Can Third Place Developments Fill Our Vacancies?

The term “third place” has infiltrated our market as a space to be in that isn’t - one, our home, or two, our office…it’s our third place: a place to socialize, be creative, relax, meet and entertain.

Sustainability, Developer Guide, Interiors & MaterialityKim AllenMay 30, 2024third place, cowork, vacant buildings, real estate developments, new orleans real estate, social clubs, hi-rise buildings, indoor garden, business plan, investment plan, real estate investments, new orleans architects, Urban architecture, Urban development, Adaptive Reuse

Regional Materials Palette

Our regional materials palette features tile, stone, wood and other building material sourced locally, supporting sustainability by reducing the transportation impact of building materials over long distances. Below is a compilation of materials we think you should consider using in your next building project.

Sustainability, Design Principles, Interiors & MaterialityKim AllenMay 22, 2024regional, material research, US Southeast region, Southeast region, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Tile, Stone, Wood, Building Materials, sustainability, Carbon Footprint, Design Resource

Framework for Excellence: Design Strategies

The American Institute of Architects has recently released its Framework for Design Excellence, a guidance tool consisting of ten key principles complemented by probing questions. This tool serves as a guidepost to help designers make advances toward a better built environment that is zero-carbon, promotes health, fosters resilience, and upholds equity.

Sustainability, Design PrinciplesKim AllenMay 2, 2024AIA framework for excellence, Design for Well-being, Design for Integration, Principles in Design, Design, Architecture, sustainability, project goals

Block Party

A trip around the rest of the Caribbean perimeter, from islands like Puerto Rico, to coastal Mexico and Central America, will show you a vastly different role for the humble concrete block than we have in the U.S.

Construction & Permitting, Interiors & Materiality, Sustainabilityben allenMarch 20, 2023cmu, cinder block, caribbean construction, construction materials, building techniques, insulation, concrete, 30A, Alys Beach, Gulf Coast Construction, Gulf Coast Architects, Gulf Coast Building Design, Design, Architecture, Stucco

Salvaged Architecture

Just because you are doing a gut renovation or constructing new, doesn’t mean you can’t incorporate salvaged materials. Trending or not, this design strategy has many benefits from the sustainable reuse of resources to getting a custom look for less. Applications of old elements with new construction are by nature unique to each project and will have many of your friends awed by your creativity!

Design Principles, Historic Projects, SustainabilityKim AllenNovember 9, 2020historic buildings, historic housing, salvaged, recycled, new orleans, architectural elements, fireplace mantles, wood windows, custom, custom homes, custom architecture, construction, residential architecture, residential development

Getting Back to the Middle

We based parking requirements on absolute peak demand - so that even on Black Friday, everyone, by law, gets a parking space. Developers were forced to buy more land, and provide worst-case scenario parking, for free, in order to build. With more than ample parking everywhere, more people choose to drive for trips. Traffic engineers note the roads are getting congested, and design larger, wider roads to provide capacity.

Scaling Down Development

There are a lot of problems with our current approach to residential development. For something in such perpetual demand, it's amazing that the market has not been able to figure out a good way to supply it. We need quality housing in large quantities. Note, that adjective: quality. As we saw in 2006, housing built with no attention to quality or sustainability of place is not truly in demand; it created a valueless bubble that then collapsed.

Sustainability, Developer Guideben allenMarch 20, 2018missing middle, scaling down development, residential development, architecture, creative problem solving, new orleans housing, housing issues, housing solutions, urban development, human scale, trends, housing bubble, sharing economy, house sharing, ikea

Reimagining of a Habitat For Humanity Houseplan

This project is a great example of how a few simple customizations to any structure can add value, and that value is amplified when we avoid using the bulldozer as an 'easy' out to our housing needs. The most sustainable solutions for new buildings are far and away those that involve repurposing and upcycling our existing stock of housing, and even our stock-plan builder home neighborhoods could become more interesting places if housing was allowed to evolve and grow in as unique a way as its inhabitants.