AIA Design Theory
Bright Ideas
AIA Design Theory- March 2010
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
The winners of the AIA Ideas Competition share their concepts for Portland’s East End Beach
The Spatial Experience
AIA Design Theory- Jan/Feb 2010
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Architect Dominic Mercadante
and the building as a spatial journey
Design Face-Off
AIA Design Theory- Nov/Dec 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
One cottage, two different visions—an architect itching to renovate and a builder who wants to tear down and start new
Fat Is the New Green
AIA Design Theory- October 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Architect Jesse Thompson believes green design offers the chance for a new aesthetic
Conversations about sustainability often involve a sense of having to do without or limiting creativity in some fashion. Jesse Thompson and his firm Kaplan Thompson Architects is instead finding that the quest for low-energy, durable buildings has not been an act of denial or limitation but instead is leading toward a new aesthetic and creating opportunities for a new style.
From Inside Out-Architect Caleb Johnson’s take on “form follows function”
AIA Design Theory- September 2009
Beauty in building is born out of restriction. It is the restraints of building materials, site location, client personality, spatial needs, and budget that prompt a building design to blossom into an elegant solution and a refined object. It is for this reason that a building that is both functional and beautiful must be designed from the inside out, from a thorough understanding of the confines of its specific situation. When a building is designed this way, its exterior and interior will be one of harmony projecting confidence in its attributes.
Read more: From Inside Out-Architect Caleb Johnson’s take on “form follows function”
Under the Skin-Architect Bruce Norelius reveals his notion of layers in design
AIA Design Theory- August 2009
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
The inspiration for an architectural design sometimes comes from unexpected sources. On a recent project, the desire to solve some pragmatic functional issues had architect Bruce Norelius and his firm Elliott Elliott Norelius Architecture considering a surprising array of things—onion skins, colonial wood clapboard houses, barns, and traditional wooden boats. While this assortment might seem random at first glance, a common thread unites it: the concept of layers, which ultimately opened up the possibilities for design.
Read more: Under the Skin-Architect Bruce Norelius reveals his notion of layers in design
