Entries by Leslie McDonald

Winter Tomatoes: Growing Green Indoors

In the beginning we knew that working on a new residence for ceramic artists Michael and Nancy Linsley was going to be a creative adventure. They emphasized that to truly support and express who they were, the home would incorporate growing way beyond the regular houseplant. To be clear, we’re talking about year-round indoor growing of veggies, herbs and lemons!

Time Lapse Mural Painting

Rye Quartz wandered into our office last summer and made his offer: we buy the paint, and he paints our big, blank, boring cinder block wall facing the alley. One look at his website assured us this was an excellent opportunity to partner with a talented young artist. Rye drew inspiration for his mural painting from our architecture portfolio, then he got to work.

Our Favorite Things Volume 17

Living Bridges, Literally: The tiny village of Mawsynram in Meghalaya puts Colorado’s frequent afternoon rainstorms to shame. Wearing “the wettest place on earth” badge with honor, the locals train the roots of rubber trees to grow into resilient natural bridges and ladders that last for centuries, where man-made wooden structures would deteriorate within a few years. Talk about 100% living architecture!

A Sharing Culture

From Scott DuPree of Civil Society Transitions, I heard of the Zimbabwean idea of qoqelela: a community funded trust that allows individuals and families in the community to take turns purchasing things they wouldn’t have the means to otherwise – things that in turn help the community’s stability, such as livestock or looms.

Living with Art

Hot off the presses: our Bluebell Home was just featured on the cover of the June / July issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles. For this home, our Principal of Building Technology, Sam Nishek, worked closely with David Barrett’s design direction to overcome the site’s restrictions, including building height & bulk plane, and tricky soils & drainage.