Ross Levy, Author at Levy Art + Architecture

April 12, 2023June 7, 2023

Guide to Architecture Terms – Part 1

Whether you are building a standalone structure in wine country, mountains, or along the coast, our guide to architecture terms will help you work effectively with an architect on your new project.

Common architectural terms are defined as a quick primer, followed by a checklist with more specific descriptions of building components and systems.

This is your decision-making guide if you are beginning a new architecture project.

Architecture – General Terms

Building siting (view, sun exposure, prevailing breeze, Zoning Codes)
Total mass and volume (inside and outside shape)
Interior organization, space and flow
Proportion of each space, length width and height
Features (double height spaces, stairs, beams and exposed structure, large operable glass, ceiling shapes and skylights)

Architecture is the overall design and planning of your ideal project including the size, layout, and style of the structure. Discussing architecture is important because it will help to determine the overall look and feel of the building, and ensure that it meets your needs and preferences. A skilled architect will also act as the point of coordination between all of your other vendors (landscapers, general contractors, lighting designers etc), so that you end up with a unified and complete vision.

Building siting: The process of selecting the best location on a piece of land for a building based on factors such as views, sun exposure, prevailing breeze, and local zoning codes.
Total mass and volume: The overall size and shape of a building, both inside and outside, which can affect the building’s aesthetic appeal, energy efficiency, and functional layout.
Interior organization, space, and flow: The arrangement of rooms, walls, doors, and other elements inside a building to create functional and efficient living spaces that meet the needs of the occupants.
Proportion of each space: The relative size and dimensions (length, width, and height) of each room or space in a building, including ceiling height and floor area. This affects the overall comfort and functionality of the living spaces.
Features: The unique design elements or functional features incorporated into a building, such as fireplaces, built-in storage, or outdoor living spaces.
- Double-height spaces: An interior space that extends vertically to the full height of two stories, which can create a sense of openness and grandeur in a building.
- Stairs: An element of a building that provides access between different levels, which can be designed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the building and create a sense of visual interest.
- Beams and exposed structure: The structural elements of a building that are left exposed, which can create a visually interesting and unique design feature.
- Large operable glass: Large windows or doors that can be opened to connect the interior of a building to the outdoor environment, which can provide natural light and ventilation.
- Ceiling shapes and skylights: The design of the ceiling, including shapes, angles, and the inclusion of skylights, can affect the aesthetic appeal and functionality of a building, as well as the amount of natural light that enters the space.

Would you like a printable PDF of the complete guide to architecture terms? Head over to this page to grab the download.

Working on a custom residential or commercial project? We’d be happy to guide you through this process and work with you to create a beautiful, functional, and sustainable building that fits your unique vision and needs.

Schedule your complimentary 20min consultation so we can answer any questions you have, no matter what phase of the project you’re in.

Let’s Talk

About Levy Art + Architecture

Ross Levy, licensed architect and principal at Levy Art + Architecture, has been creating environmentally-conscious designs that support modern lifestyles for nearly 30 years. With his background as a building contractor, he brings a craftsman’s perspective and attention to detail to every unique project. Ross completed graduate work at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, is a founding member of The Viet Nam Green Building Council, and has served for many years on the AIA Public Policy committee.

Levy Art + Architecture’s work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects and featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, SPACES, Dwell, Dezeen, and Fine Homebuilding.

July 21, 2021July 6, 2023

A MODERN MANIFESTO: Respect

A modern interior featuring white brick walls and the text "Respect"

An architect’s modern manifesto.

5 R’s (Reflect, Respond, Respect, Restore, Regenerate)

RESPECT: ARCHITECTURE EXISTS IN CONTEXT… URBAN, NATURAL, AND CULTURAL

The architectural project never takes place in a vacuum.

The context that we face today is more complex, layered and nuanced than any that has preceded it. We work piece by piece into a world that is not always well conceived, created of different layers of success and failure in planning and building. On top of this, time has passed. Now places, specific structures, and larger districts are imbued with an overlay of human history — some shared public sense of their significance and cultural importance.

Understanding and working with the circumstances that surround us grounds our work and is an act of respect for the community. This is an exercise that involves equal parts 1) recognition: what and who have come before and 2) innovation: the next, logical evolution from a land use, environmental and cultural perspective. Some of these factors are defined in subjective terms, so stakeholder engagement is critical as a preliminary step towards creating a common vocabulary through which a project may be discussed.

On a planet with nearly 8 billion human souls and an exponentially increasing rate of global warming, issues of housing, climate change, and the related issues of disaster relief and human equity are inexorably intertwined. Working within this tangled web with the understanding that the building sector is the single largest source of carbon in our atmosphere, we as architects face the intersection of technical and social crises as a portion of our everyday work. As we attempt to green this largest piece of the infrastructure we encounter, the difficult interplay of tradition and progress, science and society that are, incomprehensibly, at odds with each other in this most critical moment.

In the course of our work, we weigh necessary change against the challenges that go along with it. In cities, where there has been a resurgence of demand for a tight-knit, pedestrian lifestyle, we are working into intact and semi-intact urban fabrics to create contemporary space in historic settings. The continuity of the street wall, and the history of the community create a seen and unseen amorphous context, that we must decipher. Approaching this work with a sense of respect, for each other and for the planet is critical to our success. The public sphere must be studied, comprehended, and integrated to create an architecture that is relevant.

In the rural setting, life has always been more direct. Our work in this context is always closer to the land. Topography, the natural land features, and prevailing climate defines this context along with the real consideration of the flow of resources through these isolated settings. The best works of architecture do more than provide shelter, they enhance their surroundings, honor the land, and model a regenerative relationship with the ecosystem.

In between there are amorphous suburbs that defy form and function poorly from planetary and cultural perspectives. Urban sprawl and the issues of traffic and resource consumption that go along with it are well documented. Many of the social ills of our time; depression, addiction, suicide are problems of distress and alienation, as described in Phillip Slater’s seminal 1970 book “The Pursuit of Loneliness.” Although the critique of this pattern is complete, the solution, the adaptation, is unclear. People enjoy their space, or at least they’ve been sold on a lifestyle premised on individuality and separation. Perhaps respect, an acknowledgment of the “other” whether that other is a neighbor, a forest, or a nation, is the point from which we can begin to re-engage and create a more equitable, just and sustainable world. Doing nothing, business as usual, is no longer an option.

Read the rest of this architect’s modern manifesto here.

April 21, 2021September 1, 2021

MANIFESTO: Respond

5 R’s (Reflect, Respond, Respect, Restore, Regenerate)

RESPOND: ARCHITECTURE IS POLITICAL, IT SHAPES PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

In a world of dwindling resources and increasing population, it is impossible to escape the fact that architectural acts are political acts. Allocation — of material and energy — has profound implications on the public welfare and is, therefore, political.

With building operations (heating, cooling, lighting and powering them) producing nearly 40% of Co2 emissions worldwide, our task goes beyond “net-zero” or “carbon neutral.” We must strive for “restorative” architecture: resilient structures that draw carbon from an increasingly unpredictable atmosphere while sheltering us. Each project is an opportunity to innovate and improve. Performance matters and can and should inspire new design idioms.

Beyond our immediate work, we, as Architects, are uniquely suited to have and to exercise opinions about local and national policy. Questions concerning land use, energy, infrastructure, agricultural practice and their implications for environmental justice, equity for native peoples, and climate change are ultimately architectural questions. They concern patterns of settlement and consumption of resources that are fundamental to design and planning thinking. They challenge us to apply our knowledge while at the same time repositioning the architectural problem and the work of architects in general in regards to privilege and inclusion.

Increasingly, legislation, more than design, shapes our world. To practice we must be proactive, visible advocates for: design, our cities, our farmland, natural systems and all people. We have collectively been educated to materialize ideas that exist in real physical settings, so we have a keen understanding of the relationship between the standard of living and the raw materials that go into it.

Now more than being designers and planners, we are resource allocators. We are entrusted with the responsibility for careful application in the creation of living, productive environments.

February 24, 2021July 1, 2022

MANIFESTO: Reflect

5 R’s (Reflect, Respond, Respect, Restore, Regenerate)

REFLECT: ARCHITECTURE IS CONCEPT, MATERIALIZED AND REALIZED

The era of information acceleration has fueled social tensions resulting in nativism that distracts from the global challenge of climate change. Architects in the early twenty-first century need to be so much more than master builders, we are called to be socio-geo-political-environmentalists, renaissance people.

Work that is to have meaning in this context must be approached with a broad understanding; culture, society, art, history, physics and chemistry. This is what Regenerative Practitioners term “proximal wholes,” the practices that are adjacent and relevant to ours. In every case we need to take a moment to reflect and ask how our efforts and the efforts of everyone involved in a building project will impact, influence, and improve the entire environment in which they exist.

This could be termed “radical contextualism” where context exists not only as a physical remnant but also, socially and historically. This is Place based thinking where each unique location is part of the larger whole “living system.”. Architecture that understands its place in living systems can be better than neutral, it can contribute to human and environmental well-being.

Working in this fashion demands the simultaneous contemplation of the social and the physical sciences and that makes our work distinct from that of all other professions. In this sense it is a “total” occupation and requires renaissance people for its successful practice.

Great architecture has always been based in clear, concise conceptual ideas or ideals. Relevant concepts arise from the spirit of the times, the zeitgeist, that demands new solutions and new forms. Coupled with innovation in material and technical sciences we find a basis, a conceptual framework, for design in the twenty first century.

Read the rest of the manifesto here.

January 20, 2021December 8, 2021

2021 Architecture Manifesto: The 5 R’s

When social, economic, political and technological conditions change to the extent that they have recently, the architectural project needs to be re-assessed, and re-imagined. It’s timely to take a moment to reflect on the practice of architecture in the cultural context, taking special care to understand how it operates simultaneously as an artifact of, and contributing factor in, the creation of that culture.

The post industrial has given way to the information, and now, the dis-information age. We have experienced sudden and ongoing disruptions; tech, climate, public health and confidence that have led us to directly consider the nature of space, public and private, essential or expendable, secure or vulnerable. The promise of global platforms, the presumed democratizing influence of seeing and understanding the “other” has given way to a darker potential that foments and divides.

Patterns of settlement, our shared, daily, physical experience of built and unbuilt environments, provides a common context on a world we all share with an environment we all depend on.

It is in this context that we seek to reposition architecture and assert its essential role. It is the material expression of culture. It can provide an intellectual and spatial framework through which to try to comprehend, to frame, and begin to address the complicated socio-geo-political- reality, a reality that we all share and existential problem, of our time.

Read each of the R’s here as they are published:

1) Reflect

2) Respond

3) Respect

4) Restore (stay tuned)

5) Regenerate (stay tuned)

Comment and share your thoughts about this architecture manifesto on LinkedIn.

November 11, 2020August 2, 2022

Thanks to Fire Resistant Architecture, UC Santa Cruz – Big Creek Reserve Unharmed by Dolan Fire

We were relieved to learn that the Research and housing that we recently completed at the UCSC Big Creek Reserve escaped the Dolan Fire undamaged thanks to fire resistant architecture and the work of Reserve managers and UC staff alongside CDF to face the emergency. It is also the result of good planning that included WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) standards for fire-resistant construction, water storage and site preparedness. ⁠
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Resilience in the face of climate change, and the study of how the coastal ecosystem is responding is a big part of the mission of The Reserve. The Conservation Biologists who study and work at Big Creek know the fire cycle from academic and up-close-and-personal perspectives. We appreciate and support their work and are glad that advanced planning, architecture, and design helped in some way.⁠

Working with the Conservation Biology Department, Levy Art + Architecture developed fire-resistant designs for a living classroom, scientific research housing and staff housing on the 7000 acre Natural Reserve site. In addition to developing an appropriate architectural language, we have coordinated a project team to create a complete, standalone facility that is self-powering, and environmentally neutral in terms of water supply and wastewater disposal. The level of difficulty is increased by the close proximity to the pristine Big Creek and its riparian zone. Budget constraints were extreme as we were asked to develop two, separate sites, that each required complete infrastructure for water, power, wastewater, road and fire access, as well as protection for sensitive environments and species. We have worked through a rigorous UC process and created an exemplary architectural response.

July 6, 2018April 14, 2019

Value Engineering: Combining Budget, Design and Clarity

Value Engineering combines budget, design and clarity

“Value Engineering” is an often used, and poorly understood, term. There is a time in the life of every architectural project where design intention and budget need to meet.

Design is an informed response to a series of, sometimes conflicting, priorities. We have been trained to believe that a conceptual approach to design yields the most meaningful results by providing a framework for organizing these diverse design requirements.

While conceptually motivated design thinking is important at every stage, it actually serves its most critical function during the most mundane phase, Value Engineering.

What is Value Engineering?

Value Engineering is the process whereby we alter reconsider, modify or remove design elements in the service of reducing the budget for a given project.

Conceptual thinking underpins all design decisions for a project by providing a logical framework in which they can be understood together. This is true both for the initiation of schematic ideas, their integration in the design solution and, in many cases, their elimination from the scheme.

Each and every element has a certain necessity associated with it. As design evolves, it is common for some elements, formative ideas that were useful in the project conception, to remain, even if they are no longer particularly relevant. These are the perfect targets for Value Engineering. Removing or altering them actually supports the design, improves it, while at the same time saving money.

Importance of Streamlining the Design

Far from being a contradiction, streamlining the design saves money and, at the same time, improves the expression and the finished experience. Value Engineering is not a slash and burn race to the bottom, when contemplated correctly, it is one of the most important design opportunities.

Value engineering is a normal part of the design process. As we work to justify our architectural vision with the reality of a budget, we have an opportunity to make better design decisions, clarifying and improving the architecture while being responsible managers.

Looking For Architectural Services In San Francisco, California, or elsewhere?

At Levy Art + Architecture, we’re passionate about both the past and future of San Francisco architecture. We love San Francisco’s history and mythology.

We’re committed to bringing that heritage into the future. If you’re looking for architectural services in or around San Francisco, contact us today.

Based in San Francisco, California, Levy Art & Architecture specializes in commercial and residential projects, with the goal of creating an innovative architectural design consistent with the client’s vision, sensitive to the context and the environment. A team of professionals with extensive experience and multi-disciplinary backgrounds handles a wide range of project at every scale.

June 25, 2018April 14, 2019

San Francisco Architecture in The Age of Eclecticism

San Francisco is changing, but it’s still recognizable. The Victorians, The Edwardians, and The Queen Annes that played host to the summer of ’67 are still here, protected and grand, but that doesn’t mean that the city should be frozen in time. There is a new urbanism, a new spirit, and a new industry, but the form and fabric of the old city remains.

In an era of housing shortage, rising rents and climate change, urbanism is the answer. It’s time to expand upon all that is good about San Francisco.

San Francisco architecture has always shifted with the demands of time. We’ve responded to earthquakes, housed soldiers, and been an example of tolerance and progressive thinking. In the context of 21^st century America, California, and the San Francisco Bay Area, the Contemporary Architecture that is being created is, just like its Victorian grandparents, uniquely San Franciscan, suited to its place, climate, and the urban fabric. It’s the current interpretation of “place,” but just as native as its precedents.

In this moment, the eclectic blend of classic and contemporary architectural styles, and their mutual influence on each other, what are the benefits? Here are some examples.

Creates A Better Urban Experience

Architecture plays a vital role in defining local culture. It gives a particular sense of place that becomes more and more vital in today’s homogenized, corporatized world.

Many urban theorists believe the only hope for density is verticality. They, rightfully, sing the praises of skyscrapers in reducing traffic and urban sprawl. San Francisco will add housing and office space in these types of structures, and indeed a great build up of residential and commercial space is underway around the new Transbay Terminal, but it must also add space at the neighborhood scale.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sheds some light on the matter. The study concludes that cities with the most diverse range of buildings create the best urban experience. The way forward would be to integrate classic architecture in San Francisco with modern updates. When created carefully, sensitively, contemporary buildings add a layer of diversity and interest to the old city, while respecting and enhancing it.

Historic Buildings Attract Creatives

Artists and creative types are notoriously averse to sterile, placeless designs. If San Francisco modern architecture hopes to draw, and captivate, the creative class, it needs to build on its heritage and legacy.

Nearby Silicon Valley attracts plenty of business people, software developers, and entrepreneurs. The resulting innovation takes place inside of the labs, think-tanks, and VC firms, but outside there is an equally bleak reality marked by repetitive and generic sub-urbanism, the antithesis of a vibrant artistic culture.

If San Francisco hopes to maintain its position as a haven of innovation, builders should be keeping 1968 in mind as well as 2018 and 2050.

Preserves Local Identity

San Francisco is full of memorable, distinctive architecture. It’s one of its most noteworthy features, right along with its rolling hills and functional cable cars and trolleys. It’s like no other place on Earth, having weathered serious disasters, it’s resilient and has a quickly-shifting culture. Architecture in San Francisco needs to reflect that.

Consider the recent renovation of San Francisco’s Ferry Building. The 104-year old building was converted into public space, featuring a 5-story atrium. The Ferry Building’s design is a testament to the creativity that can come from honoring the historic with a modern sensibility. This famous San Francisco building will live on, repurposed and ready for the 21st Century.

Updating San Francisco’s architectural heritage for modern times will help preserve its past and ensure its future. Modern architecture is one of San Francisco’s most relevant cultural exports. Working in this rich environment, San Francisco architects are envisioning futures across the globe. We need to do more of it here.

Looking For Architectural Services In San Francisco?

At Levy Art + Architecture, we’re passionate about both the past and future of San Francisco architecture. We love San Francisco’s history and mythology.

We’re committed to bringing that heritage into the future. If you’re looking for architectural services in or around San Francisco, contact us today.

May 29, 2018August 2, 2022

6 Ways to Incorporate Green Design into your Home

Environmental sustainability has never been a more critical issue for humanity. With building, and building operation, contributing nearly 50% of global C02 emissions, the role of sustainable architecture has never been more important. As more people realize the importance of decreasing their carbon footprint, green design and construction are projected to become one of the fastest growing markets worldwide.

The good news is that with such a high demand, and progress in building and material science, there are a number of easy to implement and inexpensive approaches you can take to incorporate sustainable design features into your new or renovated home. In this article, we’ll look at 6 great ways you can integrate eco-friendly design in your home construction.

1. Work with the Environment, Not Against It

One of the most direct ways to construct green buildings is to keep the natural conditions of your building site in mind, what is called “passive design.” When optimizing natural light, heating, and cooling, the orientation of your house is vitally important.

In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing windows will collect natural heat from sunlight in winter. Avoiding or providing exterior shades for west-facing windows will help keep your home cooler in the hot summer months. Strategically placing windows throughout the house will allow for cross-breezes and natural ventilation, saving on energy usage. Yards without fences will allow for local wildlife to move freely.

An experienced green architect will design a building based on these principals and the specifics of the shape of the land, prevailing winds, and existing vegetation for your future home. This will make it genuinely “of its place.”

2. Purchase Sustainably Grown and Harvested Lumber

Forests are carbon sinks and provide habitat for all variety of wildlife. From the rainforests of South America to the arboreal forests of Canada, forest management is a critical issue worldwide. We have seen the increase of wildfire and devastation in the American West. Traditional clear-cutting of old growth forests does irreparable harm to the ecosystems and the watershed. These are a non-renewable resource that must be protected for the “ecosystem services” that they provide.

We, as consumers, need to vote with our pocketbooks. Sustainably grown lumber is “certified” by either the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or Green Cross rating systems. Engineered lumber products, large dimension pieces made up of factory assembled small diameter logs, work and act better than sawn timber while leaving large trees standing. Check to make sure that your forest products are certified and that engineered products are manufactured with non-toxic adhesives.

3. Install Green Insulation

Insulation is especially important in green design. Great insulation reduces the amount of energy needed to heat or cool your home. Placing weather resistant, insulation on the exterior of the structure helps to reduce “thermal bridging,” where heat is transferred through the structural elements.

Some insulation companies create insulation out of recycled materials, generally recycled cotton denim from jean manufacture, or recycled newspaper known as “cellulose.” Others are working with bio-based foam from mushrooms. These are the preferred selections since fiberglass insulation can lead to long-term health issues for installers and is oftentimes manufactured with formaldehyde. With green insulation, you can reduce your home energy usage while keeping usable materials out of the landfill.

4. Specify LED Lighting

LED lights are extremely energy efficient. They use significantly less power than regular incandescent bulbs and last up to 40 times longer. Their longer lifespan means less electronic waste.

They also create virtually no heat, meaning that they won’t warm up your home in the heart of summer. Even better, they are small and bright. With advances in color rendition, they offer a new set of design opportunities. You can work with an architect or designer to get creative with new ways you incorporate LED lighting into your home.

5. Design with Water Saving Fixtures

There is a large selection of plumbing fixtures that reduce flow, while providing improved water pressure, mixing balance, and scald control. Horizontal axis washing machines use less water and get clothes cleaner. In California, where water is a perennial issue, these types of fixtures are required by law, partly to save water, partly to address the “water energy nexus.” Fully 20 percent of the energy that we use in California is for moving and purifying water. Even if you live in an area where water is abundant, using less of it will save money and reduce environmental pollution.

6. Cap it with Solar Panels

Solar panels are another staple of sustainable architecture. Prices have dropped precipitously as demand has risen and production has grown. Since they collect energy from the sun and convert it into electricity, they can significantly reduce your reliance on power from the city grid. There are more and more options for battery storage, fueled by the electric care industry.

In fact, solar panels are regularly used with advanced battery technology to create net zero energy homes, where the only power used is created sustainably, locally, and without any reliance on utility provided energy.

Wrapping Up

When building a new home, it is easier than you may think to incorporate green design elements. From water saving to solar panels, the sky, or the ground, is the limit. You can have the home you want and feel good about it while helping to preserve and enhance the environment for future generations.

Want to find out how your new home can be built sustainably? Contact us to learn more.

Based in San Francisco, California, Levy Art & Architecture specializes in commercial and residential projects, with the goal of creating an innovative architectural design consistent with the client’s vision. A team of professionals with extensive experience and multi-disciplinary backgrounds handles a wide range of projects of every scale.