On the biography page, you can see the evolution of my career, starting in New York City as a young architecture school grad with strong belief, little experience, and amazing opportunity.

It didn't take long to leave the city, work through an experimental phase of great value and settle down to learn carpentry, cabinet making, and contracting in Woodstock, New York. Here, I designed and built my first passive solar house in 1976.

More than 35 years later, as a practicing architect, passive solar is still at the heart of every design. The benefit is huge, the cost low, and passive solar combines easily with other green technologies.

My years as a builder have taught me not only the ins and outs of construction, but a balanced response to beauty, function, environmental requirements, and clients' needs. Now, with the addition of EcoDesigner to Graphisoft's flagship program, ArchiCad, energy balance reports are available at the earliest phases of design, to guide energy use decisions.

Click on the EcoDesigner button for more information about this poweful energy balancing tool. You will see sample reports on a test building using local climate data and fuel costs. Oil, propane, and wood as heating fuels are compared, and an illustration of the effect of solar gain is shown by facing the building to the north: you can expect a third or more of your heating needs to come from the sun.