Thought overhead doors were just for garages? Think again! This versatile door can boost sunlight, increase contact with nature and provide the perfect entrance to a home studio or business. They come in a variety of colors and finishes and are here to stay on the moss circuit.
Case Studies
Adapting Architecture: How Rio Hondo, Guatemala Builds for Tremors, Heat and Dryness
A trip to Rio Hondo, Guatemala yields some musings on adaptive architecture.
Home is Where the Hearth is: How We Warmed up an Industrial Loft
A revisit of our Erie Street Loft and the fireplace that warmed up its industrial loft feel.
Diversity in Design: Celebrating Accessible Spaces
Celebrate accessible spaces that provide enjoyable and navigable environs for people with disabilities
The Sears (ahem, Willis) Tower and Chicago’s Skyline
Today we celebrate the Sears (or Willis, if you like) Tower – an anchor and symbol of Chicago since it was completed more than 40 years ago.
A Sandy Happy Ending: Steel Industrial Site Redeveloped for Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore
The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk is a former industrial brownfield site lovingly re-developed for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
Eiffel Tower Engineering Stands the Test of Time
The tallest structure in the world for 31 years, the Eiffel Tower is a miracle of prefabrication and precision manufacturing. It opened 126 years ago today.
Chicago Building Types: Four Plus One Apartments
Four Plus One apartments might be the building type chicagoans most love to hate. Learn what makes them tick in our latest Chicago Building Type.
Pionering Modernist: Eileen Grey
To carry on with our post last week on the Importance of Recognizing Women in Architecture, and in honor of Women’s History Month, today we salute modernist designer Eileen Grey, one of my very favorite Modernists.
Warm Around the World: Radiant Floors in Roman Hypocaust and Korean Ondol
Radiant floor heating is an efficient and comfortable way to stay warm. Learn the method that heated Roman bathhouses and warms Korean homes.
Chicago Building Types: the Courtyard Apartment
What sets these courtyard apartment buildings apart from other types of apartment dwellings. The answer is in the organization.
Our Green City: The Green Legacy of the Burnham Plan
The Burnham Plan laid the groundwork for our city’s green space and set aside the lake shore path. Thank Daniel Burnham every time you see green in Chicago.
Spectacular Portraits of South Africans and their Bikes
As a group of avid bike enthusiasts, there’s little we like more than seeing other people love their bikes. This collection of portraits South Africans with their bikes photographed by Stan Englebrecht and Nic Grobler by is available in a kickstarter funded book, unsurprisingly called “Bicycle Portraits.” The whole project is an amazing union of […]
Link-asaurus #11: The case for BRT + Whole Foods ups transparency on produce, flowers
Where we’ve been on the web this week: as the weather gets colder, there is lots of great news on the green front to lighten our spirits. John Greenfield writes a thoroughly researched piece on examples of successful BRT lanes, including ones that have banned left turns on major streets (a point of contention in […]
Friday Favorites: A narrative map of Chicago
map of Chicago from 1910, via Forgotten Chicago We are pretty obsessed with urban studies over here, whether it involves reading up on the history of Beverly for a new meadery project or finding out about native plant species in Illinois. We thought we’d share some of our favorite Chicago-centric blogs with you, especially those that […]