Archive by Author

Anne Fougeron’s City of the Future Starts Now…

With 80% of the world’s arable land already in use, we are running out of land to feed ourselves. Land and water are fixed, finite resources; their scarcity could become a greater crisis than global warming, terrorism, or species extinction. One way to address that is by expanding the notion of what “land” is to include urban settings, to make regions like the Bay Area self-sustaining. Architect Anne Fougeron answers a few questions about her vision for a San Francisco 100 years in the future by saying, “People shouldn’t be allowed to come into this world only to starve.”

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Design Alert: Potential China Scam

It sounded too good to be true – an invitation to build a large office tower and sustainable housing project in China. But when several architects discovered that they’d signed on for the same identical piece of work, everyone smelled a rat. No one has lost much money, yet. So the mystery is, why?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

LA Modern House Tour in Los Altos Celebrates Richard Neutra

Coming up on Saturday, October 16 from 10-3pm is a special event for fans of Modernism – the 2010 “LA Modern” homes tour sponsored by the Los Altos Community Foundation. The upcoming tour includes several California Modern homes besides the Neutra house designed in the same spirit: light, airy, rigorous and clean, with an acceptance of natural materials as well as modern industrial techniques.

Monday, September 27, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Re-structuring Your Design Firm During a Recession

“In this prolonged recession, we have two choices, it seems: We can hibernate for a number of years, like Rip Van Winkle, waking conveniently to a new world. Or we can make the time to consider new business development strategies that highlight our firm’s value and that put us closer to new projects. Concurrently, we can consider ways to improve our ability to stay abreast of trends in technology and practice.

The reality of global outsourcing is likely to change the nature of firms of every size. Our day-to-day tasks may shift from directing in-house staff to one where we review outsourced documents for design and code compliance. Can you fit in, and if so, how?”

Thursday, September 23, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Jill Pilaroscia: Give Color a Chance

“Color isn’t just about surface decoration. There’s a cellular response to color that we have as human beings, and it’s that response which we are addressing when we work with color. Sometimes colorizing a space costs more to do and to maintain. But our environment shapes behavior. It’s WORTH spending time on.

Few architectural institutions offer a formal program addressing color in the built environment. Any exposure they have to color theory is frequently through studio courses that focus solely on two-dimensional color applications. Architects aren’t taught about bio-responses to color. They’re not taught how they can move volumes around in space through the application of color, or how they can use color to shape experience and behavior. I’d like to tell them not to be afraid of color. Give color a chance!”

– Jill Pilaroscia

Sunday, August 15, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Talk to an Architect on September 11-12

Have you ever wanted a chance to ask an architect about your home? Maybe you’ve got some new idea and want to know what’s involved in making it happen, or maybe there’s just one thing you’d like to change but you don’t know how. Well, if you live near San Francisco and you’re planning on doing the San Francisco Living: Home Tours, then you can also bring your photos, idea books, sketches, and questions to the “Talk to an Architect” booth at the Home Tours headquarters.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Anne Fougeron: Architectural Edge in the 21st Century

“Architecture is a tough profession, and it’s not kind to women. It’s not kind to anyone, really. But you’ve got to claw yourself out of that hole. You have to fight the fight. You can’t stay in the back, because nobody’s going to fight that fight for you. NUMBERS MATTER.

With the Planned Parenthood clinics, I didn’t want clinics that look like a prison. There’s already so much victimization of women… why punish them further by making them come to a jail for basic care? Ninety percent of Planned Parenthood’s business is providing basic gyn care – exams, pap smears – for women who can’t afford it any other way. These women already going through enough in their lives. Some of them already have other traumas to work through. The clinics should make them feel wanted and safe.”

Monday, June 21, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Greg Warner on the Importance of Place

“The importance of place means respect for what is actually there – including its history. If clients come to us requesting a specific regional or historical style, we respond by asking them what they like about the style they have selected and try to elicit the underlying qualities that attracted them to it in the first place. Then, ideally, we can embody those qualities in a design that’s actually the best fit for the project and its context.

The early design stages are a sort of courtship between architect and client. We’re really interviewing each other to see if there’s a mutual alignment. Just as we listen to their desires, we also educate them on what our values are, and they ideally buy into that early on in order for the project to be mutually successful.

We design homes with the client’s full life cycle in mind, and beyond. The home has to be versatile enough to accommodate generational life changes without requiring a renovation every 10 years. Sometimes this freaks out the clients a little bit! They’re not used to thinking this far ahead. We’re creating their home as an heirloom and a legacy to future generations.”

[Cover photo by Cesar Rubio]

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »

Billing and Client Communication

“We need to increase our value with our clients as service providers, and part of providing good service is to show a clear-headed understanding of money,” advises Michael Bernard. “Use the contract to convey established billing practice,” advises Bernard. “The contract is the memory of the project, with all parties signatory.”

What should be shown on the invoice? “Sometimes the owner gives us an invoice template,” says Bernard. “I attach this invoice to the sub-consultant agreement so that the sub-consultants can see how the information they provide to me is in turn provided to the client.”

Thursday, June 10, 2010 | Rebecca Firestone | Add a Comment

read more »