As a native- born and raised in Seattle and a graduate of the University of Washington's highly-regarded School of Architecture, I thoroughly understand the NorthWest climate- and other localized considerations we home designers must take into account. Eastern and mid-Western styles- many with wide white trim- are usually out of place here on the West Coast. A more expansive connection with nature than that glimpsed through usually smaller "stock" windows is needed to enjoy what's outside and to bring a feeling of needed spaciousness to the interior. A hallmark of what's called "NorthWest Contemporary Architecture"- Island or otherwise- is exposed natural wood framing with lots of job-built "stopped-in" windows bringing in the outside view of the related garden. The resulting effect is akin to that of our modern cars with the building envelope being either solid or transparent. This is in contrast to the usual ordinary building practice of framing a big box with cut-out openings limited by the sizes of expensive and usually overly complicated stock windows. "Green Building" techniques are simply common sense, have long been a most important integral part of my architectural practice.