Palm Springs
What is the allure of a 110 degree suburbia? Is it post war exuberance? An act of defiance against climate and logic? Is it a statement of democracy and free will? Sunstroke? Isn’t it a little bit weird?
Joining the AI…ehhhh
Image: Vintage Drafting tools, copyright Adobe Stock/Grigory I am a loyal, frustrated, enthusiastic, passive member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). I watch it commit tactical errors, abandon initiatives, be fleeced by corporate sponsors (full disclosure: I was one such sponsor in a past career), and generally spend too much time looking in the […]
What is Architecture? A Collection of Quotations, Part I
From time to time, I add to a personal collection of what others have said about architecture. Profound, cynical or silly, it is relevant to me; perhaps it will be for you as well. -David Marlatt, AIA Architecture is life, or at least it is life itself taking form and therefore it is the truest […]
Architect Lexicon: Challenge
CHALLENGE. OPPORTUNITY. OBSTACLE. We often say that we don’t like problems, but, in fact, we can’t live without them. More precisely, we can’t make a living without them. Problems are so important, that architects (most professions, actually) have three words for them. Challenge: Any problem before it has been analyzed. “Well, Ms Jones, razing a […]
200 Years Ago, and Architects Were Already Cynical!
In 1806, Benjamin Henry Latrobe wrote to Robert Mills, “The profession of architecture has been hitherto in the hands of two sets of men. The first of those [gentlemen] who from traveling or from books have acquired some knowledge of the theory of the art, know nothing of its practice, the second of those [mechanics] […]
Architecture That Resonates
If your home can’t do this, maybe it is time to consider a new home or remodel! First, we define our spaces. Then, our spaces define us!