Big holidays are the perfect time to practice the 3 R’s. With more food, you’ll see more results!
Opinion
How Smart are the New Smart Lights?
Chicago is getting a round of smart lights to replace its existing streetlights. But how smart are these new Smart Lights?
Building Materials Matter: or What Happens when the House the Third Little Pig Built … Falls Down
The latest news out of CT – 20 year old houses crumbling due to bad foundations – underlines the importance of using good building materials!
Seeing Our Chicago River As Public Space
Our city’s connection to Lake Michigan helps us value and protect it; seeing the River as public space will keep it cleaner and healthier for Chicago’s future.
How Your Bathroom Works: A Plumbing Primer
Plumbing is a wonderful luxury we can sincerely appreciate every time we turn on a tap. Here’s how it works in three simple concepts.
“Employ an Architect” and other Advice from 1920’s Era Architects’ Small House Service Bureau
Today, a nod to the Architects’ Small House Service Bureau, a design booster group from 100 years ago offering a lot of advice we can all still use today!
Setbacks, Sideyards and the reason we can’t put a window there
In construction terms, a setback means more than discovering an unexpected concrete beam where you wanted to cut a doorway. Today we discuss how they vary and what that means for design and construction projects.
Design Diversity; many different types of space
Thumbing the office copy of Christopher Alexander’s Pattern Language recently, I was struck by how many of his ideas center on the idea of diversity in design. Alexander argues against homogeneity at every scale, from that of room furnishings to the design of cities. He’s so right. Our homes, offices, public places and urban landscapes all […]
Pioneering Modernist: Luis Barragan
This post salutes Luis Barragan, an influential Mexican Modernist who dared to create an emotional architecture.
What is Googie Architecture?
This style is neither well known, nor wide spread, but you’ll know it when you see it! Today: Googie architecture.
What a “Smart Home” Can Do (and What it Can’t)
You can now turn off your lights, dial up the heat, and make sure your house is locked … all at the touch of a button. What makes a modern smart home?
Chicago Building Types: Worker Cottage
The building types of Chicago form the city around us. Today, how the Worker Cottage formed the back bone of 19th century urban growth.