Insights

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire left one in three residents homeless, drastically reshaping the city’s architecture and construction practices. This disaster, like others throughout history, spurred significant changes in building codes, particularly regarding fire protection. Over time, such events have driven the evolution of design and construction standards, influencing everything from spatial layouts to structural integrity. The selection of materials and finishes, in pa

In an attempt to create an outlet for my thoughts and share my own adventures of learning, I started a Youtube channel to publish videos about the business of architecture and what we do. Similarly, AGD launched a TikTok channel to do the same. One of the biggest and most controversial topics has been what the difference is between a designer or drafter and an architect. The first and most important difference is that an architect is a licensed professional that must adhere

Over the past 10 years of my career, I have found that much of the basic services of what an architect performs for clients remains unknown to the general public. It can be understood that almost a century of architecture has created an image of an architect drawing plans over a drafting board. But what is really known of how those plans get developed in collaboration with a client or a consultant? What is really known of all the effort and time spent before the plans become

Noise, chaos, overpopulation, density, etc…are all major dilemmas within the city of Saigon, Vietnam. Recovering from the Vietnam War in 1975, the country itself has witnessed a major shift in economic growth. In Saigon, particularly, by becoming the center of economics of the entire nation, excessive urbanization has become an obvious attachment with the fast-paced, against the clock lifestyle embedded within the body and mind of many people. Therefore, this thesis retrace

Holt Watters Field Camp Phase I, ColoradoBuildingWorkshop Holt Watters Field Camp Phase I In January of 2022, I joined the ColoradoBuildingWorkshop design build certificate program at the University of Colorado Denver while studying for my Master of Architecture degree. To say that we were ecstatic when we found out that our project was to design and build a research station for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would be an understatement. The Holt Wat

Halley VI Pods,https://thespaces.com/prefabs-designed-for-extreme-locations/ Prefabrication Prefabrication is the construction of a building or of its parts before being placed on its site. When the project is then constructed on site, the pieces of the whole are already created and the parts can be assembled much more efficiently. There are several advantages to building this way including the speed and simplification of construction, minimal construction waste, and increa