I was reviewing a client's energy audit report last month when something struck me about how poorly we communicate environmental performance. The document was technically accurate, filled with BTU calculations…
I've been getting a lot of questions lately about whether biophilic design and sustainability are basically the same thing. Honestly, I get why people are confused – there's definitely some…
I’ve been to my share of trade shows over the years, but nothing quite prepared me for High Point last spring. Walking through those endless halls of furniture displays, I…
Yesterday afternoon, I was standing in my kitchen watching water from my latest irrigation experiment drip onto the floor (again), when my neighbour knocked on the door. She'd been hearing…
Standing in my neighbour's driveway last Tuesday, watching her systematically demolish what had been a thriving front yard garden to make room for more concrete parking, I couldn't help but…
The most surprising thing about working with artists and designers these days? They're asking me about building materials. Not in the way you'd expect, either. I mean, sure, they want…
The phone call came at 7:30 AM on a Tuesday. Maria, a project manager I'd worked with three years ago, sounded frazzled. "We've got a problem," she said without preamble.…
I bumped into Maria at the coffee shop last Tuesday, and she looked absolutely exhausted. Turns out she’d been wrestling with a consulting firm that promised to make her new…
The coffee mug on my drafting table has a ring stain that perfectly encircles a sketch I drew three years ago for a client's kitchen renovation. I keep meaning to…
I was staring at yet another glossy brochure promising "net-zero energy" homes when it hit me how utterly broken environmental messaging has become in the building industry. The images showed…