The path to decarbonization The previous newsletter left us on the ground floor of the AIA headquarters at the landing between two staircases. One ascends to the second floor. The other descends to the basement. Beyond the practical means of circulation the stairs provide, the materials used in their construction offer a more abstract form of travel. Take the ascending stair back to the building’s modernist origins, when raw concrete––béton brut––was a celebrated material. And when Brutalist...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
The Tale of Two Staircases Photo: Judy Davis, Architectural Photographer/Courtesy AIA The tale of two staircases begins in 1799 at the corner of New York Avenue and 18th Street in Washington, D.C. From this wedge-shaped parcel, a rich story of architectural heritage and the forming of our nation’s capital unfolds. It was a time when the budding Washington, D.C., was referred to as “the city of streets without houses.” Growth was slower going than George Washington and city planner Pierre...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Monday, 20th April, 2026–– It’s just before 7 a.m. in a bustling section of central Phoenix. Morning rush-hour traffic whizzes past as a crane lowers the first 3,800-pound precast stone panel into place at one of the entrances to the Phoenix Country Club. Just 11 more to go. The panels will undoubtedly buffer the country club's serene grounds from traffic, but more importantly, they are creating an arrival experience that’s rich in story and steeped in Phoenix’s architectural heritage. The...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Raising bale “It ain’t rocket science.” In the early days, that was the unofficial motto of the California Straw Building Association (CASBA). It was meant to communicate that straw bale building was accessible to all. Their mission, however, took on a more serious tone and laid the groundwork for what would quickly evolve into much more than a supportive and tight-knit community––it would become a straw think tank of sorts. The mission of CASBA is to further the practice of straw-bale and...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Rocking the CASBA Thirty years ago, out on the Carrizo Plain just east of San Luis Obispo in central California, 30 or so natural-building enthusiasts met at a deserted motel to explore the formation of a California natural building group. Founding CASBA members at Painted Rock in the Carrizo Plain National Monument c. 1996 This initial gathering was a byproduct of the Natural Building Colloquium-Southwest, a touch of serendipity, and a few too many in-flight cocktails shared between three...
4 months ago • 3 min read