Greg Mix & Associates Architects Inc AIA

We've been pushing to get more of our residential designs seen by our friends, and we're delighted that houseplans.com has chosen to publish our Edgewood design. It's traditional and ideal for a narrow, urban lot. At almost 2800 square feet and with 4 bedrooms, it has plenty of room and an open-living lifestyle. Enjoy! https://www.houseplans.com//2790-square-feet-4-bedroom-4-b

I’ve been researching how Brunelleschi built the dome of Santa Maria in Florence. I found some sketches Giovanni de Prato who was a critic of Brunelleschi’s wh...o published his own report on how Brunelleschi’s dome would not work. However, sketches reveal just how Brunelleschi’s design did work. They used ropes attached at the base of the dome to line up each successive course of brick. The base of the rope lines were set in at one fifth of the diameter of the dome. They then laid one course of brick per week allowing the mortar time to cure before adding the next course. This configuration allowed the construction of the dome without any outward or inward thrust and thus negated the need for any scaffolding. The interior stairway and passageways allowed the workers access to the top of the walls as they were built up while brick and mortar were raised via the lifts or cranes that Brunelleschi designed. The forces of gravity are balanced and follow the curvature of the dome down to the supporting piers below. Apparently Brunelleschi learned during his studies of ancient Roman and Etruscan structure during his year in Rome. He must have been a genius and had nerves of steel to take this project on. See more

One of our favorite traditional plans, 4 bedrooms, nationally published. Check it out! https://www.houseplans.com//2442-square-feet-4-bedroom-2-5

If you're watching the Medici series on Netflix you might find this interesting. I find the story of this dome a fascinating study in engineering and problem solving. Setting bricks in place with no wooden formwork. Only in renaissance Italy could this be done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IOPlGPQPuM

The Metzlers’ greenhouse

https://vimeo.com/281324793