourage all-season interaction with nature.
Priorities included capturing natural daylight, done with the alternating
roof pitches that use clerestory windows. Finishes are low maintenance
and high quality.
The three classrooms were completed in successive years: phase one in
2012, phase two in 2013, and the final modules of phase three were
completed in 2014.
Montessori Training Center Specs Optical Facade Bang Brewing Payne+Maryland Small Silver Lake Smiles Dental
of Minnesota Classrooms Minneapolis, MN Saint Paul, MN Home Development New Brighton, MN
Saint Paul, MN 2012 2013, 2016 Saint Paul, MN 2021
2012 – 2014 1400 sf (42' grain bin) 2016 3200 sf
4500 sf 500 sf – 900 sf
A growing Montessori school To increase the visibility This micro brewery was built The small housing An urban solution to a
needed three stand-alone of an optical shop on a busy on a shoestring budget for only development was led suburban site. A white box with
modular classrooms with commercial street, Alchemy $350,000. Though simple by Warner and designed randomized “cavity” windows
kitchens and baths. Using used 3D modeling, laser- in appearance, it is rich with with Lunning Wende Architects within a two-story screened
the modular weeHouse cutting, die-cutting, and association to agriculture, beer and Coen+Partners using garden transforms a sea of
concept, these were placed a water-jet to digitally fabricate culture, and archi-culture. Saint Paul’s only 2016 parking. The near-Passive
in three consecutive years the facade. The result is As one of the country’s only development grant. It building—made from many
as grades were added. technology used to create 100% organic breweries, leverages prefab and small of the same elements
The buildings were delivered architecture inseparable from this ethos was extended home design to create a green, developed for the BarnHouse
for costs comparable to the idea of sign. to the landscape, environment- low-energy, affordable solution program— houses both
generic modular satellite conscious energy use, and for smaller households. As part a five-chair dental office
buildings, despite the fact that an authentic use of salvaged of the grant, one mandate was and a liquor store. The interior
they also had to negotiate materials. It is consistently to critique the city’s zoning features fir ply and expressive
a very tight site in and around ranked a “Best Place To Be” code and illustrate viable open framing to focuses
a wetland area. in the Twin Cities. options for its improvement, patients’ attention on window
promoting better design and and ceiling elements.
more inclusiveness.
9 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Significant Work | BarnHouse
Spencer BarnHouse Klocker House Blair BarnHouse Winhall BarnHouse Door County BarnHouse
Siren, WI St. Cloud, MN Blair, WI Winhall, VT Sturgeon Bay, WI
1999 2005 2010 2014 2015
1400 sf 2200 sf 1850 sf 1500 sf 1800 sf
The clients requested A saw-toothed Structural This full-time house takes A 68’ long, 1800s shotgun barn The owners asked Alchemy
a “modern farmhouse,” Insulated Panel (SIP) shell treats all its clues from the great that had undergone three to renovate a “builder farm
pointing to the children’s book, humble pole barns with things about nineteenth additions had the character of house” completed for them
My Cousin Katie, for modernist graphic love. The century barns and updates a tired trailer home with 7’ 2” just fifteen years earlier. By
inspiration. Taking cues interior is a panoply of mad- them for the twenty-first ceilings, vinyl siding and cheap removing the typical builder
from a collage of red siding, scientist tinkerer-farmer due to century. Modern yet finishes. Alchemy stabilized materials and details, and
gable roof, and platonic form, sheathing a feature wall with acceptable in a rural and exposed the original wood adding only fifteen feet
this house uses oversized and birch plywood, stacking birch community where families have frame, removed a section of to a poorly scaled, two-story
undersized windows and flush IKEA cabinets like a hay loft, lived for generations, the ceiling to create an interior space, and incorporating new
or inset detailing to play with and hanging rooms from the house is fully sustainable and bridge, and inserted a industrial ‘farmer stuff,’
the scale and make it at once roof. It’s a celebration of the celebrates farm tech, with powerfully intimate guest room the house was transformed
“big like a barn” and “small barn both practically and “barn light," few-but-large into the most restrictive space. into something that
like a house.” It became aesthetically without being a openings, a ‘hay’ loft under- The frame was wrapped in new transcended its modest
a strong starting point for literal pastiche. and-over space, and a warped 12” SIP shell, combining beginnings. Many of the
those ideas despite—or exterior skin. practicality and energy techniques started here have
because of—its $250,000 efficiency, and allowing the become part of the BarnHouse
budget and small footprint. original structure to remain toolkit.
intact.
10 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCSignificant Work | BarnHouse
Quadror weeHouse System Folded House Justen Barn House Seward BarnHouse BarnHouse
Design Program Minneapolis, MN Mendota Heights, MN Minneapolis, MN Design Program
2010 – 2011 2013 2015 2016 2017 – Present
2250 sf 2950 sf 1450 sf 750 sf – 1250 sf
This design system arose from A 1960s ranch house The owners are live on a This house is a model of Celebrating barn space instead
the visionary Dror Benshetrit’s renovation created suburban lot behind their restraint and celebration that of box space, the BarnHouse
innovative folding Quadror an accessible age-in-place grandson, creating an age-in- addresses a critical need for combines farm technology,
frame, combined with a home and studio for a place family compound. urban families. The quonset crafted industrial elements,
weeHouse-like design program three-person family. A simple rotation of the gable shotgun garage and two story and weeHouse thinking.
where the two designers The renovation embraces line creates sloped walls, which barnHouse form distinct yards A robust platonic building
inspired each other to expand the house’s original 1960s were fabricated with CNC-cut with urban character defined envelope using 10-to 12-inch
opportunity in their own work. character while adding craft SIPs so exact that the shell by rural materials. The exterior SIPs with liquid membrane,
Because of the consideration within a new, high-performance shifted only 1/8-inch over the weathering steel detailing and passive house windows,
for structure and delivery, shell. It features passive solar opposite corners of the house. barn rain screen belie the and a rain-screen skin,
it was also an inspirational design with thermal mass, Alchemy teamed-up with platonic gables of its the BarnHouse increases
forerunner of the hybrid and an integrated landscape Chaleff Rogers Architects in neighbors. A work-at-home expectations around low
BarnHouse and lightHouse with digitally designed and New York to bury the structure lifestyle is achieved on a energy use. The utility core
programs. fabricated laser cut steel. within the roof, thereby modest budget and small contains bathroom and
The form of the folded roof maintaining the purity of the footprint that nonetheless mechanical and is standardized
Photo © 2010 Studio Dror. comes from the influence of home’s geometry. features a spacious barn-like for various models, from
No greater rights secured. the sun’s path, and harvested interior. accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
by the Trombe wall inside. to three-bedroom homes.
11 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCSignificant Work | lightHouse
lightHotel lightHouse System Sebastopol lightHouse Envision Community Envision Model 1
Saint Paul and Design Program Sebastopol, CA Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN 2019 – Present 2019 Started 2018 2020
2017 310 sf – 600 sf 450 sf 400 sf
8' x 20’ Shipping Container
The lightHotel, a one-room Big house, small package. The first official lightHouse, Alchemy and University of MN This two-bedroom prototype
mobile hotel is a postcard Relying on over fifteen years it was delivered as a modular design partners, Tom Fisher was designed with Jacob Mans
of the Twin Cities. Inspired of design thinking with the build and fabricated at Plant and Jacob Mans, teamed and built by students
by Italo Calvino’s Invisible weeHouse, the lightHouse Prefab, about 500 miles from with a Hennepin County and homeless volunteers.
Cities, the lighthotel creates is a streamlined version the site. It is an initial ADU Medical Center surgeon To reduce both mechanicals
a ritual that seeks to become of the weeHouse; less options, on a lot that reserves room and the homeless citizens of and operating costs, it uses
part of the narrative of the city. but more suited to varied, for the larger, primary home. Street Voices for Change in this 10-inch fir plywood shell;
Part place-making event, it also expedient delivery methods. With a compact and efficient pilot program designed to triple glazed, triple sealed tilt
achieved ecotourism as a by- Designed to leverage modular mechanical core and a well- house the most at-risk turn windows and doors;
product of the technologies construction—or be panelized performing shell , it is a very populations and help keep and a liquid membrane
required to make the hotel with a modular bath core— low energy building. Alchemy’s them out of the healthcare weather barrier. This test
function. The result is both the goal is to practically solve craft is evident in its custom- system. With a Passive House model used partially salvaged
a laboratory and proving the ADU perception, quality, made, functional jewelry design, a central dining and and rough-sawn “junk” wood
ground for next efforts for time, and cost problems that and built-ins. It is a testing bath center, and a low-impact and flexible rain screen siding.
the lightHouse and the are current barriers to fulfilling ground for more than half foundation, the system allows A developing toolkit of CNC
Envision Community. these varied housing needs. a dozen other lightHouses the houses to be moved as components helps achieve
in the works. needed. In the process, the design, craft, and reduce labor.
team helped Minneapolis
change its zoning code.
12 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC3.0 Exhibits BIG LOVE: 10 small projects 13 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA | Alchemy Architects, LLC
BIG LOVE: 10 small projects
BL.1 Arado weeHouse BL.6 lightHouse System and
Pepin, WI Sebastopol lightHouse
2002 Sebastopol, CA
Photographers: Douglas Fogelson and Geoffrey Warner 2019, 2020
BL.2 weeHouse® System BL.7 Specs Optical Facade
2003 – Present Minneapolis, MN
2011
BL.3. Marfa weeHouse
Marfa, TX BL.8 Bang Brewing
2005 Saint Paul, MN
Photographers: Josh Capistrant and 2014
Scott Ervin
BL.9 Hopkins Baumann Loft
BL.4 Sonoma weeHouse Minneapolis, MN
Santa Rosa, CA 2008
2016
Photographers: Brian Ferry and BL.10 Blair BarnHouse
Millicent Harvey and Geoffrey Warner Blair, WI
2010
BL.5 lightHotel
Saint Paul, MN and nearby locations
2018
14 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCArado
weeHouse
A $130,000 lot with a $50,000 budget. Farm land two hours
from the city. The solution is a minimalist shell conceived
in the intersection of a formal idea and a method of
fabrication and delivery within the practicalities of a shipping
envelope; a jewel box house achieved because of its
restrictive budget. The house is so simple that it continues
to tell its own story from a period before sustainability
and prefab were fashionable, and spawned the weeHouse
as a design delivery platform. The shell is sized upon standard
Andersen patio doors which flush with the ceiling to create
an open interior. To address the budget, electrical and utilities
were roughed into the house but not brought to the site.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager
Location Pepin, WI
Year 2002
Size 1200 sf
Awards 2006 AIA-MN Honor Award
Publications StarTribune, 2006; Smart HomeOwner, 2007; New York
Times, 2007; Tiny Houses by Rizzoli, 2009
15 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCPhoto © 2004 Douglas Fogelson. Rights with accreditation.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home
in Pepin, WI and Donald
Judd’s minimalist concrete
boxes in Marfa, TX provided
inspiration for the
weeHouse.
An idea (left) paired with
a process (right): literally,
a delivery method.sizing options and a few examples of floor plan
samples. Each weeHouse® is customized but
these floor plans give an idea of what is capable
within our standard modular framework.
Cumberland weeHouse®
© 2017 Alchemy LLC
1x 2x 3x 4x
1200 - 1600 SF 1200 - 2000 SF 1800 - 2400 SF
300 - 850 SF
2x
options
PAIR TALL TWIN CROSS
weeHouse® System
A flexible modular design system based on “box space,” Warner and his team at Alchemy Architects have not only
a concept that people inherently understand from growing leveraged the capabilities of modular factories, but also
up playing with blocks. brought to them new value-added methods like in-floor heat,
EPDM roofs, rain screen siding, and exterior insulation.
The system provides a selection of options with enough flexibility
to meet different needs, sites, and climates. Pre-designed plans
allow testing of ideas quickly, allotting more time to embrace Firm of Record Alchemy
the creative aspects of the design process. In particular, the Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager
two-box program utilizes an efficient modular process, yet yields Year 2004 – Present
completely different houses depending on the way the boxes
are combined. Through the system,
17 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC3.1 Exhibits: Arado weeHouse
Marfa weeHouse
Firm of Record Alchemy
A 500 square-foot house with a 30,000 acre living room.
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager
The modestly scaled retreat sits lightly on the landscape
Location Sonoma, CA
in a remote site located twenty minutes outside the small arts
Year 2006
colony of Marfa, Texas. The initial house is a do-all outpost— Size 568 sf
the first of three modules that were planned for the site. Awards 2010 AIA-MN Honor Award
The module arrived complete with an outdoor shed and a fully Publications Fast Co. Design, 2006; Residential Architect, 2008;
finished interior and exterior. Warner sought to re-imagine Curbed, 2013; Architecture MN, 2012; 150 Best Tiny
the idea of luxury based on size, looking to leverage the Home Ideas by Harper Collins; Dwell, 2018
uniqueness of place through an efficient, multi-use space
and simple, elegant detailing.
18 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC3.0 Exhibits
Sonoma weeHouse
This small, ultra-minimal home is based on the original Arado
weeHouse yet customized to meet the luxe finishing
requirements of the client, BJ Siegel, Senior Design Director
at Apple. The home embraces the “less is more” mandate
to its fullest extent. Luxury arises from an interior that fully
inhabits views on both sides, a detail that is reinforced
by the huge operating side walls, and a white bed box
in the center of the space. To maximize the modular process,
everything was fit into within a 16-foot wide shipping
envelope, complete with steel that supports a 10-foot
cantilevered porch with 40-foot pre-cambered beam that
was bolted in place onsite. The simple form was anything
but simple in the way that it managed to conceal structure,
door hardware, recessed shades, and insect screens within
this limited space.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager
Location Sonoma, CA
Year 2016 – 2018
Size 990 sf
Awards 2018 AIA Small Projects Award
2017 Residential Architect Design Award
Publications Fair Companies Video by Kirsten Dirksen, 2018;
Dwell, multiple 2016 – 2020; Midwest Home, 2018
20 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC3.3 Exhibits: Marfa weeHouse
23 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey C. Warner, AIA | Alchemy
Photo © 2018 Millicent Harvey. Rights with accreditation.3.5 lightHotel 22 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA
lightHotel
The lightHotel is a one-room hotel that serves as a postcard
of the Twin Cities. It is part public art project, part off-grid
laboratory, and part civic engagement piece. Inspired by
Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, the lightHotel creates a ritual
that seeks to become part of the narrative of the city, while
improving on the aspirations of prefab to live smaller and
greener.
Using a container not as a solution in itself, but as a symbol
of restriction, the result is a space that is spacious, despite
allocations for mechanical (in-floor hydronic heat and a dual-
purpose boiler) and water systems (a jet pump to a water bag
under the bed, and a grey water filtering system).
The lightHotel both embraces the straightforward structure
of the shipping container and embellishes upon it through
the use of industrial iconography and decorative touches like
custom fittings, an industrial vent, and gold leaf shrouds.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager, Builder
Location Twin Cities, MN; Eau Claire, WI
Year 2018
Size 160 sf
Publications Fair Companies Video by Kirsten Dirksen, 2018;
StarTribune, 2018; MinnPost, 2017
FUL, EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WAS KEY IN THE
WITH DESIGNERS, BUILDERS, EXPERTS, STUDENTS, NEIGHBORS, AND
23 WHERE
L HAVING A SAY IN Geoffrey Warner,
THEY’D LIKEFAIA | Alchemy,
THEIR LLC TO BE.
“LOBBY”3.6 lightHouse System 24 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA
lightHouse System Between the full-size house and an Airstream trailer lies a void to be filled—one that faces obstacles of economics, quality, lending, zoning, and public perception. Arising from over fifteen years of design thinking, the lightHouse offers a streamlined version of Alchemy’s iconic weeHouse. Delivered in a fast and efficiently, it provides a solution for replacement housing, cabins, guest houses, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), short-term rentals, home offices, or age-in-place dwellings. Luxurious and well-crafted, the lightHouse is both low-energy and sustainable. Limited but meaningful options allow for design adaptations that respond to various climates, sites, and orientations. Standing on its own or blending into surrounding architecture, the lightHouse is a beacon for living sustainably and a celebration of “living large with the luxury of less.” Firm of Record Alchemy Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager Year 2018 (System), 2020 (Sebastopol lightHouse, right) Size Various (System), 450 sf (Sebastopol lightHouse) Publications Metropolis, 2018; Forbes, 2020; Dwell, 2020 25 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
The entire line of lightHouses is taken from real-world clients Introduced along with the Sebastopol lightHouse and
and their needs, using a standardized bath and mechanical core. Plant Prefab in 2020, Alchemy currently has approximately
The S, M, L, and XL lightHouses can be delivered on one truck half a dozen lightHouses in various stages of planning
as single, complete dwellings. The M and 2X lightHouses can be or production, helping to prove and develop the system
delivered in two narrower 12-foot sections and seamed onsite. as a viable, high quality, efficient, and flexible model
for what ADUs can be.
S M L XL 2X
14’ x 22’ = 310 sf 16’ x 24’ = 280 sf 16’ x 30’ = 480 sf 16’ x 38’ = 600 sf 24’ x 24’ = 570 sf
26 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCSpecs Optical Facade The irony of an optical shop that can’t be seen on one of the busiest commercial streets in Minneapolis was not lost on the business owners. Landscape beautification installed by the city obscured the storefront and sign code limitations prevented the shop from using signage that would be visible behind the trees and bushes. Warner investigated both city codes and technology to create architecture inseparable from the idea of a “sign.” The solution was craft arising from machine fabrication—a crystalline envelope of 5/8-inch thick greenhouse polycarbonate skin, manipulated to form offset and distorted frames around the existing windows. Low-power LED spots are programmed to slowly shift color over the facade, boosting nighttime visibility. Firm of Record Alchemy Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager Location Minneapolis, MN Year 2010 Awards 2010 AIA MN Honor Award Publications Architecture MN, 2011 27 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
the storefront openings. The triple wall ("greenhouse") polycarbonate is rigid,
2012 AIA Small Projects
inexpensive, and self-supporting in its triangulated geometry.
3.7 Exhibits | Specs Optical Facade
A large-format sheet metal CNC router was adapted
with special plastic cutting heads allowing clean physical
production of sheets up to 6’ x 12’.
Top right: Design work was
undertaken in 3D computer
modeling and flattened, allowing
Instead of working drawings, a 1/2”for
= a1’more efficient physical
laser-cut scale model
production.
for installation, with all pieces numbered in both small and full scales.
Bottom right: A laser-cut scale
model was used
as a guide for installation, with all
pieces numbered in both small
and full scales.
SPECS Optical Façade Left: The skin is manipulated to
Minneapolis, MN respect the existing windows,
Design+Build Budget - $60,000. signage, and the 1900s building.
The irony of an optical shop that one can’t see on one of the
busiest commercial streets in Minneapolis was not lost on the business owners.
Landscape beautification installed by the city obscured their storefront, and sign
28 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA code limitations prevented the shop from using signage that would be visible
behind the trees and bushes. The architects investigated both code options and
technology to create architecture inseparable from the idea of sign.Bang Brewing
Bang Brewing, opened in 2013 by a husband and wife team,
is the first 100% organic brewery in the Midwest. The brewery
reflects their focus on sustainability and being good
environmental stewards. The “prefab” grain bin saved on
build costs and provided a high volume to exterior surface
area ratio for energy and material conservation. Along with
its palette of silo silver and salvaged wood, the brewery
features a custom made insulated glass skylight, spray
urethane insulation (R-28), and in-floor heat beneath the
high-strength, polished concrete floors. The pavilion, added
in 2016, extended the palette into an organic rain garden.
Culverts provide shelter, handmade picnic tables and benches
provide rest, and a carpet of gravel controls rainwater.
Bang Brewing is consistently noted as a top destination for
those visiting the Twin Cities.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager, Fabricator
Location Saint Paul, MN
Year 2014, 2016
Size 1385 sf
Publications Fair Companies video by Kirsten Dirksen, 2018;
PBS, 2019; MPR, 2020
29 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCBUILDING
AS ICON
The lightweight,
prefab Midwestern
Pantheon-turned-
3.8 Exhibits | Bang Brewing Bierhaus is rooted in
both the tools used
for the creation
and consumption of
beer and everyone’s
favorite symbol of
Roman Architecture.
PANTHEON PANTHEON FIELD OF BARLEY
M BEER KEG
M GRAIN BIN
M FERMENTER
30 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIAHopkins
Baumann Loft
Owned by recently relocated New Yorkers, this live-work
space was especially chosen for its historic roots as the turbine
room within a formerly working mill. As the darkest and least
expensive unit in the building, the floor was raised and the
ceiling dropped with curved white and steel clouds to funnel
the daylight from the north-facing windows. To hide
mechanicals and structural, a timber “house” was inserted
as a guest bedroom/office and bath suite. Recessed tracks
with tables on wheels transform kitchen tables into a
conference space, on a path that mimics the main turbine axle
from the original space. Old tech infiltrates the interior design,
including bronze bushing that allows a 600-pond custom door
to pivot freely.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager, Fabricator
Location Minneapolis, MN
Year 2008
Awards 2008 AIA MN Home of the Month Award
Publications 2008 AIA MN Honor Award
New York Times, 2008; StarTribune, 2008; Midwest
Home, 2008; Architecture MN, 2009
31 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC
Photo © 2008 Michelle Litvin. No greater rights secured.se
the linchpin to
es into objects
of columns. It
bedroom and
bles as a private
with the HVAC
thin. It is com-
high Jenga-type
om rough-sawn
hern Minnesota
strewn detritus
+
he kitchen is an
squared white
from the stack.
The interior “house” is composed of 12”-24” wide
blocks made from plain rough-sawn whitewashed
northern Minnesota pine.
Their irregular layout is inspired by Jenga blocks
and cribbing shown in this Library of Congress photo
from the space.
32 FAIA Fellow Submission | Geoffrey Campbell Warner, AIA
Photo © 2008 Michelle Litvin. No greater rights secured.Blair BarnHouse
This full-time house takes inspiration from 19th-century barns,
updating them for a fully sustainable 21st-century home.
Celebrating the charm of derelict barns, the facade features
a warped skin and large openings to filter light. Inside,
an open two-story room with under- and over-spaces mimic
the space and shape of hay lofts. The result is modern take
on an iconic structure that has defined the rural Midwestern
landscape for generations. The interior features hacked IKEA
furnishings paired with steel industrial fittings, a laser-cut
column, and custom made light fixtures fabricated from insect
screen bags. Despite a modest budget, the house used about
$10 per month in a typical January by relying on a ground
source heat pump and a robust building shell.
Firm of Record Alchemy
Role of Nominee Architect, Project Manager
Location Blair, WI
Year 2020
Size 1850 sf
Awards 2010 AIA-MN Honor Award
2011 AIA National Honor Award
Publications Interior Design, 2011; StarTribune, 2011; Dwell, 2013
33 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLC2 1/2"
open to
below
3" pulleys
bolted to post 1 1/16"
note: pulleys may need
galvanized sheet metal
strap to help retain rope.
1/2" ø holes, verify on installation. 1 1/4"
1 1/4"
MASTER BEDROOM open to
below
5" o.c.
2 1/2"
4"
PULLEY SPEC: 1/2 rad.
2'-0"
McMaster-Carr #3165T43
1/16"
Master Bath/Bedroom
N
(630)-833-0300 ($28 ea.)
galvanized wheel w/ bronze
2 5/16"
bore for 3/8" ø galv steel bolt. 7 5/32"
CAPITAL lasercut 1/4" top plate
Upper Reading Area/ Library
"
w/ (2) 1/4" countersunk holes for
5'-3 3/4
1/4" ovalhead stainless screws.
Drill and blind weld from topside to post
House
Baseplate CAD file provided by Architect
TV Room 3 Top Pulley Elev. 3/4" = 1'-0"
DIning, Living
8'-4 1/
2"
1' x 1-1/2" steel tube.
Half Bath/Entry hot-dipped galvanized.
7'-6 3/4" subfloor to bearing
TV AREA HALL
open ends
Kitchen
7'-5 1/4" exposed
3/4" sisal rope
1/2" ø holes, 3" pulley mounted on paired
PORCH 4-1/2" o.c. 1/4" x 1-1/2" x 10" side-lapped
continuous stainless extension of truss. Note: side
LIVING / DINING KITCHEN piano hinge supports are extended to
retain rope so it won't slip off.
CROTCH cold saw
Porch or mill 24" line in
3'-
10
1' x 1-1/2" crossbar pipe. 3/8" hole at
1/
end of crotch.
4"
bolted to top of truss.
Skin 3" pulley See 4/6.0 for length. Heat-bend legs.
N hot-dipped galvanized.
open ends
latch
2-1/2" x 2-1/2" galvanized steel angle wrap.
weld onsite to fix warped window to match wall.
cold galvanize weld areas as req'd.
Post:
LAUNDRY 2-1/2" DOM
ROOT CELLAR
WC
w/ .1875 wall
MECHANICAL
Basement or
XX 2" pipe:
2 3/8" O.D.
w/ .218 wall
ERN 4" x 1/4" slip collar
(silicone in place)
STORE ROOM STORE ROOM BEDROOM (W) BEDROOM (E)
Hand Crank Winch BASE buried
in concrete
1 1/2" concrete
finished floor line
N
2 Porch Window Hardware 1 TV area column
3/4" = 1'-0" 3" = 1'-0" and 1-1/2" = 1'-0"
34 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCAppendix | Publications
Over 55 of Warner’s projects have been published in upwards of 300 books, newspapers, magazines, blogs,
and videos worldwide. Below is a partial list illustrating the breadth of the publications.
Residential Design, “Pro-File Design: Midwest Home, “Alchemy Celebrates Interior Design, “The Great Outdoors: WIRED, “Some Assembly Required,”
Alchemy Architects,” 25 Years,” Oct. 2017 Blair BarnHouse” Feb. 2011 Jan. 2006
Apr. 2020
MINN POST “Mobile, One-Room MSN.COM, “Small Homes/Big Toronto Star, “Some Assembly
Dwell, “Budget Breakdown: LightHotel Celebrates 'The Luxury Appeal,” Feb. 2011 Required,” Jan. 2006
A Steel-Clad Prefab Blends Into of Less,’” Jan. 2017
a Lush Forest for $665K,” Huffington Post, “The Future of Más Pequeños Espacios Urbanos
Mar. 2020 Dwell, “Steel the Scene,” Dec. 2016 Housing,” Feb. 2011 by Cristina Del Valle, 2005. Book.
Family Handyman, “homeLAB: Midwest Home, “Mia’s Third Thursday New York Times, “Trading New York Good House, Cheap House
A Testing Zone for Innovations,” and LightHotel,” for Midwest Grit,” Sept. 2008 by Kira Obolensky, 2005. Book.
Feb. 2020 May 2016
NPR, “The weeHouse Comes to Residential Architect, Nigel Maynard,
Dwell, “For Minimalist Modular NCARB, “Small Homes, Small Linden Hills,” Sept. 2008 “New Visions of Home Bungalow Loft,”
Design…Look No Further Than Communities,” Jul. 2016 2005
the weeHouse,” Feb. 2020 New York Times, “Think Small,”
HIVE, Jennifer Castenson, Feb. 2007 Pioneer Press, “American Icon,”
ArchDaily, “25 Projects Merged into “Nothing Small About the weeHouse,” Sept. 2004. Feature on Warner.
the Diverse Landscape of California,” Oct. 2016 CBS Marketwatch, “Defying Trend,”
Jan. 2020 2007 Metropolitan Home, “Holiday Gift
Professional Builder, “Tiny Homes Tap Guide,” Nov. 2003. Features a $50K
Metropolis Magazine, a Bigger Market,” May 2015 Sundance Channel, “Big Ideas/Small weeHouse.
“Future of Modular Housing,” Planet,” Apr. 2007
Sept. 2018 Back to the Cabin by Dale Mulfinger, The Farmhouse by Jean Rehkamp
2013. Book. Arquitectura Y Diseno (Spain), Larson, 2001. Book.
Kirsten Dirksen / Fair Companies “Modulares y Desmontables,”
“Apple Architect Picks a Small Prefab The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 2007 New American Additions and
Home,” Sept. 2018. Over four million “A Big Version of a ‘weeHouse,’” Renovations, Kim & Trulove,
views. Jun. 2012 TIME, “Shrinking Down the House,” 2001. Book.
Aug. 2006
Fine Homebuilding, “Houses by Construir (Brazil), House Beautiful, “Up On The Roof,
Design: Prefab Homes,” Jul. 2018 “Celeiro Moderno,” Apr. 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Bungalow-Loft,” May 1997.
“Fabulous Prefabs,” Jul. 2006
TreeHugger, Lloyd Alter, “After Fifteen Mother Earth Living, “Alchemy’s Interior Design, “This Old House,
Years, the weeHouse Just Keeps weeHouse: Beautiful Tiny Homes,” Geoffrey Warner Built Bungalow-Loft,”
Getting Better Each Time,” Oct. 2018 Feb. 2012 May 1997.Appendix | Awards, Honors and Recognition
2019 Dezeen Award 2010 AIA National
Global Shortlist, Award in Housing
Rural House of the Year Blair BarnHouse
One of six houses to win
the award. 2010 AIA-Minnesota
Sonoma weeHouse Honor Award
Blair BarnHouse
2018 AIA National
Small Projects Award 2010 AIA-Minnesota
Sonoma weeHouse Honor Award
Specs Optical Facade
2017 Residential
Architecture Award 2009 AIA-Minnesota
Sonoma weeHouse Home of the Month
Goodrich Bungalow
2017 SIPA Building
Excellence Winner, 2009 MN Nursery
Houses Under 3000 and Landscape Association
Square Feet Grand Honor Award
Justen Barn House Goodrich Bungalow
Collaboration with
2016 AIA-Minnesota Phillips Garden.
Honor Award
Sonoma weeHouse 2008 AIA-Minnesota
Honor Award
2012 AIA National Hopkins Baumann Loft
Small Projects Award
Specs Optical Facade 2008 AIA-Minnesota
Home of the Month
2011 AIA-Minnesota Linden Hills weeHouse
Honor Award
Marfa weeHouse
36 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCAppendix | Exhibitions
lightHotel Interim Report on the Excavation La Triennale di Milano Architecture HOME House Project:
Minnesota and Wisconsin of Zone 5 Biennale The Future of Affordable Housing
Summer 2016 – Summer 2018 Form + Content Gallery Milan, Italy Weisman Art Museum
An urban eco-tourism event Minneapolis, MN Summer 2008 Minneapolis, MN
featuring music, art, and poetry Summer 2011 Models, drawings, and photos January – April 2006
readings in the lightHotel. Group salvage art show from The from the Marfa weeHouse. Furnishings and lighting from
Department of Public Design, a salvaged materials to create
Northern Spark: Climate Change/ collection of Twin Cities Architects Walker on the Green: a room within the Gehry gallery.
Climate Chaos assembled to create collaborative Artist-Designed Mini Golf
Minneapolis, MN work and art during the Great Walker Art Center For the Love of Salvage
Summer 2016 Recession. Minneapolis, MN University of Minnesota
lightHotel in the shadow of Spring – Summer 2008 Architecture Library
Minneapolis’ Stone Arch Bridge. MASTER/Plan: Visionary Architects Minneapolis, MN
and Their Utopian Worlds Some Assembly Spring 2001
The Art of Sustainability Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Required: Contemporary Furnishings and lighting
Minneapolis Institute of Art Rollins College Prefabricated Houses from Warner’s studio.
Minneapolis, MN Orlando, FL Traveling Exhibition
Spring 2016 September – December 2010 December 2005 – 2007 Illegal Houses
lightHotel in the MIA courtyard. Alchemy featured as one of six Alchemy featured along Minnesota College of Art
international architect-artists, with eight architects working and Design Gallery
BarnHouse and lightHouse including Morris Adjmi, Michael in prefabrication, including Steven Minneapolis, MN
Showcase Graves, Chad Oppenheim, Adrien Holl, Lazor Office, Marmol March 1989
Minneapolis/Saint Paul Smith, and Paolo Soleri. Radziner, Michelle Kauffman, A theoretical show celebrating rule
Home Show Swedish Pinc House, Resolution 4: breaking. Warner presented the
Minneapolis, MN Design Philadelphia: Architecture, and Rocio Romero. concept of a “Dual House,” a six-
Spring 2015 A Clean Break Locations included the Walker Art foot-wide wall house set entirely
SIP houses erected in one week. October 2008 Center, Vancouver Art Gallery, outside a residential setback and a
Philadelphia, PA Yale School of Architecture, tower house. Other participants
100 Years of Student Drawings Saturn weeHouse featured. Museum of Contemporary Art included Julie Snow, FAIA (Snow
University of Minnesota at the Pacific Design Center, Kreilich); Vincent James, FAIA
School of Architecture and Virginia Center for (VJAA); and Joan Soranno FAIA
Minneapolis, MN Architecture. (HGA).
October 2013
Warner’s thesis project,
“A Motel in the Desert,” was
featured representing the
Class of 1987.
37 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCAppendix | Speaking
AIA-New York CRAN North Dakota State University New Brighton Housing Forum Design Philadelphia 2008
Small and Tiny Houses Design Build Prefab, Small, Affordable weeHouse and Design Build
May 5, 2020 October 1, 2018 June 4, 2016 October 2008
Zoom Presentation Fargo, ND New Brighton, MN Philadelphia, PA
Panel with Kai Uwe, Bergmann
BIG, Dennis Wedlick, University of Minnesota AIA-Minnesota University of Minnesota
Dale Mulfinger, Lloyd Alter, Small is Big. Again. Small Homes Design Lecture Series
and Peter Chapman. April 12, 2017 October 2016 Dirty Laundry:
Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis, MN The Dirt on Design
BMC National Presentation with Jay Isenberg November 2008
Small Spaces, Big Windows: AIA-Wyoming Keynote and others. Minneapolis, MN
Transforming Expectations What is the Deal with Tiny Houses,
of Luxury and Why Are They Big Again? See Change: Minnesota Marketing Association
January 22, 2020 June 23, 2017 Conference on Design: weeHouse
Las Vegas, NV Jackson, WY The Power of Visual April 2007
Communication Minneapolis, MN
AIA-Minnesota Keynote 3M May 21 – 22, 2013
Envisioning Homeless Community Small is Big University of Minnesota Walker Art Center
November 12, 2019 August 15, 2017 Minneapolis, MN Talk with Curator Andrew Blauveld
Minneapolis, MN 3M Corporate Campus and Charlie Lazor (Flatpak).
Saint Paul, MN University of Minnesota Design February 16, 2006
ADU Community Division presentation with Lecture Series Minneapolis, MN
Workshop Series lightHotel display and tour. Dirty Laundry:
September – October, 2019 The Dirt on Design AIA-Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN New England Sustainable Energy November 18, 2011 weeHouse
Public information sessions. Association Minneapolis, MN November 2004
Off-Site Construction: Minneapolis, MN
Modular, Prefab and Construction The Future? AIA Outreach:
Senate March 9, 2016 Minneapolis AIA
Small is Big. Again. Boston, MA weeHouse
October 20, 2019 Panelist with Lake Flato, May 2009
San Francisco, CA Bensonwood, and Kaplan Minneapolis, MN
Speaker and prefab panelist. Thompson.
38 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCAppendix | Teaching and Juries
Teaching AIA Juries
Designing Practice Boston, 2018
University of Minnesota North Dakota, 2016
College of Design, School of Architecture
Kansas, 2015
Spring 2015
A class aimed at providing students first-hand exposure to national
Maine, 2012
leaders of design-centric businesses in the Twin Cities. Students visited
and interviewed the founders of local studios, researched the history and
context in which they practice, modeled their businesses using the
Business Model Generation handbook, and used that research to inform
the modeling of their own hypothetical practices. Studio visits included
BluDot, VJAA, TE Studio, Locus Arch, Rolu Fabrication, Werner Design
Werks, Coen+Partners, Tom Oliphant, Woodsport, and Alec Soth, among
others.
Design Build
University of Minnesota
College of Design, School of Architecture
Fall 1998, Spring and Summer 1999
One of the first classes in years offered to University of Minnesota
students to get real life hands-on building experience. Students
identified, communicated, designed, and built permanent community
garden shelters and infrastructure on LaSalle Avenue in Minneapolis. With
Jono Query of IIIAD and Joe Lambert, AIA.
Solar Decathlon
University of Minnesota
College of Design, School of Architecture
Adjunct Faculty Advisor, 2008 – 2009
39 Geoffrey Warner, FAIA | Alchemy, LLCYou can also read
