Although we were relatively quiet in terms of blogging throughout 2021, we have a very good reason. As a southern Illinois architecture firm that is also fully virtual, we were busy managing a myriad of architecture and construction projects! This full slate included the final photographic documentation of the All Volleyball headquarters project, whose construction was completed in November 2020; resumption of the Lake Street 31 Development for Storage of America; and the completed design for a mid-century modern net-zero home in central Illinois (information forthcoming!).

Amid our work endeavors—and a continuing and shifting pandemic landscape—we continued to eagerly follow with professional and personal interest the following topics (but by no means limited to these topics alone):

  • Cannabis regulations and construction of cultivation and extraction facilities and dispensaries
  • Architecture and design mitigatory best practices to maintain public or homeowner health
  • Sustainability and biophilic design
  • Justice and equity issues in the architecture, design, and construction trades
  • Material, technical and software improvements throughout the industry

To that second point, in a white-paper–like blog post titled “Are Antimicrobials Effective in the Home,” we explored which mitigation measures comprised best practices (circa May 2021) in building healthful single-family homes. We identified a trio of factors we felt offered the most “bang” for bucks spent toward maintaining good health vis-à-vis infectious disease.

May 2021 also marked Year 4 of REspace’s virtual-business odyssey. We formally celebrated that anniversary in June with a core family group while socially distanced at Mission Taco and a Cardinals game.

In Fall 2021, we were at work doing what we enjoy most: Being the best virtually based architecture firm in southern Illinois! Because we work virtually, we were and are able to safely meet many a client wherever she or he was and help them craft their rough-hewn dreams into tangible realities. This focus resulted in continuing behind-the-scenes tweaks of our website. Throughout the year, our Projects page gained strength and momentum as we embarked on a blog series detailing our plan books (envisioned as several posts spanning 2021 and 2022). That first post, on our Flatlands plan for those green souls seeking the quiet, sustainable, or country life, sprouted in December 2021.

No one—architect or oracle—can foretell the coming year. Any year. But most especially a continuing pandemic year.  But what we can promise, beyond our commitment to realizing a client’s vision of their residential or commercial space, is that we have a roster of blog posts in production that will cover a range of topics, from architects who inspire us to continuing our blog series about our plan books. In between all that, of course, we’ll be sketching (like here), photographing architecture/design that speaks to us, and running the entrepreneurial (ad)venture that is REspace Design.

We hope you’ll tread the path of this odyssey with us, once again. To paraphrase Homer—and update him for 2022:

“Each person delights in the work that suits them best.”
― Homer, The Odyssey