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Choosing New Windows
Where To Start The first place you should start when researching new windows for your house is to consider your scenario. Your...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 27, 20163 min read


Before Design Begins
Linda Vista House, META Design Winner, Daniel Silvernail Architect, Inc. Design doesn’t add value, it multiplies it. You’ve hired your...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 26, 20164 min read


Sun Control and Shading Devices
Well-designed sun control and shading devices can dramatically reduce building peak heat gain and cooling requirements and improve the...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 12, 20162 min read


What is Architectural Design Excellence?
In achieving architectural design excellence there are infinite Everests which beckon us: which Everest should we climb? “The secret of...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 1, 20163 min read


The Qualities of Public Spaces: Four Case Studies
What Makes Some Places Succeed While Others Fail? The Project for Public Spaces has identified four qualities generally shared by...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 22, 20163 min read


What American Cities Can Learn From Italian Piazzas
Looking down on the Piazza Del Campo, Sienna from the Torre del Mangia When the paradigm of American modernist architecture crumbled,...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 8, 20166 min read


What Makes a Great Public Space?
DiTomasso focuses on the spatial characteristics that make a place great. His list is shorter than most. Considering his suggestions,...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 8, 20162 min read


A Room With a View
I’m guessing that high up on your wish list might be for your home to be situated in a location with a breathtaking view – perhaps by the...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 8, 20162 min read


Controlling Construction Costs
(a) the cost of the proposed building materials, fixtures, and equipment, (b) the cost of the labor required to assemble these items...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 7, 20164 min read


Choosing The Best Windows for Your Home
There are four factors to consider when choosing energy efficient windows: frame, glass, design and installation. The Right Frame of Mind...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 7, 20163 min read


Psychosocial Value of Architectural Space
Are there lessons from the zoo that we can apply to building design? The answer is clearly “yes.” What would a building space be if it...

Vistacraft Engineers
May 4, 20165 min read


Building Design for Productivity
Organizations, business practices, educational settings and learning methodologies, and the workforce have changed dramatically in the...

Vistacraft Engineers
Mar 10, 20163 min read


10 Tenant Improvement Tips to Save You Time and Money
1. Select already built-out spaces. Some demolition is usually necessary to obtain the layout you want, but an existing space is...

Vistacraft Engineers
Feb 14, 20164 min read


Which Is Cheaper — Adding a Second Floor or a Ground Floor Addition?
Ground Floor Additions If you’ve got the yard space for it, ground floor additions are generally easier. There’s far less disruption of...

Vistacraft Engineers
Feb 14, 20162 min read


Architectural Design Values – Aesthetic Design Values
All of these aesthetic realities represent a number of divergent aesthetic values, in addition to differences in general values and...

Vistacraft Engineers
Feb 6, 20163 min read


Selecting the Size of Your Solar PV System
Solar panels on newly build house Whether your goal is to generate your own clean energy, increase your home’s appraisal value, save...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jan 17, 20163 min read


The Design of Office Buildings
The Flatiron Building in downtown Santa Cruz, California with two floors of offices over retail. Stylistically, it’s facades display...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jan 7, 20165 min read


Green Building Codes 2016: The Goalposts are Moving Again
Half-seriousness aside, there’s always room for greater resource efficiency in our building stock. If we’re going to insist on an economy...

Vistacraft Engineers
Jan 7, 20163 min read


Tenant Improvements: A Practical Guide for Estimating Project Cost
Here are some quoted rates for Tenant Improvement for a typical space including costs to design, permit and construct the improvements...

Vistacraft Engineers
Dec 18, 20152 min read


Building a New Home
Newly built homes are often priced higher than resale, but, with a new home, everything inside and out is brand new. Conventional...

Vistacraft Engineers
Nov 30, 20154 min read
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