We collaborated with Ben Graham who lent us the seminal book, The Natural Building Companion, published by Chelsea Green Publishing, co-authored by Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McCarleton, in which Ben also provided drawings and insight. The book along with Ben provided great help in learning how to detail strawbale walls, integrating with timber frame and roof framing. [...]

Sisal is a plant fibre traditionally used to make twine and rope. It can also be used to make fabric, carpets and wall coverings.                      
                            
                              Sisal stairs runner- Design by Lucyina
The sisal stairs runner gives a very natural look to this country style house foyer. The combination of vintage pieces with natural sisal inspires simplicity, comfort and warmth.
                             
                  Sisal [...]

As an architect and designer, I’m very interested in cultivating my knowledge of choices or strategies I can call upon in projects of various scales and types. As we are collectively aging in place, so are our commercial buildings, our schools, homes and service buildings. In 2011 we face yet another spiking and upward trending [...]

One of the most prominent systems that help keep restaurants in check are their critics. These critics create a balance to weed out the good, the bad and the ugly. You see this in other applications, such as movies and music, and even yelp.com, which allows everyone to be a critic of everything. Unfortunately, many [...]

                          
Bamboo style chairs - Jonathan Adler
Bamboo-look furniture, accents and chandeliers have been popular for more than two centuries of interior design. Whether used in a zen-like spare and modern home or a Hampton’s style beach house, bamboo-look pieces can look great in a variety of homes. I’ve found some great real bamboo or bamboo-style pieces. [...]

I’m inspired by how far the Green Building movement has come over the last 20 years, and yet I know how much further we have to go in advancing substantial and lasting change in our behaviors and our built environment. Practically all of the commercial and institutional buildings I’ve worked on at Maclay Architects are [...]

Love That New House Smell?
Today’s new-home construction materials contain an excessive amount of chemicals that evaporate and off-gas into VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds.  Kitchen and bathroom cabinets, moulding and paneling, drywall, flooring and roofing materials are manufactured using toxic chemicals such as Urea-Formaldehyde and phenolic resins.  Paints, stains and sealants are used extensively in just [...]