AIA Design Theory
Adding Inward
AIA Design Theory- August 2010
Edited by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Architect Carol De Tine shows us how adding inward can be better than adding on.
Harnessing Light
AIA Design Theory- July 2010
Edited by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Architect Matthew O’Malia on utilizing one of Maine’s seasonally limited resources—light
Blurring the Boundaries
AIA Design Theory- June 2010
Edited by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Theodore and Theodore explain how architectural design can create the illusion of space without building it
The Sun and the Site
AIA Design Theory- May 2010
by Rebecca Falzano
Photography Trent Bell
Robert Knight designs a house that follows the sun
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
