Category

architecture

architectureLife

Texas, We Have a Problem

Takeaways from this week’s snowpocolypse: One - snow is no longer pretty. Two - minus one is not an acceptable temperature no matter where you live. Three - ERCOT needs to get their you-know-what together. And four, every home should have a back-up generator. Growing up in Texas, I know…
jwa
February 19, 2021
architectureLife

Boundlessly Bad

James and I have spent a good deal of time over the pandemic playing Monopoly on our Wii. (And I’ll pause here while you snicker and roll your eyes over the fact that yes, we still have a Wii.) More specifically, we’ve been playing the “streets” version, which is their…
jwa
February 12, 2021
architectureLife

He-Shed, She-shed, Me-Shed

Spotted Dog may need a new doghouse. And no, I didn’t do anything wrong. James isn’t banishing me from the house. I’m just thinking the time may have come for a little more room to spread out. To know an architect is to know our clutter. Any architect’s office that…
jwa
January 29, 2021
architectureFood for thought

Where Muppets Go To Die

Set an architect in front of the worst building, and for the most part, we can see the potential no matter how bad things look. Only twice in my career have I told a client their best option was to tear down and start over. I was reminded of this…
jwa
January 8, 2021
architectureLife

The Most Wonderful Time

Somehow January has now become December. Which means lots of shopping; trying to fill out and send Christmas cards to family, friends, and clients; and for James and me, baking lots and lots of cookies. However, for architects, this time of year holds special meaning. It’s when we realize the…
jwa
December 15, 2020
architectureLGBT

Brace for Impact

I spent last Friday talking with queer (and not) architecture students as part of a conference series sponsored by the American Institute of Architecture Students. I shared some of my experiences about being out and open in architecture, something I’ve made no bones about since my first job. Why else…
Clint Thomson
November 13, 2020
architectureFood for thoughtLife

Space Case

During a call this week, another architect was telling us how the company his son’s friend works for announced they would no longer have a physical office. Staff members that had been living in and around New York City would be free to work from anywhere. For this particular fellow,…
Clint Thomson
October 30, 2020
architectureLife

Color – or Lack Thereof

Every fall, Sherwin Williams announces their color of the year for the coming year. And in a year that’s seen a global pandemic, protests and rioting, and the death of a beloved Supreme Court justice, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw their selection. Urbane Bronze. Or…
Clint Thomson
September 25, 2020
architecturebusiness

What Lies Beneath

I always tell clients to be ready for a surprise any time they’re doing a renovation. You never know what the previous owners have done during their own renovations. Or the people before them. But always expect something. Entire windows left inside walls. Flooring on top of flooring on top…
Clint Thomson
September 18, 2020
architectureLife

Spaces

My first studio professor, in describing an assignment, said he wanted us to understand how one feels moving through a space. He couldn’t tell us how to build that space, just that we were supposed to create it. Looking back, no wonder I finished my degree elsewhere. However, being an…
Clint Thomson
September 11, 2020
Spotted Dog Architecture