Practice: Materials

Running a successful architecture practice is more than just program diagrams and foundation details : the operational side of things is equally important when it comes to keeping the firm afloat and it takes both business sense and creativity to spur growth. For project managers, accounting is paramount. It is important to keep close track of…

Chicago architects, decorators, design enthusiasts, and savvy shoppers have a lot to celebrate this year. The Merchandise Mart, the epicenter for design in Chicago, has added four new showrooms to its LuxeHome collection located on the 1st floor of this iconic building. These include the Miele Center, Scavolini Store Chicago, Wood-Mode Lifestyle Design Center, and…

rom enduring ancient monuments to a tradition of excellent products, no country in the world can boa st artisans with a deeper historical connection to fine stoneware than Italy. Within Italy, however, no one can beat the quality and innovations of manufacturer Casalgrande Padana. To celebrate their commitment to exceptional stoneware and its uses in contemporary architecture, they are now accepting entries for their 10th Grand Prix, recognizing the most technically accomplished and expressive uses of their materials in projects from 2012 to 2015.

The next building you build may contain sources of fungus, invasive alien plant species, mutant frui t, or weeds. But in a good way. These materials and more are some of the main ingredients in the new generation of biopolymers and biocomposites, products that mainly comprise plant, animal, fungal, and bacterial sources that can now be…

Architizer continues to explore how architects experience the emotional realm during the process of creation, presenting the points of view of some of the profession’s most actualized practitioners. Today, Saxon Henry, author of Four Florida Moderns, interviews Guy Peterson, FAIA — Founder and Principal of Guy Peterson | Office for Architecture — whose forthcoming book…

At its best, we generally regard our built environment as a source of comfort, protection, and inspi ration. But at its worst, can it also foster destructive habits? Manhattan-based urbanism thinktank The Van Alen Institute, wondering just that, plans to launch “Ecologies of Addiction,” an interdisciplinary investigation on the impact of our surroundings on our impulsive…

A household name in contemporary architecture circles, Sam Jacob recently sat down to talk with Arch itizer about his ongoing work with students and drawing in the digital age. We mostly discussed his studio at Yale last semester, taught in collaboration with his FAT buddy Sean Griffiths, and how that was informed by broader notions about…

In the early 1980s, Bonnie Littman was working at Chemical Bank, as her sister Sandy was launching a new decorating lighting company. To steward that brand’s meteoric growth, Bonnie became president of the American Glass Lite Company in 1983. “Even then I knew was an entrepreneur,” she recalls, and ultimately that flair led Bonnie and…

Have you ever been lost in IKEA? There are new unofficial regroup locations that are perfect for “re charging.” Starting in April, you will be able to charge your phone with new IKEA furniture. And, if already have an apartment full of IKEA furniture, for $33 you can upgrade existing furniture with an add-on kit. Images…