Marlon Blackwell

Out There is a critical survey of 50 architectural firms working across America's regional cities and small towns. These practitioners operate at every scale and with all buiding types, weaving a rich architectural tapestry that reflects the breadth and diversity of the American landscape. The current perception is that American architecture is driven largely by the traditional centres of power on the East and West coasts. Out There challenges that notion, spotlighting practices that are deeply grounded in place and community. What unites the firms featured in this volume is a commitment to architecture's civic, social and environmental responsibilities. Many prioritize sustainability, adaptive reuse, housing and social justice. Even in an increasingly homogenized, hyper-connected world these architects remain locally focused. The book begins with a foreword by Marlon Blackwell, recipient of the 2020 Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects, and an introduction by Robert Ivy, former editor-in-chief of Architectural Record. Essays by Cathleen McGuigan, also a former editor-in-chief of Architectural Record, and Peter MacKeith, Professor of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, consider, respectively, key figures in the rise of architectural regionalism in the United States over recent decades, and contemporary regional architecture in other countries. The book's main section profiles 50 US practices including Aidlin Darling Design (California), Modus Studio (Arkansas), Rand Elliott Architects (Oklahoma), Renée del Gaudio Architecture (Colorado) and Salmela Architect (Minnesota). The texts explore the ethos and design philosophy of each firm, as well as about 170 selected projects from the last ten years. Out There presents a varied, vibrant picture of archiectual excellence anchored in local culture, geography and community needs across the US. It affirms the timeless truth: where we work profoundly influences what we create. Ultimately, architecture remains inseparable from place. Out There is the definitive and comprehensive showcase of regionalist practice in contempoary American architecture. It features 170 projects from 50 practices, all fully illustrated with colour photography, plans and drawings. It is written by a team of leading experts in contemporary American architecture. It is a vital resource for architects, design professionals, academics and anyone interested in the future of architecture across America. Out There is the essential cultural atlast of new American design.

The book provides a detailed insight into the entire design and construction process, featuring essays by Marlon Blackwell, Robert McCarter and Carlos Jimenez, as well as lavish photography, architectural plans and details. It exposes how a series of expectations are created from the outset, with unanticipated spaces unfolding as the visitor is simultaneously drawn horizontally into the landscape and further into the house. Impeccably conceived and finished throughout, the building establishes both a tangible material presence and an abstract setting in which to enjoy the wonders of nature, art and social occasion.

STRIVE explores Jones Studio’s four decades of work bringing inventive design to our built environment. The firm samples from ancient global architecture and the pragmatics of the American School, from the realities of today’s climate change to nature’s healing truths, to create a unique modernism of place. Nature is a primary partner and collaborator in Jones Studio’s work. Firm founder Eddie Jones, brother Neal Jones and partners Brian Farling and Jacob Benyi express the preciousness of water and light in the Sonoran Desert and beyond. Water performs, literally and figuratively, across Jones

The relocation of Kansas City Ballet (KCB) involved careful preservation and adaptive reuse of the 52,000-square-foot historic Power House at Kansas City's Union Station, a former coal-burning plant designed by Jarvis Hunt and completed in 1914. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, the building sat abandoned from the 1970s until 2006. Rehabilitation of the building, adhering to The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, included reinforcement to the building's structural elements, replacement of concrete, a new roof, and major repairs to masonry, terra cotta detailing and fenestration. In the year following its grand opening, the building was recognized with more than a dozen awards for excellence in design and preservation, including a prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects, and the Project of the Year Award from the International Concrete Restoration Institute.