BLACK RIVER ARCHITECTS

Indeed. Why go through the disruption of convening committees, resolving internal conflicts, interacting with government agencies and acquiescing to financing sources?  Why not just “make do” in one way or another?

There are many reasonable answers to this question. “...

A very small percentage of existing buildings are designated as having historical significance, limiting whether they can be demolished or how they can be added to or renovated. The vast majority of buildings are unprotected and it is for their owners and architects t...

Retail thrives on change, innovation, novelty and trends. Museums, on the other hand, represent stability, refinement, reflection and the longer arc of history. 

This opposition of values is often manifested in the design of the museum store – the museum administrators...

Exactly how an architect designs – that is, develops a plan and creates a physical object that has visual coherence and impact – can take one of two approaches. 

The architect can interpret the values and history of the organization in his or her own vocabulary. The re...

In the drive to reduce the cost of construction, the building industry is simplifying building methods and employing machine made components. In the hands of good designers, the results can be striking and novel, but without warmth and a human connection. How many hous...

Some Thoughts on Architectural Vocabulary and Institutional Vision

by Arch Horst

When the Saint Louis Art Museum decided to expand its late 19th Century, Cass Gilbert designed, Beaux Arts building it chose British architect, David Chipperfield for the project....

Giving Expression to Your Institution's Mission

Generally speaking, all architects begin the process of creating a building by reviewing the material presented to them by the owner. They carefully break down the programmatic requirements, study existing conditions draw...