“It all has to do with why did you build this building here? Why did you transport that oil halfway across the earth?” Pliny Fisk III Sustainable Practice To me, the most important issue before all of us – builders, contractors, homeowners, building designers, and architects - is how to build sustainably, and so this is the most compelling reason I can give to build with bales.

“It all has to do with why did you build this building here? Why did you transport that oil halfway across the earth?” Pliny Fisk III Sustainable Practice To me, the most important issue before all of us – builders, contractors, homeowners, building designers, and architects - is how to build sustainably, and so this is the most compelling reason I can give to build with bales.

California Assembly Bill 2533 (AB2533), which took effect last year, creates a pathway to legalize unpermitted Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior ADUs constructed before January 1, 2020. The law allows these units to be brought into compliance by addressing health and safety concerns—often through targeted corrections rather than full, costly code retrofits—and by limiting fees, all with the goal of encouraging the legalization of existing housing.

Ecological footprint is a term commonly used in sustainable building practice as a measure of our demand on earth's resources. More specifically, it represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to supply the resources necessary to a given population. Since resource utilization is dependent on personal lifestyle, the ecological footprint can be considered to be a quantification of the demand for natural capital needed to support a given lifestyle.

Perched on the northern slope of Olive Hill in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollyhock House stands as a unique intersection of art, architecture, and experimentation. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright between 1919 and 1921 for oil heiress and arts patron Aline Barnsdall, the house was conceived as the centerpiece of a larger theatrical and residential complex. Today, it remains one of Wright’s most innovative domestic commissions, combining a careful attention to materials, form, and site with a deeply personal decorative program.

It is commonly assumed that buildings are simple, inanimate objects—largely static once construction is complete. From this perspective, a building is seen as a collection of materials assembled at a moment in time, with relatively little interaction between the structure, its occupants, and the surrounding environment. Yet this view obscures the reality that buildings are anything but static. In truth, they are complex, dynamic systems shaped continuously by physical, chemical, and biological interactions.

Across the globe, light has long been a language of celebration. From the colorful onion domes of Moscow to the gilded pagodas of Yangon, illuminated architecture signals both the passage of the season and the enduring presence of faith. Each major religion uses its most iconic structures to mark significant holidays—turning skylines into expressions of devotion, ritual, and design.

California’s Building Standards—collectively known as Title 24—are updated on a triennial cycle. The current 2022 codes will transition to the 2025 edition, which becomes mandatory for most projects submitted on or after January 1, 2026. As with prior cycles, the 2025 codes are based on national model codes, modified with California-specific amendments addressing seismic safety, wildfire risk, climate goals, and housing needs.

Every year, California updates the rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs (JADUs). These revisions have become almost a tradition, aimed at increasing housing supply and making the approval process more predictable. Over the past several years, the state has required cities to approve ADUs within 60 days, allowed certain ADUs to be sold separately from the main home, opened pathways to legalize unpermitted units, and increased the number of ADUs allowed on multifamily lots.

Cities are often described as engines of economy, centers of culture, or networks of infrastructure. These descriptions are accurate, but they miss a deeper truth: cities are also repositories of memory. They hold the stories of the people who built them, lived in them, and shaped them across generations. This memory is not stored in books or archives alone. It is embedded in the city’s very form—in its streets, buildings, landmarks, and even patterns of everyday life.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) has become an essential consideration in residential design, remodeling, and green building standards. As homes become tighter and more energy efficient, the quality of the air inside plays a larger role in occupant health, comfort, and long-term building performance. Modern building programs—including LEED, CHPS, and California’s Section 01350—place IAQ at the center of sustainable design, recognizing its direct impact on well-being and productivity.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), working in collaboration with the University of Miami and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have achieved a compelling materials‑science breakthrough: by infusing a hardwood species with a nano‑scale iron compound, they have enhanced the durability of the wood—potentially altering how wood might be used in construction. At the core of the research is lignocellulose—the primary structural component of wood and many other plants.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), working in collaboration with the University of Miami and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have achieved a compelling materials‑science breakthrough: by infusing a hardwood species with a nano‑scale iron compound, they have enhanced the durability of the wood—potentially altering how wood might be used in construction. At the core of the research is lignocellulose—the primary structural component of wood and many other plants.

Planning a home remodel, addition, or new construction can feel overwhelming, and one of the first questions clients ask is: “When should I start?” The answer depends on the type and complexity of your project, as well as local construction conditions. Understanding the timing of design, approvals, and construction can save you time, money, and stress, ensuring a smooth experience from concept to completion.

It has been said that the only real building material is money. For an architect, the three key components informing the design process from day one forward are: what is the client’s program, what is the schedule, and what is the budget. Establishing and then tracking the project budget is often the most underrated of these three considerations, and yet it is equally if not more important than any of the others.

Wildfires are an increasingly pressing threat to residential communities, particularly in the western United States. In recent years, millions of acres have burned, destroying homes and upending lives. Traditional wildfire safety strategies—clearing brush, installing fire-resistant roofing, and using ember-resistant vents—remain important, but many homeowners are turning to active protection measures to augment these defenses. Among these, proprietary residential water spray defense systems have emerged as a promising line of protection, offering automated or semi-automated ways to reduce the risk of home ignition.

California homeowners are discovering a powerful way to generate passive income, house family affordably, and increase property value — all without moving. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior ADUs (JADUs) make it possible to turn unused space into opportunity. What Are ADUs and JADUs? An ADU is a secondary dwelling with complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons. It can be:

Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, have shifted from being a clever workaround to a central piece of California’s housing strategy. Garage conversions, basement studios, and backyard cottages are now a common sight across the state—tangible responses to an ever-growing housing shortage. Walk through almost any neighborhood, and chances are you’ll spot one. But the rules around ADUs continue to evolve. Some laws affect who can live on the property, others push cities to provide pre-approved designs, and in certain cases, ADUs can even be sold independently.

Kinetic architecture is the design of buildings that can move without losing structural integrity. These movements may serve purely aesthetic purposes, adapt to environmental conditions, or enable functions impossible in static structures. Long imagined by designers, kinetic architecture became feasible in the late 20th century with advances in mechanics, electronics, and robotics. Today it is a growing field that blends engineering, artistry, and environmental responsiveness.

When planning a new home, most homeowners face a pivotal question: what kind of structure should I build? For decades, conventional wood framing has been the default choice in much of the United States. But more and more, insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are entering the conversation as a durable, energy-efficient, and sustainable alternative. ICFs are no longer experimental. They’re showing up in everything from modest homes to schools, offices, and luxury residences.

Few monuments in Europe capture the imagination like the Château de Chambord. Rising dramatically from the flat plains of the Loire Valley, it is less a traditional residence than a monumental experiment in architecture. Commissioned by King Francis I in 1519, Chambord sought to fuse the massive forms of medieval fortresses with the harmony and geometry of Renaissance design. The result is a structure at once familiar and radically new—an architectural statement intended not for defense or comfort, but to embody prestige, power, and artistic daring.

In the heart of the Marais district stands one of Paris’s finest examples of the hôtel particulier: the Hôtel de Sully. Despite its name, it was never a hotel in the modern sense but an urban aristocratic mansion, designed for prestige, display, and comfort within the constraints of a dense city setting. The hôtel particulier type had been established by the late Renaissance as a distinct form of urban dwelling for nobles — a carefully planned complex that reconciled grandeur with limited plots.

The noted American green building architect William McDonough is famously quoted as once saying that buildings should, among other qualities, “live off current solar income”. What was merely a hypothetic concept in the early 1990’s has since firmly taken root: net zero energy (NZE) has taken on significant momentum as one of the factors shaping the sustainable construction movement.

Starting a construction project—whether it’s a new home, an addition, or a major renovation—is both exciting and daunting. By this point, you’ve likely invested considerable time with your architect, refining your design and ensuring every detail of the construction documents reflects your vision. Those plans are now complete, and the dream you’ve been imagining is ready to move from paper to reality.

Chartres Cathedral—officially the Cathedral of Notre-Dame—is one of the most revered examples of French Gothic architecture. Located in the town of Chartres in northwestern France, it stands alongside Amiens and Reims cathedrals as one of the three great Gothic churches of France. Renowned for its architectural innovation, dramatic stained glass, and intricate sculpture, Chartres is not only a masterpiece of medieval engineering but also a profound expression of religious devotion.