A4 Architecture Blog
A4 Event: A Tour and History of The Elms’ Grounds
On May 15, 2025, as part of its ongoing educational mission, Jim Donahue—the Curator of Historic Landscapes at the Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC)—led a tour for members of the PSNC and the Newport Architectural Forum of the grounds of The Elms Mansion....
A4 Spotlight: Partner in Preservation: The Newport Art Museum
The Newport Art Museum is a vibrant cultural hub at the heart of Newport, Rhode Island’s artistic community. It has a rich history that mirrors the city’s own evolution as a center for artistic and intellectual pursuits. Its journey began over a century ago with the...
A4 Spotlight: Partner in Preservation: International Tennis Hall of Fame
There are many institutions in Newport, Rhode Island, that boast outstanding architectural monuments, and one of the most important is the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This institution traces its origins to 1879, when the flamboyant publisher of the New York...
A4 Spotlight: Partner in Preservation: The Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC) stands today as one of America's foremost architectural preservation organizations, safeguarding a collection of 11 properties that span the rich social and architectural history of Newport, Rhode Island. Its...
A4 Spotlight: Arbor Day
Arbor Day, a celebration of trees and a call to action for planting them, will be observed this year on April 25. This annual event has a rich history, rooted in one visionary’s concern for the environment and the well-being of future generations. In 1872, Julius...
A4 Spotlight: Earth Day
Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated annually on April 22. This day stands as a vital reminder of our interconnectedness with the planet and the urgent need for environmental stewardship. U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, recognizing a growing awareness of...
A4 Spotlight: The Return of the Newport Symposium
After a five-year hiatus, a longstanding scholarly tradition has returned to Newport. On Thursday, April 3, 2025, The Newport Symposium was revived by the Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC), following its absence from the annual event calendar during the...
A4 Spotlight: The Why and How of Recycling
The global climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; it is a present reality, marked by extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and disrupted ecosystems. In this context, seemingly mundane practices like recycling and composting become crucial tools in our...
A4 Spotlight: Heat Pumps for Historic Houses
Chateau-sur-Mer (Newport, RI) Photo Credits: PSNC The Preservation Society of Newport County has embarked on a significant initiative to modernize the climate control systems within its historic properties, with a focus on achieving both sustainability and material...
A4 Spotlight: AC Retrofit
Diagram of AC System in Historic Home, Credit: Pinterest They don’t call climate change “Global warming” for nothing. As the average temperature of the planet increases each year, the need for air-conditioning becomes greater each year. The fact that creating...
A4 Spotlight: Modern Adaptive Reuse
Newport, Rhode Island, has long benefited from "Adaptive Reuse," which is the practice of repurposing old buildings for purposes they were not originally intended for. Founded in 1639, Newport grew to be the fifth-largest city in the American colonies at the time of...
A4 Spotlight: Newport Buildings in HBO’s The Gilded Age
The Ballroom at The Breakers in HBO's The Gilded Age, Credit to Alison Cohen Rosa Sir Julian Fellowes became famous for his wildly successful television series Downton Abbey, about the Grantham Family and their ancestral home. To follow up on that success,...
A4 Spotlight: Heat Pumps for Historic Houses
Chateau-sur-Mer (Newport, RI) Photo Credits: PSNC The Preservation Society of Newport County has embarked on a significant initiative to modernize the climate control systems within its historic properties, with a focus on achieving both sustainability and material...
A4 Spotlight: AC Retrofit
Diagram of AC System in Historic Home, Credit: Pinterest They don’t call climate change “Global warming” for nothing. As the average temperature of the planet increases each year, the need for air-conditioning becomes greater each year. The fact that creating...
A4 Spotlight: Electrical Infastructure
Recently, one of our clients requested an upgrade to their power supply from the local electrical utility in order to install more sustainable heating and cooling for a building on their property. Because the grid lacked the capacity, they were denied the installation...
A4 Spotlight: Home Insurance
Climate change is significantly reshaping the landscape of home insurance across the United States, with Rhode Island feeling the effects particularly acutely. Rising sea levels, increased frequency of severe storms, and heightened fire and flood risks are forcing...
A4 Spotlight: Water Sustainability
This past year, the price of municipal water in Newport increased by 17.5%. Newport is not alone in seeing the price of water increase even faster than the rate of general inflation. This trend is happening both around the United States and globally. As 2025 unfolds,...
A4 Spotlight: Modern Adaptive Reuse
Newport, Rhode Island, has long benefited from "Adaptive Reuse," which is the practice of repurposing old buildings for purposes they were not originally intended for. Founded in 1639, Newport grew to be the fifth-largest city in the American colonies at the time of...
A4 Spotlight: Aging In Place
Like many cultures worldwide, American society is getting older on average. As people live longer and have fewer children, the demographics of the population are changing rapidly. In the United States, where multi-generational households are less common, the...
A4 Spotlight: Goldman Sachs 10KSB program
When architects, lawyers, doctors and many other professionals graduate from university, they are often well prepared in their area of expertise but exceedingly unprepared to manage a professional practice or business. For generations, these small business leaders...
A4 Spotlight: Green Steel
The Green Steel Cycle Steel is the structural backbone for much of the world’s modern infrastructure. Its widespread use has become a double-edged sword: while it has enabled our progress, its traditional production methods have cast a long shadow on the environment....
A4 Spotlight: American Home Size Trends
Watercolor Render of Historic Single-Family Homes The American Dream of owning a single-family home has significantly transformed over the past fifty years. In tandem with increasing average home size, the average household size in the U.S. has steadily...
A4 Guide: Networks
Networks cannot be purchased. They must be built (painstakingly) over time. Networks are the web of connections that you create through living and working and establishing credibility and trust. Back in ancient times before smartphones and computer databases, it was a...
A4 Spotlight: “Affordable Housing Challenges”
Example of A4 Multifamily Housing In recent decades, the landscape of housing construction has undergone significant changes with several new challenges emerging that make it increasingly difficult to build affordable and accessible housing. From the upcoming...
A4 Spotlight: Partner in Preservation: International Tennis Hall of Fame
There are many institutions in Newport, Rhode Island, that boast outstanding architectural monuments, and one of the most important is the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This institution traces its origins to 1879, when the flamboyant publisher of the New York...
A4 Spotlight: The 2024 Rhody Awards
2024 Preserve RI "Rhody" Awards at Rosecliff, Newport, RI, Newport RI On October 20, 2024, Preserve Rhode Island celebrated the 2024 Rhody Awards for Historic Preservation at Rosecliff in Newport. This ceremony recognized outstanding achievements in historic...
A4 Spotlight: CAD vs BIM
Proposed First Floor Plan of a Current Residential Project (Newport, RI) Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) has been a cornerstone of architectural and engineering design since the 1990’s. It revolutionized the industry by replacing traditional hand-drafting methods with...
A4 Architecture’s Twentieth Anniversary
In Honor of Our 20 Year Anniversary I graduated from Architectural School in 1990 and received my professional license to practice architecture by passing all eight exams by 1993, which was the earliest I was allowed to sit for the exams following a three-year...
A4 Spotlight: The History and Significance of Hammersmith Farm
Aerial View of Hammersmith Farm (Newport, Rhode Island) Hammersmith Farm is a sprawling estate in Newport, Rhode Island, steeped in history and anchored by a magnificent Victorian Era mansion. It embodies the Gilded Age, an era of architectural grandeur and societal...
A4 Spotlight: Making Architecture from Buildings
East View Before & After of Past Project (Newport, Rhode Island) There is a difference between “Architecture” and “Building.” Architecture is an art form that aspires to create an experience and impact the imagination and mindset of the user whereas building is...
A4 Spotlight: The History and Importance of the Watts Sherman House
Watts-Sherman House The William Watts-Sherman House is an architectural landmark set amongst the opulent mansions of Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed from 1875-76 by noted architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and although it is a large and gracious home, it is...
A4 Spotlight: The History and Importance of the Isaac Bell House
Isaac Bell House While the Isaac Bell House is a relatively modest building compared to the opulent mansions of Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island which surround it, its historical significance is far greater than its size. This structure, originally called...
A4 Spotlight: Accessory Dwelling Units in RI
Carriage House Render (Newport, RI) As part of our ongoing study of the Affordable Housing shortage in Rhode Island, we will examine the current status of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) within the state. ADUs, also known as “granny flats” or in-law apartments, are...
A4 Spotlight: Affordable Housing in RI
Original Condition Axon (Newport, RI) For an ever-increasing percentage of Americans, the dream of safe, affordable housing remains elusive and the situation in Rhode Island is even more challenging than most places. To understand the current landscape, it is helpful...
A4 Guide: Financing your Project
Financing A Project Diagram Let me preface this article by stating I am an architect and not an accountant or a finance professional, but without a proper financial foundation for a project, it cannot happen. For this reason, we have come to understand the many...
A4 Guide: The Six Phases of the Architectural Design Process
Previous Project on Ocean Ave (Newport, Rhode Island) In previous Archi-TEXT articles it was discussed the value of an architect to help you navigate the various phases of the design of a new home or building or the renovation of an existing one, but what are the...
A4 Spotlight: History of Casement Windows
Medieval Casement Windows (England) For more than 500 years, windows have become one of the primary stylistic components of Western architecture. Long before the sliding sash windows of the Victorian era or the floor-to-ceiling glass of modern high-rises, the casement...
A4 Spotlight: Christmas at Beachmound
Christmas At Beachmound (South Facade) While the massive "cottages" of the Preservation Society, such as The Breakers and Marble House, often draw the holiday spotlight in Newport, the private estates of Bellevue Avenue have their own quiet, historical charm. Among...
A4 Spotlight: Christmas in Newport, RI
Christmas At The Marble House During the Gilded Age, Newport gained fame as the summer resort for wealthy families during the period. The city's mansion, constructed between 1865 and 1915 were primarily utilized during an 8 to 10-week period from July to August. This...
A4 Spotlight: Robert A.M Stern in Newport, RI
Robert A.M. Stern (Photo Credits: RAMSA) Although Robert A.M. Stern (who passed away on November 27, 2025, at age 86) designed buildings around the world, he always had a close affection for Newport, Rhode Island. Beginning with his affiliation with prominent...
A4 Spotlight: The Life and Career of Robert A.M. Stern
Robert Arthur Morton Stern (1939–2025), who passed away on November 27, 2025, was a formidable figure whose career greatly impacted the teaching and practice of architecture in America. It was my honor to serve as his teaching Assistant for his architectural history...
A4 Spotlight: Microplastics and Water Filtration
The pervasive issue of microplastics (plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size) has evolved in the last decade from being a hypothetical environmental problem into a direct concern within every home. These tiny fragments, originating from the breakdown of...
A4 Spotlight: Solar Innovations
Solar energy, thanks to technologic and manufacturing innovations, is now the least expensive way to produce energy. However there has been opposition to the installation of solar panels not just from the hydrocarbon industry, but for from those who see the panels as...
A4 Spotlight: The Yale Campus, Revisited
Sprague Hall (Yale University) Once a year, during the homecoming weekend, Yale University hosts its annual Alumni Assembly and Convocation. This is the gathering of alumni volunteers and leaders from around the world, from all of the various graduate schools and...
A4 Spotlight: Construction Liens
The construction industry is built on contracts, but when an owner fails to pay for services rendered, a crucial legal instrument protects the interests of contractors, subcontractors, and architects: the mechanics lien (sometimes called a construction lien or...
A4 Spotlight: The Philosophers of Classicism
Andrea Palladio / Villa Rotunda (1571 Vicenza, Italy) Classical Architecture is defined as designs derived from the Greeks and Romans during the Classical Era (8th century BC to 5th Century AD). Other than the ancient buildings that still exist, the underlying...
A4 Spotlight: The Critical Role of the Architect in Construction Administration
Construction Administration requires coordination Most building projects are a complex assembly of thousands of interacting components—structural elements, intricate mechanical systems, and fine finishes—all of which must integrate flawlessly to realize the final...
A4 Spotlight: The History of Architectural Pineapples In Newport
Gilded Pineapple at the Colony House (Richard Munday,1741) The Pineapple: Newport's Symbol of Hospitality During the Colonial period of Newport, Rhode Island’s history, the pineapple reigned supreme as an enduring symbol of hospitality. How is it that a...