Legendary Adobe Advocate, Simone Swan, Died at 96

Simone Withers Swan, who introduced Nubian vaulted adobe construction to the Chihuahuan desert of Texas and Mexico at the turn of the 21st century, died in Tucson, Arizona, on January 16, 2025. She was 96 years old. Simone Swan was a legendary personality: mercurial, seductive, cultivated, curious, determined, imperious. She was by turns an architectural … Read more

One Person’s Response to California Fires

In October 2020, when a fire threatened Pasadena, California Kenjus Watson and his family temporarily relocated with loved ones across the country in Ohio. Between the fire, terrible air quality, and the ongoing COVID pandemic, they felt the acute fragility of their situation. This marked a turning point him for him. Instead of pursuing an … Read more

Yasmeen Lari’s “Zero Carbon, Zero Waste, Zero Donor” Bamboo Villages in Pakistan

Architect and humanitarian, Yasmeen Lari, was seeking funding to build a million bamboo homes for around $100 apiece, after Pakistan suffered its worst-ever floods. Now she’s shifted her plan, deciding she’d still aim for that, but with a new price tag to outside funders: $0. “I really believe that everyone wants to have a better … Read more