Balustrades are one of the most visually prominent elements on a building’s exterior. A well-executed balustrade system — along a terrace, a staircase, a balcony, or an entrance plaza — communicates quality and permanence in a way few other architectural details can. It also, depending on the material, creates significant complications around weight, installation, maintenance, […]

One of the questions that comes up regularly when architects and contractors are evaluating materials for a project is what happens if something goes wrong after installation. Structural panels get impacted during construction. Decorative elements ship across the country and occasionally arrive with a corner chipped. A ceiling dome in a commercial renovation takes a […]

Older buildings with plaster domes represent some of the most impressive interior architecture in existence. The craftsmanship involved in constructing a traditional plaster dome — the scaffolding, the skilled plasterers, the layering process that could take months — produced results that have lasted generations in the best cases. But plaster is not a permanent material, […]

Ceiling medallions have a long history in architectural design. For centuries they served as the focal point of significant interior spaces — the ornamental ring around a chandelier in a grand hotel ballroom, the decorative rosette crowning a dome in a civic building, the repeated detail element that tied a vaulted ceiling together. The design […]

Light coves are one of those architectural details that can transform a space. When done well, they create ambient lighting that makes rooms feel larger, ceilings appear higher, and spaces more inviting. The soft, indirect glow from a properly designed light cove adds sophistication that visible fixtures can’t match. But light coves only deliver that […]

Development projects involving hundreds of repetitive architectural elements face a specific challenge. Your BIM model shows intricate ceiling coffering across 15,000 square feet of lobby space. Your structural engineer calculates load limits for the mezzanine columns. Your MEP team maps out HVAC and electrical runs that conflict with your ceiling design, and your general contractor […]

Columns are structural necessities in many commercial and residential buildings, but exposed structural columns – whether steel, concrete, or wood – are rarely attractive. They’re functional, but they don’t contribute to the architectural vision of a space. In fact, they often detract from it. Column covers solve this problem by transforming utilitarian structural elements into […]

Bollards serve an important purpose on commercial properties. They prevent vehicles from crashing into buildings, protect pedestrian areas, guide traffic flow, and create physical barriers at entrances and storefronts. But let’s be honest – most bollards are ugly. Standard steel or concrete bollards look exactly like what they are: industrial safety equipment. They’re functional, but […]

As an architect or designer, you have a vision. You have an idea for a building element that you believe will help the property stand out. But you also have a problem. That element – a delicate cornice, a slender column cladding, an elegant panel with fine relief details – can’t be created with traditional […]