HOK STRAW BALE For over a decade, straw-bale construction has been growing in popularity among "alternative" house builders. The durable, low-cost, nontoxic, highly insulating, pest-resistant, and potentially structural material is especially practical in hot arid climates. It was used extensively in the treeless grasslands of the U.S. Midwest early in the 20th century. — Published 2007.0516
	SUSTAINABILITY CAD STRATEGIES At the GreenBuild Conference in late 2006, Phil Bernstein, Autodesk vice president of Building Industry Strategy and Relations, announced that the software company would begin working with the U.S. Green Building Council to help architects and engineers more readily adapt their digital design processes to incorporate sustainability issues. — Published 2007.0328
	VIRGINIA AIA AWARDS Eight projects by Virginia architects recently received kudos from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects. The Awards for Excellence in Architecture went to a broad diversity of project types, from a futuristic transit station to a comforting mausoleum garden; from a woodland house to a fabric-roofed convention center. — Published 2006.0208
	AIA HONOR AWARDS 2004 When the furniture company Cisco Brothers decided to build a new showroom in Los Angeles, they realized their impact could extend beyond a single building. They had ambitions to uplift the entire South L.A. neighborhood that is home to numerous furniture manufacturers. Now, phase one of the resulting master plan has received national recognition through an honor award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). — Published 2004.0211
	GOOD DESIGN, GOOD BUSINESS The 19-story Price Tower by Frank Lloyd Wright has recently been restored to productive use. A childbirth clinic in Japan is leading an effort to change public attitudes toward women's health. And a new building for the venerable Natural History Museum in London provides much needed climate-controlled labs for delicate specimens. — Published 2003.1119
	INDOOR AIR QUALITY FOR THE EPA The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Research Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is the new home to one of the largest multidisciplinary groups of environmental scientists in the world. Designing and building this 1.1 million-square-foot (100,000-square-meter) campus presented the agency with an opportunity to demonstrate its environmental ethics. — Published 2003.0416
	SUSTAINABILITY PAYS OFF Conventional wisdom holds that the best way to formally "green" a project is to integrate sustainable thinking into the design process from the beginning. Getting everyone on the team working together early toward this common goal is still the best approach. But it's not the only way to design a sustainable building. — Published 2002.0612
	COTE GREEN AWARDS After many years of struggling against professional and political apathy in the United States, energy conservation and sustainability ideals may be finally receiving the attention they deserve. In the past four years, acceptance of environmental values has been reflected in the growing numbers of projects nominated the "Top Ten Green Projects" awards program of the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE). Architects, their clients, and the general public are increasingly appreciating environmentally sensitive architecture for both its economic and ethical importance. — Published 2002.0508
	SUSTAINABILITY WORKSHOP Along with the recent surge in knowledge about, and adoption of, sustainability practices has come a realization that senior staff in architecture firms are confronting topics that scarcely existed when they were in architecture school. In some cases, learning new technologies can be assigned to junior staff. But when the topic, like sustainability, is so integrated in the very art and science — and business — of design, it's time for senior staff to go back to school themselves. — Published 2002.0213
	ANIMATING WATERCOLOR When choosing a presentation medium for design ideas, architects are often torn between divergent options: should they show off their technical abilities with a sleek animation? Or should they demonstrate the preliminary nature of the design by portraying it in an imprecise watercolor painting? — Published 2002.0206

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