Residential Architect Magazine: More Business

How long should a house last?

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:33:51 EST

We don't build 'em like we used to, but should we?

Happy 15th Birthday, residential architect!

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:02:09 EST

It's the magazine's 15th birthday and we invite you to join in the celebration.

Architects can and must make houses for the 99 percent.

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:15:51 EST

With a little ingenuity, it's possible for architects to execute affordable, high-design houses for everyone.

Is prefab still fab?

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:45:32 EST

Prefab seemed like the answer to delivering high-design houses to the masses--until the housing market collapsed.

Reinvention 2011: Case Study—What a High-Design Firm Learned From Prefab

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:07:03 EST

San Antonio-based Lake|Flato Architects learned a lot about what aspects of the building technology work and what still needs refinement when working with a modular house.

Reinvention 2011: You On View

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 03:28:18 EST

Reinvention 2011 ended with a participatory event during which conference attendees shared selections from their own portfolios.

Reinvention 2011: The Fine Art of Blogging and Other New Media Marketing Strategies

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:15:20 EST

On Dec. 8, Andrew van Leeuwen, Assoc. AIA, and Kevin Eckert, LEED AP, principals of the Seattle-based firm BUILD LLC, explained to a crowd of architects why the firm embraced social media some years ago and why more architects need to step up their efforts.

Reinvention 2011: Phoenix Housing Tour

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:23:53 EST

Residential architects and designers from across the country grabbed a boxed lunch and climbed aboard buses for the popular housing tour that kicks off Reinvention each year.

Reinvention 2011: Architect-Led Design/Build

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:23:20 EST

Jim Zack, AIA, and Lise de Vito, Assoc. AIA, of Zack | de Vito Architecture Construction wanted the majority of their session to be open for questions and discussion, so they kicked things off by giving a quick overview on how they handle doing design/build as architects. "Our approach is not necessarily the best way," Zack says, "but sharing our experiences will show one way to do architect-led design/build and prompt conversation on other options." Design is the key to their approach—they build their own designs so they know exactly what it will take to build it to fit their vision.

Reinvention 2011: Architect-Led Interior Design

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:23:08 EST

Lisa Gray, AIA, and Alan Organschi, partners in Gray Organschi Architecture, began their breakout session by noting that its title was something of a misnomer. Their firm takes an active role in creating the interiors of its projects—often to the extent of designing and fabricating furniture—but Gray and Organschi view their work as part of an indivisible whole that includes not only interiors and architecture, but also site, community, and the natural environment. “We look at a project as a total package,” Gray said. The partners, recipients of residential architect’s 2011 Rising Star award, expanded on that theme with examples from their firm’s portfolio.

Reinvention 2011: Perfecting the Client Process

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:23:25 EST

Duo Dickinson, AIA, of Duo Dickinson Architect, and John DeForest, AIA, of DeForest Architects addressed the sometimes slippery slope of client relations in their breakout session at Reinvention. Both have stayed busy during the economic downturn, evidence that they might have made a substantial case for the value of professional design services in their markets. The crux, they said, was just that—design is a service not just an end product. Said DeForest, who’s based in Seattle, “You can sell a product as a commodity or product and service. A la Starbucks, we’re selling a product and a service and an experience.” The key to the latter is what the duo called “open design.”

Reinvention 2011: Architect-Led Development

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:23:14 EST

Jared Della Valle, AIA, of Alloy, was very open with the sizable audience at his breakout session during Reinvention 2011. “Real estate development is very personal,” said the New York architect and developer who recently left his former firm, Della Valle Bernheimer, to start a new development company, Alloy. “You have to be 100 percent invested in your own project in order to sell. That’s when people perceive your value, is in your own confidence.”

Reinvention 2011: Leadership Awards Luncheon

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:17:03 EST

Winners of residential architect's 2011 Leadership Awards were honored at a luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 8, during the first full day of sessions. The 2011 honorees are Will Bruder, AIA, Hall of Fame; Marlon Blackwell Architect, Top Firm; and Gray Organschi Architecture, Rising Star. Editorial director S. Claire Conroy presented the awards as well as project highlights from each firm's body of work. Full profiles on the winning firms can be seen in ra's September/October issue.

Reinvention 2011: Thinking and Making—Architects Take On Building and Development

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 03:37:30 EST

Every architect knows the frustration of having a project that gets built badly, or not at all. And many dream of acting as their own client. The Thinking and Making panel at Reinvention 2011, which took place Dec. 8, featured a group of architects who have taken matters into their own hands and have become either a design/builder or design/developer (or both).

Reinvention 2011: Getting It Right—The Architect/Builder Collaboration

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:15:53 EST

On the final day of Reinvention 2011, two of Phoenix’s best architects, Jones Studio and Wendell Burnette, AIA, shared the stage with equally respected builder Andy Byrnes, AIA. Byrnes’ company, Construction Zone, has built many projects with both firms.

Reinvention 2011: AIA Custom Residential Architects Network (AIA-CRAN) Forum

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:16:16 EST

The Custom Residential Architects Network (AIA-CRAN) on Dec. 7 held a forum during residential architect magazine’s annual Reinvention symposium to talk about the organization within the AIA and how the group can benefit all architects who practice residential architecture for individual homeowners.

Reinvention 2011: Keynote Address by Rick Joy, “Progress Report: Adapting and Evolving”

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:16:38 EST

Rick Joy, AIA, began his Reinvention 2011 keynote address with a constructive challenge to the title of the conference. Rather than reinventing his firm’s practice, the Tucson, Ariz.-based architect said, “I think we’re just evolving.” Joy called on attendees to engage in a similar process, guided, as he is, by a robust set of principles. Citing his own work and that of colleagues such as Tom Kundig, FAIA, Brian MacKay-Lyons, FRAIC, Hon. AIA, Wendell Burnette, AIA, and Will Bruder, AIA, he noted, “What sets us apart is that with each and every thing we do, we carry with us our core values.” Joy then laid out his own core values, illustrating each with examples of his firm’s work and with photographs of the images that guide it.

Despite the recession, too much compromise can be bad for business

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:27:32 EST

Sticking to your guns in tough times is tremendously difficult, but the alternative may be worse.

The Internet can do a lot to help businesses, but many have yet to feel the sting of its dark side

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:36:27 EST

Thanks to the Web, your next design critic is powered by Google.

Feud Between Architects and Their Unlicensed Competition Continues

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:27:29 EST

No debate in the profession has raged louder or longer than licensed architects versus designers.