Building design can have a signficant impact on your health. According to the landmark National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS), conducted between 1992 and 1994, people spend an average of 87 percent of their lives in enclosed buildings, where pollutants like tobacco smoke, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), asbestos, pesticides and carbon monoxide can prolilferate and,
This post first ran in 2018. In my 30-plus years as an architect, I’ve dealt with almost every kind of building project mistake. There are a few that come up over and over, delaying projects, frustrating clients and costing them additional money. These problems tend to arise from a few basic misconceptions. Here are seven
This post first ran in 2018. Many people think of an architect as someone who designs large, important buildings – a visionary who dreams up new and bold designs, like New York’s Guggenheim Museum (Frank Lloyd Wright) or Chicago’s Aqua tower (Jeanne Gang). And of course, architects do that. But an architect does much more
Salvaging What Matters in Home Building When an older home undergoes extensive remodeling, or a complete tear down, what happens to the debris? Most of it ends up in landfills. Let’s dust off that old adage, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” There are a multitude of reasons to think this way. It will
This post previously ran in 2017. Earthquakes are a fact of life in the Bay Area. The same geologic features that create our dramatic mountains-meet-ocean vistas mean we have to live with a little bit – or sometimes a lot – of shaking. California’s building codes are continually updated based on emerging research and lessons
Change in any industry can feel sluggish when you have a great idea you want to see catch on. That is certainly true for proponents of structural insulated panels or SIPs for short. In the 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright experimented with an early prototype that lacked insulation, in his search for materials that were functional,
This post first ran in 2016. Most people who pay attention to contemporary American architecture have heard of Eichler homes. Developer Joseph Eichler’s dream of bringing beautiful, affordable modern design to the masses was spurred by his admiration of Frank Lloyd-Wright’s soaring architectural designs, and the homes he built throughout California beginning in the late
Some people think that concrete floors are more likely to evoke industrial spaces, rather than homes. In fact, according to the International Association of Home Inspectors in their history of concrete, the first homes to use concrete were in Yugoslavia in 5600 BC. Home-building and construction techniques have changed a lot since then, but concrete is still
A version of this post first ran in 2018. ADUs are growing in popularity in California, and with good reason. ADUs – accessory dwelling units (also known as “granny units”) – are small living spaces that are on the same property but are separate from the main living space. They can be attached to the
If you are house hunting in today’s market, you won’t be surprised to know there is a housing shortage. You might be tempted to think it’s a side-effect of the pandemic. In fact, this shortage is due in large part to the lack of new housing units being built. This situation is making many homeowners
