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It’s that time again. It is the time of year when the architects turn their attention from their Dec. 25th deadline to thoughts of Christmas. Here we are, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts in our offices, staring out at the rolling hills covered with snow, thinking of the innate hierarchy implied in the Santa/Elf relationship, and the pleasing use ... Read More
“Apocalypse Now”: an architect goes grossly over budget. Another architect is sent out to find him and value-engineer the project, in the jungle, during a war. “It’s a wonderful life”: An architect mishandles his finances. Jumps off a bridge. Is saved by his guardian angel / building inspector and shown what the world would be like without his architecture. “The ... Read More
Design is hard. If only the process could be explained using simple pie charts again. Unfortunately, this still isn’t that: More Design in charts – HERE, and HERE and HERE and HERE
Design is hard. The path you follow from start to finish is never a straight line. If only there were a handful of clear diagrams to explain the process. This isn’t that:
It’s that time of year again. The time of year when an architect’s thoughts turn to Love. Well, not really. We’re working on a deadline right now. But, we promise, as soon as we’re finished with these details, our thoughts will totally turn to love. In the meantime, here are a few Valentine’s day cards to tide you over. Enjoy! ... Read More
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One extra home can change the rules, the costs, and who can afford to build.
The AIA has released its latest 2030 Commitment By the Numbers report. The initiative tracks the architecture and design industry’s progress toward carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. Based on performance data from 2025, the report found that 67% of whole-building projects submitted through the program were energy modeled, indicating continued adoption of building performance analysis among participating firms. However, reported reductions in energy use declined compared with previous results. Related on Archinect: 10 standout sustainable projects honored at AIA COTE Top Ten Award 2026. Marlboro Music Reich Hall by HGA. Image credit: Albert Vecerka/Esto According to the AIA, the decline partly reflects changes in how energy performance is measured. Energy-modeled projects use baselines determined by individual firms rather than values from the 2003 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, which the organization says may provide more realistic comparisons of building performanc...
The internet and AI haven't killed the classroom. Instead, they’ve changed what university buildings can and should be used for.
How college life created quiet logistical constraints against clutter
I really intended to post this when it was the correct week (I don’t remember the day)…four weeks ago…but in any case last month marks the 50th anniversary of me starting to commute by subway, in 7th grade. At first it was simply the 7 train to Grand Central for school in east Midtown; the […]
