Concrete block has always been the neglected stepchild of architecture. Even today, the humble material most us call “cinder block” still co...

Drywall makes it easy to produce massive-looking details such as these arches. Note, however, that it's best not to mix different st...

The sensual feel of a soft pencil gliding across clean vellum has been replaced by a lot of clinical tapping. Architecture, that most h...

The typical Western architect's way of dealing with a view: Beat people over the head with it. Western architects of the Modernist ...

Glass block used in a Streamline Moderne home, circa 1930: As a residential style, it didn't catch on with Americans. Glass block h...

In Victorian era homes, a "borrowed light"— basically, a  normal window placed in an interior wall—brought natural light into...

With the possible exception of sailors, building contractors have the most colorful jargon around. Like Navy expressions, many of their gems...