Retreat Adventures in Rural Mississippi

On the way to our annual retreat in rural Mississippi last month, some of us stopped by the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune to see the stunning Pinecote Pavilion by architect E. Fay Jones.  Like being underneath a canopy of trees, the thin wood framing of the pavilion delicately filters light and frames views of the surrounding southern pine forest. After visiting …

From Ronchamp to Roden Crater

Two current exhibitions in New York combine to provide some insights into 21st century design thinking.  One is the comprehensive Le Corbusier retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, the other is James Turrell’s magnificent installation at the Guggenheim Museum. Meanwhile in a land far, far away from MoMA and the Guggenheim, near Arizona’s painted desert and the resplendent Grand Canyon, …

A Great Tree Has Fallen

In memory of renowned architect, designer, mentor and innovative thinker Paolo Soleri: For some, Paolo Soleri was the perfect iconoclast. For me, in 1975, as a young intern architect, he was an ideal mentor. My arrival at his home in suburban Scottsdale, Arizona, for the beginning of a summer workshop at Arcosanti was the start of a mesmerizing experience. On a …

If Architecture Is Frozen Music, Then Music Must Be Liquid Architecture

As designers, we are always looking for connection between geometries, proportion, and the built environment. So what does music have to do with it? Musical frequencies are usually talked about in terms of musical notation.  In the west, we use a standard 12-tone scale (13 if you include the octave of the first note) from A to G with a …

A Mindful Company

I came across a wonderful book of late entitled A Mindful Nation, by Congressman Tim Ryan from Ohio. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a thoughtful, insightful book coming from one of our Washington politicians. This book is about how the practice of being mindful can have a positive impact on our country on many levels as well as …

This Is What It Looks Like When A School Becomes A Community Hub

Our project Emeryville Center for Community Life (ECCL) has been recognized by Fast Company for its innovative program–a community center that doubles as a secondary school, much like a university campus.  The project has formulated a new type of city/school partnership in which the Emeryville Unified School District and the City of Emeryville work cooperatively to improve access to learning …