Welcome to this Blog

I’m an architect from Whidbey Island, north of Seattle. I’ve been designing and building ‘sensibly-sized’ houses for nearly 30 years, and have been fascinated with what makes a house “come alive”. I’ve always had a natural design sense, but the last several years I’ve been asking myself, “why am I making this or that choice? What is the process by which beautiful places come to be?” This blog is about sharing my findings.

I’ve also been confronted all of my adult life with the vast mediocrity and ugliness of the American built environment. It’s appalling what we put up with, and what have done to the planet with our consumer-driven lifestyles. Now that we’re beginning to experience global warming and entering into the post-peak oil economy, we’re seriously questioning how we live.

About a dozen years ago I teamed up with a developer to demonstrate viable alternatives to the typical suburban sprawl. We created what I call “pocket neighborhoods” -- houses gathered around a common garden, with cars to the side. Our initial neighborhoods quickly attracted the attention of mainstream media, as well as city planners, developers and consumers across the country. The architectural and planning professions have given our neighborhoods numerous awards, calling on their peers to “give them serious study”. (The website of my office highlights this work: www.rosschapin.com).

So in this blog I will also share some of the philosophy and design principles that shape these neighborhoods and contribute to livable communities.

I look forward to seeing where these musings go and listening the conversation that comes from it!