There were big rumblings in the San Antonio over the last few days as some severe weather moved through the area and for any budding meteorologists there has been plenty to see.  The following images are from various hailstones that fell in the Alamo Heights Sunday evening area courtesy of Bailey and Lauren Raike who risked life and limb to retrieve them.  Click to Read More

Last week Graham and I made the trek out to Big Bend National Park for our continuing work on the Fossil Discovery Trail. On the way back I stopped in Fort Stockton to take in some of the intriguing architecture and oil infrastructure that is in various states of decay. Nearly every conceivable form of desert related fading, cracking, and crumbling seems to be taking place. For more insight on West Texas check out Corey’s post. Click to Read More

At the office we like to get hands-on with potential building materials for our projects. This desire manifests itself often, ranging from placing samples on the office roof for months to see how they weather in the Texas sun (and sometimes forgetting about them) to ordering lots and lots of samples which later become paperweights and odd pencil holders around the office. This week we tested a potential exterior LED light fixture for the Austin Central Library. Click to Read More

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines transparent as having the property of transmitting light…so that bodies lying beyond are seen clearly. These days, transparency is getting a lot of attention in the built environment, specifically in relation to materials. The International Living Future Institute has raised the bar and our awareness with its Living Building Challenge, a certification program that uses petals of a flower to designate its categories. Click to Read More

A few of us LF’ers recently had the opportunity to listen to journalist and author, Richard Louv speak at a luncheon for the San Antonio Children’s Museum project, which Lake|Flato is extremely proud to be designing. To foster natural play, the Museum will encourage outdoor learning through the use of streams, bioswales, and sand exhibits. Click to Read More

Our minds are pre-programmed to read and respond to certain patterns and elements found within the natural world.  However, in contemporary society we more and more often find ourselves living in nature deprived conditions, in places divorced from the nature context we subconsciously desire.  Perhaps designers of the built environment can learn to reconnect people to the patterns of nature triggering aesthetic responses that speak to our inner spirit and our innate sense of beauty. Click to Read More

And if that’s not enought to convince you, I bought one last night and feel like a celebrity.  Stay tuned for the hanging party…I am taking votes for the lucky wall! Click to Read More

While in Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity to stop by the Children’s Museum. Once housed in the Old Post Office building, the museum expanded in 2004 taking full advantage of the nearby Buhl Planetarium. Click to Read More

Recently a friend and I took a trip out to New Orleans. After a couple of days in the city we decided to venture out and explore the world of the Louisiana Bayou. Expecting to encounter a few alligators and turtles, we soon discovered that these creatures weren’t all the swamps had to offer. Click to Read More

I recently traveled to Vals, Switzerland, a remote village located in a valley high in the Alps. Vals has an interesting story: the village owned a failing 1960’s hotel/spa complex built over the only thermal springs in the region, and in the early 90’s, invited local architect Peter Zumthor to design the new thermal spa. Vals, still a tiny, distant place,  is now an epicenter for architects from all over the world. Much has been said of the architecture: its uncompromising rigor of Click to Read More