Daniel Matthew Silvernail Architect A.I.A.

Daniel Silvernail’s first degree is in Environmental Biology. He was an environmental biologist (B.A. Environmental Biology C.S.U. Northridge 1979) well before architecture had even become a glimmer in his eye. He encountered architecture at the ripe old age of 27. At the time he was a carpenter employed by his father, Robert L. Silvernail, General Contractor (deceased).

He subsequently obtained his beginning drafter experience in the early ‘80’s, doing mostly tenant improvement design for regional shopping malls including the Beverly Center, Santa Monica Place, Montclair Plaza, South Bay Galleria, Woodland Hills Promenade San Diego’s Horton Plaza and Stanford Center.

He attended the University of Oregon from 1985-1989 obtaining his first professional degree, the Master’s in Architecture in that year. There he focused his study on architectural design, graphic media, architectural theory, and urban theory studying under esteemed educators and theorists including Rosaria Hodgdon, Virginia Cartwright, Donald Genasci, Howard Davis, Peter Clegg of the British Royal Institute, Jean Pierre Castex Director of the Ecole des Beaux Artes and the noted American urbanist Peter Calthorpe.

His professional experience began in 1989 in Santa Cruz with the firm of David Boone FAIA, followed by collaborations with Gary Garmann AIA, Thacher & Thompson Architects, and Robert Corbett AIA where he participated as Project Architect.

He entered private practice in 1997, and in that year designed and obtained permits for the first legal straw-built residence in Santa Cruz County. Subsequent straw-built projects include the Vega House, believed to be the first two-story straw-bale house in the Monterey Bay region, and which is listed on the International Straw Bale Building Registry.

A member of ADPSR and USGBC, he has been a member of CASBA, the California Straw Building Association since 2001 and currently serves on its Advisory Board.

In the past year he has presented several presentations on straw building design, most notably at the annual California Conference of the American Institute of Building Design and at the biannual CASBA Professional Conference in Marin County.

Daniel is licensed in the states of California and Hawaii and recently obtained NCAARB certification in support of the interstate practice of architecture.

Daniel Matthew Silvernail Architect AIA, founded in 1997, is an architectural firm in Santa Cruz, California. The firm currently consists of one principal and three staff. The firm’s projects and experience are wide-ranging, from the most intricately small to the largest interiors, from additions to free-standing residential and commercial buildings.

Mr. Silvernail’s first career was in environmental biology, and his environmental convictions form an important part of his contribution to the field of architecture. Encouraging environmentally responsible design and sustainability is among the primary goals of his practice. Recent alternatively-designed homes include the Vega Strawbale House in Scotts Valley and the Bishoff/Shane Strawbale House, Corralitos, CA.

Mr. Silvernail’s awards include second place in the Marina Library Competition in 1997, Santa Cruz Downtown Association Awards for three facade designs, 1997 (with R. Corbett AIA), Certificate of Merit for the Transit Building, Watsonville Intermodal Center, 1996 (with R.Corbett AIA), and Certificate of Mention in the Spreeinsel International Urban Competition, after which the entry was exhibited in Berlin, Germany, in 1994. Mr. Silvernail is also a successful artist whose works have been exhibited at the Bargetto Gallery and the McPherson Center for Art and History in Santa Cruz.

Daniel Matthew Silvernail brings to the firm the conviction that the client’s interests are served by strict observance of a timeless threefold balance. Firstly, the Project must be commodious: it must carefully accommodate the client’s program, schedule and budget. A corollary to this is that the architect must be a good listener. Secondly, it must be sound, utilizing the arts of practical problem solving. Finally, he strongly believes that the purpose of architecture is not simply utilitarian, but the marriage of art and technology, and is careful never to lose sight of the artistry inherent in architecture.

Professional Associations and Organizations

• American Institute of Architects Monterey Chapter (AIAMB)
• Architects Association of Santa Cruz County (AASCC)
• California Straw Building Association (CASBA)
• Architects, Planners, and Designers for Social Responsibility (APDSR)
• The Natural Building Network (NBN)
• Builders Without Borders (BWB)
• The Project for Public Spaces (PPS)
• The Urban Ecology Association (UEA)
• United States Green Building Council (USGBC)
• National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
• National Writers Union (NWU)

Affiliated Professional Activities

• Executive Editor, Journal of the California Straw Building Association, 2004-present.
• Published author in Journals and magazines including The CASBA Journal, The Last Straw, and Depth Magazine. Articles include:
• Straw Building And The Principles Of Passive Solar Design: A Primer.
• Drawing Water And (Esc)Hewing Wood: The Hayes Strawbale House.
• Perlite: One Sustainable Alternative To Polystyrene Underslab Insulation.
• Panel Member, The Detailing Straw Buildings. CASBA Pro Conference, 2006.
• Presenter, The Mystery of Strawbale Construction. Various venues, including Cabrillo College, the American Society of Building Designers (ASIBD), and the Santa Cruz Architect’s Association (AASCC). 2004-present.
• Presenter, Straw Building and the Principals of Solar Design, CASBA Pro Course, 2006.
• Presenter, The Vega Straw Bale House, CASBA Spring Conference, 2003.
• Co-director, Santa Cruz National Solar Homes Tour, 2002
• Past-President, Architects Association of Santa Cruz County (AASCC).
• Vice-President, Architects Association of Santa Cruz County, 1994, 2003.
• Executive Administrator: AASCC’s Open Architecture Tour.
• Post-earthquake Facilitator: The Biggest Town Meeting, Vision Santa Cruz.
• Post-earthquake Urban Design Consultant, Vision Santa Cruz/ Lyndon Buchanan Assoc.

'Well-building hath three conditions: Commodity, Firmness, and Delight'

Sir Henry Wotton,
Elements of Architecture, 1624