Archinect - Features

The Butterfly Effect: Retrofitting Low-Income Housing

2021-05-27T13:18:00-04:00

America's low-income housing stock is aging. The human health, social, economic, and environmental consequences of substandard housing is felt not just by their inhabitants, but by the general public. However, a growing number of architects, researchers, and policymakers are identifying a solution: retrofitting. In this article, we take a closer look at the current status of America's low-income and public housing stock, as well as the benefits, methods, and potential futures for a large-scale retrofit campaign that transforms both lives and living conditions.

Small Studio Snapshots: Kirkwood McCarthy

2017-02-27T12:09:00-05:00

Small Studio Snapshots is a new, weekly series in which we investigate the ins and outs of running a small architecture practice.

This week, we're talking with Kirkwood McCarthy, a London-based architecture and design studio established in 2013 by Fiona Kirkwood and Sophie McCarthy. Known for working on constrained and often overlooked sites, the two discuss how opportunity and creativity can arise during even the most trying times.

At home in a changing climate: strategies for adapting to sea level rise

2016-08-03T10:09:00-04:00

For most of us, ‘home’ conjures a sense of safety and security. But a home is a fragile thing: vulnerable to quaking ground, rushing water, violent winds—not to mention, the volatility of finances and health. This has never been more true than in the time of climate change. The global thermostat of the home in which we build our homes is on the fritz.