Architecture

The California Architects Board was created by the Legislature in 1901. The Board has a strong history of creative problem solving and collaboration with key constituencies, such as local building officials, educators and students, related professions, and collateral organizations. The Board is committed to a strong enforcement program as a…

Inspired by trailblazing black architect Paul R. Williams, Robert Kennard began his own firm in the 1950s. Robert Kennard was born in Los Angeles and graduated from USC where he earned an architectural degree. He was a role model for young people of color aspiring to become architects and active…

Proby served on the California State Board of Architectural Examiners for eight years Architect Vincent J. Proby was born in Wichita, Texas in 1928. Proby, as a child, moved to Los Angeles where he attended public school before majoring in architecture at the University of Southern California. Proby helped design…

A trailblazer in the field of architecture for architects of color Paul Revere Williams was born in Los Angeles in 1894 and was orphaned by the age of four. He attended USC’s School of Engineering, became a licensed architect in the State of California by 1921, and in 1923 he…

One of the first Black women to earn an architecture license in the state of California Norma Merrick Sklarek was a pioneer in the field of architecture. In the1960’s, she became one of the first Black women to be licensed in California. Her brilliance, passion, and perseverance allowed her to…

People and groups behind the places The place names might be well-known—Hearst Castle, Ahwahnee Hotel, Union Station—but do you know the architects behind the buildings? Get to know 25 of California’s must-see structures and their architects, as compiled by USA Today and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) California Council:…

Shipping containers are a creative housing option Your new home could be on the back of a big rig, chugging by on a freight train, flying in a cargo plane, or cruising into port. People are increasingly upcycling shipping containers into new housing, and you could be one of them.…

Scientists looking for ways to develop stronger construction materials have found inspiration in an unlikely source: a bug. More precisely, a beetle. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and Purdue University report in a study published in the journal Nature that the diabolical ironclad beetle—its actual name—has a unique…

What do cat food, a can of soda, architecture, and engineering have in common? If you add mushrooms to the mix, you’ve got the perfect recipe for strong, sustainable building material. Researchers are building structures using mycelium, the underground foundation of mushrooms found naturally in the wild. Although this may…