Miscellany
Verve the new Women In Architecture Upstate Newsletter
I have gone silent in my posts of late. It is not for a lack of trying, merely that work has been going incredibly well. Architecture is a feast or famine industry and I am channelling my inner squirrel and feasting now. Back in August I wrote a short ‘article‘ about myself at the request […]
From where does the inspiration come?
So many times people tell me that they thought they wanted to be an architect. They always say “That’s cool.” when I tell them what I do. And I like to think it is because they understand the inherent value in what Architecture brings to any place and people that are engaged with it. I […]
An architect’s own home
So just how does an architect (me) go about selecting their own home? The problem lies in the fact that I see opportunity in all, or almost, all of them. I happened to take a look at three houses in Greenville. My criteria for my agent, Lynn Skidmore, was pretty simple. First, a fenced yard […]
ScrapHAUS for the Greenville Humane Society
A few months ago I read an email request from the Greenville Humane Society asking for architects to design and build a “Bowhouse” to be auctioned for their cause. I wasn’t sure I could fit it into the work schedule and I knew that I didn’t have the tools anymore, thanks to Katrina, to build […]
Is it REALLY all about appearances?
In these troubled times, are we still really worried about appearances? It seems to me that this has been an issue for some time, but particularly in the housing industry. Too often people are putting high priced finishes, granite countertops or four part wood trim, on pressed wood subfloors and using vinyl framed windows. Sorry for using Dr. Phil’s catch […]
Apologies to the Elephant
Large, somewhat unruly, often overwhelming animals make for an easy target. So I’ll use the metonym again and repeat what a good friend of mine used to say when we were hard at work trying to finish a project. Donald said, “You can’t eat the whole elephant in one bite.” So we would break the project [elephant] […]
Elephant in the HOUSE
Picture if you will an elephant. Now visualize the child’s house, four walls each with a window or door. Now put the elephant in the house. His snout will hang out of one door, tail out the opposite window, and his sides are pressed up against the walls and windows. If you are working on […]
4″x16’x4′
The goal is to move from end to end gracefully doing “tricks” without falling off in the allotted time. This requires from head to toe an incredible amount of balance, flexibility, strength and vision. Balance: throughout the course your body will move and torque though the path is direct, level and hovering 4 feet above […]
Pen to Paper
We’ve all heard the quote: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This has been applied to financial planning and businesses down to the daily To Do List, so why not your home? I have a post-it note theory these days, to help ensure my success. I allow myself one post-it per day […]
Why Hire an Architect?
Thanks to AIA Wisconsin for a concise answer. http://www.aiaw.org/find/why.shtml