design matters

The Blue Ridge Mountain Home, which backs up to the parkway, is now framed, and the roof trusses were being installed when we last visited. This single-level home has a detached garage, bonus room over the garage, and an open floor plan, making sure there is plenty of space for...

Meredith Charlton is a student at Blue Ridge Community College. She is the latest student to job shadow in our Harrisonburg office. This experience is a chance to see the profession to get a better sense of daily life in an architectural firm. We have hosted more than a dozen...

The value of adding someone that has years of training to think through design options to provide the optimized solution for facilitating the life you want to live in that particular place is the obvious answer. (and a really long sentence) However, there is more to the design...

Design Matters for a healthy and happy future. Ask for better solutions, celebrate beauty, and demand more quality. Design Matters.

Little things matter, a lot! Have you ever been standing in line where a mom is holding a baby in front of you. When the baby smiled at you did it bring you joy? That little action by that little person could be the thing that changed your entire day. Perhaps you then were more...

Good design is a common theme in my posts. How do you construct a house that is healthy, energy-efficient, and durable for instance? This is achieved through good design. However, design matters in every aspect of life. If you watch carefully you will see design making a...

Recycling is the universal sign of “going green.” It is a process that takes a waste material and converts it to a new product, thus reducing the consumption of raw materials, potentially reducing energy usage, and diverts materials from a landfill. Recycling is not...

I was out shopping with my mom this weekend. She has difficulty walking and uses handicap parking spaces to make it easier to get into stores. We drove to two different stores and parked in a handicap space each time. Both stores had design issues with the placement of the...

Over the past few weeks I have been reminded multiple times: the most important element in building is having a good plan in place before starting construction.  “BY FAILING TO PREPARE, YOU ARE PREPARING TO FAIL.” ~ Benjamin Franklin It is hard for many to justify the...

Design – Why it matters to me. I blog a lot about building science, the importance of holistic design, and occasionally local business leaders. I have told stories about a typical day in the life of an architect, the value of memberships in industry organizations, and my...