In our household it seems we are always looking for ways to cut expenses to help make ends meet. An easy place to invest some money to get a quick payback is efficiency. Here are 5 tips to get started reducing your monthly utility bills. 1. Air seal your home – air sealing...

The downtown Harrisonburg office building renovation is changing daily. Here is an update for the project that started here and here.

Cohousing is a type of development where residents collaborate together on the design of their own neighborhood. The residents create the spaces that work best for the group. Cohousing residents are committed to living as a community together. The physical design of the homes...

Here is another project we have under construction. It is designed for the future, can be taken off grid, is accessible, and can support a self sufficient lifestyle. Let us know what you think.

Life Cycle Analysis is a system of reviewing the entire history of a product to account for the total impact on the environment. Also known as cradle-to-grave analysis, the process includes analysis of processing of raw materials, manufacturing process, and distribution process...

This event has been postponed.   We have been working with a great group of volunteers to bring this conference together. Website and registration should launch soon! Here are some details. MID-ATLANTIC SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE “building for the future”   JMU...

Finding joy in your daily work is a huge gift, giving joy to others is even better. I figured out that I wanted to be an architect in seventh grade, Mr. Price’s class at Northside Junior High School. From there I took every design class I could through high school and...

Many people struggle with visualizing a space before the work is done.  This is especially true in an existing building that has always looked “that way.” In an effort to help clients understand what they are getting in advance of construction, we often use 3-D...

Our clients have finally moved into this incredible family home, build by Trost Custom Homes. Here are some Penn Laird home interior photographs, plus our past updates. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Conservation, to me, is the key to a more energy-efficient future for our built environment. It is the act of preserving, guarding, or protecting the resources we have available on this planet. Building represent 38.9% of U.S. primary energy use (includes fuel input for...