Several years ago Kirsten Dirksen’s family embarked on a project where they found a derelict (and affordable) country home located in a tiny, well-maintained castle hamlet 1 hour outside Barcelona, Spain. They began renovation with the help of a young architecture studio. Can a home remodel celebrate the layers of past, present, and future? Do … Read more
Yesterday I toured the Crooked Forest Institute‘s land that they recently acquired in the Mimbres Valley in Southern New Mexico via a $200,000 grant . A group of more than a dozen of us who already had some association with the Institute were invited to inspect the 50+ acre property and make suggestions about ways … Read more
Phil Austin, now 83, has lived in his 35ft high lighthouse on the banks of the Bridgewater Canal in Greater Manchester for 20 years. He enjoys watching vessels from his lantern room as they navigate the waterway below him. Phil says, “It’s still judged as a landmark and I’m very proud of it. The views … Read more
Just outside sprawling Phoenix, a car-free neighborhood built from scratch has gone up, the first one of its kind in the US. Modeled after walkable villages of yesteryear, Culdesac Tempe sits next to a light rail stop and has its own grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, used clothing store, gym, and plenty of gathering spaces. … Read more
Dapur Naga, located within the lush tropical environment of Bali, serves as a communal kitchen and dining space, capable of hosting more than 50 people. The main conceptual inspiration for Dapur Naga came from the graceful form of a whirling Sufi skirt, reflected in the building’s undulating roof. The roof is designed to capture stunning … Read more
Pedro Pedrosa and his wife Sofia left city life over a decade ago to live in a mostly-abandoned farming village in Central Portugal. After creating their home from several small outbuildings, they continued to experiment with local building materials- cork, pine, lime, and slate- by transforming three stone storage sheds into “Nature Houses.” Their town, … Read more