Category: Resources

    • Why Prepare a Local Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan? (Guest post by Natalie French)

      Recovery is the most complicated, lengthier, expensive and least appreciated phase of emergency management. Some recoveries can take years, and communities will never be able to go back to normal levels.  In fact, it is not realistic to create a false image that things will go back to “normal”.   Long-term recovery also has a toll…

    • Architects versus developers (an architects perspective):

      Ideas versus money. That is about the simplest way to distinguish the two and also the easiest way to understand why these two groups need each other. While overlap is of course possible, it is not likely. Developers frequently look at a potential project and create a general concept based on location and possible use…

    • Planners versus architects (an architects perspective):

      When looking closer into the world of design, one will find a distinction between planners and architects. While Architects may act and function as planners, the reverse is generally not true. Urban planners are trained to focus on a larger picture and incorporate varying functions of a place. These functions may include buildings and other…

    • What to do with a damaged wood fence from a Hurricane in Miami or South Florida.

      A hurricane can leave much destruction in its wake, but even a small wind event may knock over some vegetation and fences. Under the Florida Building code a permit is required to repair fences, so where to start? The good news is that after a strong wind event, such as Hurricane Irma, the governor has…

    • Design highlights. The Bathroom:

      Bathrooms. European design trends tell us that this space is more important than the kitchen when allocating space. The spa-life within one’s own four walls has an increased importance in home remodeling as well as new construction. Basic function remains a budget favorite. Starting on the small or standard end of the spectrum, my personal…

    • Design highlights. The Dining Room:

      The dining room is becoming an increasingly extinct animal, the formal dining room, that is. In recent years very few projects in our practice, new homes or renovations, included this once mandatory space. While the dining table is certainly a key feature of any home, the formal space to host it, is not. The first…