Graduation season always makes me think about the one thing architecture school can’t fully simulate: the experience of walking through a building or city and not just learning about it in history books. That’s why I keep coming back to the idea of the architect’s “Grand Tour” and the impact of travel. But what is…
Studio Life
What’s in My Architect Bag: Site Visit Essentials I Actually Use
The site visits I’ve done as an architect have changed throughout my career, depending on the projects I’m working on—and how much travel they require. Right now, I’m focused mostly on single-family remodels and ADUs (accessory dwelling units), which means my “office” is occasionally someone’s home: sometimes mid-construction, sometimes before anything has started. Recently, my…
Architecture and Blogging: The Surprising Similarities I Didn’t Expect
Architecture and blogging have more in common than I expected. When I first started blogging, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it. I’ve always considered myself a creative person—but an architect first, not necessarily a writer. Architecture is a profession that requires deep creative thinking, but it is also grounded in technical knowledge, coordination,…
How to Offend an Architect (And What to Say If You Want to Work With One)
There are a few phrases that can make architects silently cringe… and roll their eyes. Most of them aren’t meant to be malicious — they usually come from simple misunderstandings about what architects actually do. Architecture isn’t just drawings or creativity; it’s about coordination, code compliance, liability, and guiding a project from concept to construction….
Ten Years Later: What Studying for the AREs Taught Me About Myself
In the past few weeks, a wave of “Looking Back to 2016” posts have been popping up on Instagram, and it got me curious enough to scroll through my own archives. I didn’t find many photos, but what I did find was a reminder of just how transformative that year truly was. 2016 was the…