New 2012 Energy Code

April 10th, 2012

The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (2012 IECC) is scheduled to become effective in the State of Illinois on July 1, 2012, unless pending legislation delays implementation by 6 months until January 1, 2013. Regardless of the effective date, the code has a significant impact on new construction and additions to existing buildings throughout the State of Illinois. SWA Architects has been ahead of the curve with green building experience and “above code” construction techniques. New residential and commercial buildings will be required to be approximately 30% more energy efficient that those built to the 2006 IECC code.
Buildings comprise approximately 39% of all energy used in the United States. The most effective way to reduce energy consumption is conservation; a more effective way to reduce consumption than more costly measures such as solar and wind. Read the rest of this entry »

Adding Character

April 10th, 2012

Click Here for additional photos of the finished home and construction photos

When a family outgrows their current home, tough decisions have to be made. In the case of this Downers Grove family, the decision was simple. Their home is located on a prime corner lot in a great community, close to transportation, a downtown full of amenities and within a great school district. So when the home began to feel a little cramped for space, the homeowners knew it was time to explore the idea of adding on to their existing home.

The owners contacted SWA Architects to prepare plans for an addition which includes a revised rear entry, second floor master bedroom suite, family room, and a basement entertainment room.

The original home was just over 1,600 square feet, and comprised of a first floor with several small walled off rooms. The kitchen, although updated, was a small galley style kitchen that lacked space and was walled off from the rest of the first floor. The second floor consisted of three bedrooms with very limited closet space and one full hall bath.

SWA Architects sat down with the homeowners to discuss what was lacking in their current home and what they hoped to have in their updated home. Read the rest of this entry »

Find us on

April 10th, 2012

SWA Architects has created a profile of our work on Houzz.com and we would like to encourage everyone to take a look. For those who are unfamiliar with Houzz, simply put it is a website for anyone interested in home design and decorating, from design professionals to homeowners. The idea is simple, individuals and design professionals share images of their work or homes creating the largest single database of design ideas for homeowners to browse and also collect images in their “Ideabook”. The “Ideabook” saves any image you like onto your profile, eliminating the need for homeowners to flip through countless magazines, clipping pictures, or bookmarking hundreds of websites looking for design ideas. Houzz categorizes all images by location, style, and room or exterior making it simple to search for exactly what you are looking for and also find and research local design professionals including; architects, interior designers, landscape architects, builders, etc. Homeowners also have the ability to open a dialogue with any of the design professionals by posting questions on their images.

We encourage you all to view our profile, we will be adding content as often as possible. Anyone can browse the site, but we encourage anyone interested to set up a profile so that you can utilize all of the sites unique features. It is simple and free, you can even do so through another account you already have such as Facebook or Twitter. Anyone who is looking to do something new with current space, thinking about building a new home, or simply enjoys looking at unique ideas for the home, this website is a must.

SWA Architects would like to share our sense of design with as many people as possible. Links between Houzz and other social media outlets make it simple to share images with friends, so we encourage everyone to share SWA’s profile with as many friends as you can.