A4 Architecture Blog
A4 Guide: Preservation Society of Newport County
Before the founding of the Preservation Society, Newport was both very different than it once was as well as different from what it has now become. In 1945, the glories of the Gilded Age were long past, broken by the 4 sequential catastrophes of World War I, the...
A4 Guide: Newport Architectural Forum
Newport, as many historians have noted over the years, is an architectural treasure chest. From the Colonial Era, to early Victorian, to the Gilded Age, and finally, to present times, Newport has an amazing breadth and depth of architectural gems for a community that...
A4 Guide: Architectural Quotes
52 Great Architectural Quotes 26 Best Quotes About Design by Non-Architects “Architecture must honor three things: Strength. Function. Beauty.” --Vitruvius “Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.” --Leonardo da Vinci “Architecture is frozen music.”...
A4 Guide: Preserving Newport
As the Archi-TEXT column has pointed out many times, Newport is an extraordinary treasure trove of historic architecture, spanning from the early days of the Colonial settlement of New England and continuing right up until the present day. Newport is fortunate to be a...
Architectural Firm Spotlight: Peabody and Stearns
The Shingle Style, which was described in a previous Archi-TEXT, was an architectural form that developed in the late 19th century in Newport, RI and other New England seaside resort communities. It is often associated with the preeminent firm of the era, McKim Mead...
A4 Project Spotlight: Vinland Estate
A4 Architecture is in the midst of helping fix McAuley Hall, which was originally designed by the noted Boston architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns in 1882 for Catherine Lorillard Wolfe as "The Vinland Estate." This is one of the "Crown Jewels" in Salve Regina...
A4 Guide: The Enduring Power of New England’s Shingle Style
The Shingle Style, as it has come to be known, was originally a relatively short-lived offshoot of the Victorian Queen Anne Revival style during the late 19th century in the United States. This style has, over the last century, come to epitomize the leisure and...
A4 Guide: Climate Change Impacts in Newport
Nowhere is the adage “Think Globally, Act Locally” more pertinent than in the area of global climate change. Since the recent election of Joseph Biden as President of the United States on January 20th, there have been a series of events in Newport that have reinforced...
A4 Guide: Becoming an Architect
Until the late nineteenth century, the process of becoming an architect was through apprenticeships and practice, and nearly exclusively for men. Like most crafts, one began as an “Apprentice,” graduated to “Journeyman,” and then late in life, if one worked hard and...
Newport Architect Spotlight: Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt, one of the most noteworthy architects of the last half of the 19th Century, had a strong and long affiliation with Newport. He met his wife, the heiress Catherine Howland, in Newport in 1860. He had an artist’s studio here as did his famous...
A4 Guide: The Power of Place
Winston Churchill once observed, “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” He made this statement in the midst of World War II to the House of Lords calling for the rebuilding of the House of Commons to the same high standard of design and construction...
A4 Guide: A History of Energy Distribution
With the recent power outage in downtown Newport on November 30, we were all reminded of just how dependent most of us have become on electricity, the Internet, and the Artificial Intelligence available through computerized search tools. As we move as a city, state,...
A4 Guide: Buying Architectural & Design Services
"Why is buying architectural and design services different than buying just about everything else?" When we buy most things we are consuming them relatively quickly. A restaurant meal is gone in an hour, a piece of clothing may last a year and even a vehicle may only...
A4 Guide: Being A Good Client
Many people never give even the slightest consideration to “being a good client,” but they are lessening the quality of work they are receiving and probably increasing their cost of service without realizing it. While this is written from the perspective of...
A4 Guide: Architect Fees
“How much does an architect cost?” This is inevitably one of the first questions that people who have not worked before with an architect will ask. But anyone who asks this question is looking at their situation entirely the wrong way round. A better question you...
A4 Spotlight: 2021 Rhode Island Historic Preservation Conference
Rhode Island is a state where historic architecture is a natural resource that helps make the state more attractive to both residents and visitors alike. Tourism is one of the state's central economic drivers. Katherine Warren, the Newport socialite who helped found...
A4 Guide: Finding the Right Builder
In previous Archi-TEXTs, there have been discussions on how to choose the right architect for your project and how to work with them to choose the right design for your new building or renovation. This article will address the different factors you should consider in...
A4 Guide: Construction Documents
In past Archi-TEXT articles, it has been discussed that one of the prime contributions an architect can make to a project and the key determinate of how successfully the construction project will go is the quality and completeness of the construction documentation....
A4 Guide: Phases of the Architectural Design Process
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 various phases of the architectural design process? The...
A4 Guide: How to Choose a Design
In a previous Archi-TEXT, it was discussed how to find the right architect for your project. But that is just the first step in your design journey. Now the fun part begins: how to choose a design and guide it. Your architect will be tasked with managing space and...
A4 Guide: How to Choose an Architect
In previous blogs, Archi-TEXT has addressed the issues of whether you need an architect and what value an architect can bring to your project. This article will address how to evaluate and select an architect. There are many things that you might want to find in an...
A4 Guide: Becoming an Architect
Until the late nineteenth century, the process of becoming an architect was through apprenticeships and practice, and nearly exclusively for men. Like most crafts, one began as an “Apprentice,” graduated to “Journeyman,” and then late in life, if one worked hard and...
A4 Guide: Things A Contractor Will Not Tell You
Everyone lives in a house or an apartment, so it is easy to ask, “How tricky can it be to build or renovate one?” The answer is “A lot harder than people think!” As an architect for more than 30 years, I have had a front row seat to hundreds of projects we have been...
A4 Guide: Image of an Architect
If architecture is the materialization of finance, technology, and zeitgeist into the structures that first serve then later represent each era, then what is the proper image of an architect, through whom all these complexities must be filtered? When one does a Google...
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
A4 Architecture Tour: The Shingle Style
Seeing pictures of architecture can be useful, but there is no substitution for seeing the real buildings firsthand. Fortunately, in Newport Rhode Island there are so many notable works of architecture that you can experience many important examples of the craft’s...
The History and Importance of the LeRoy King House
The LeRoy King House in Newport Rhode Island stands as an enlightening representation of the evolution of the Shingle Style into a more classic, historically influenced design typology during the rapid construction of grand houses in Newport during the Gilded Age. The...
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 of Energy Evolution
Transformative Power Source: Man-Made Fire The story of human civilization is intertwined with the story of our ability to harness energy. From the prehistoric harnessing of fire first that banished the darkness to the current quest to replicate the power of the sun,...
A4 Spotlight: “Strategic Retreat” in Rhode Island
Rhode Island is called the "Ocean State," and is no stranger to the ebb and flow of the waters. But as climate change intensifies, coastal communities are having to confront a difficult choice: fight or retreat. The concept of "strategic retreat," which is the planned...
A4 Spotlight: : Innovations in Sustainable Energy
Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) Over the past century, human dependence on fossil fuels has cast a long shadow over the planet, creating undeniable change to the climate and leaving a legacy of environmental degradation. However, on the horizon, a wide variety of...
A4 Spotlight: Origins of Shingle Style
The Shingle Style has become one of the most popular and long-lived styles of architectural design, particularly in the eastern resort cities. Many will find it surprising that the style, which has become so popular, was originally a relatively short-lived offshoot of...
A4 Spotlight: Julie Skarratt Photography
Newport Casino Hope Fund Event During Covid 2020 All photos courtesy of Julie Skarratt Photography The success of organizations is dependent upon the quality of the partnerships they make. The Hope Funds reached out to A4 Architecture to help with the design of its...
A4 Spotlight: Christmas in Newport
The Breakers During the Christmas Season (Newport, Rhode Island) Newport has gained fame as the summer resort for wealthy families during the Gilded Age. The grand mansions, constructed between 1865 and 1915, were primarily utilized during an 8 to 10-week period from...
A4 Spotlight: Act 6061 Legislation
Rhode Island Housing Zoning Map On February 22, 2022, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed into law Act 6061, also known as the "Zoning Modernization and Housing Act." This landmark legislation introduced significant changes to the states zoning ordinances, aiming...
A4 Spotlight: The 179D Energy Tax Credit
HVAC System Diagram The 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction is a tax incentive that allows building owners to deduct the cost of certain energy-efficient improvements to their buildings. The deduction was first introduced in 2005 and has been expanded...
A4 Spotlight: The Architectural Heritage of Newport
The Cover of The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island In 1952, the book The Architectural Heritage of Newport, Rhode Island, 1640-1915, was published. It was a collaboration between eminent architectural historian Antoinette Downing and Yale art historian...