"ECOLOGY" COLUMN, ARCHITECT
From 2007 through 2010, Lance wrote a monthly column (four dozen total) and twice-weekly blog for Architect magazine, and he continues to write occasional editorials. The first column of its kind for the magazine, it focused on addressing gaps in the public discourse about sustainable design. For example, in 2010, the widely cited article “The G List” presented an alternative to Vanity Fair's list of the “greatest buildings of the last 30 years,” which revealed an apparent lack of interest in sustainability among the world’s leading architects. Lance surveyed leading experts on sustainable design to develop a list of the “greenest buildings of the last 30 years,” and the differences were dramatic: no project nor any American architect appeared on both lists, suggesting that the gulf between standards of “good design” and “green design” remains wide. Lance returned to this topic in 2016 ("The G List Revisited") and found that fewer than ten percent of eligible projects had ever won the most prestigious national awards for both design and sustainability. However, the number of projects (15 to date in 2018) has been increasing noticeably, hinting at a brighter future in which standards of design and performance finally are coming together.
SAMPLE ESSAYS
“Six Misunderstood Terms in Sustainable Design,” November 14, 2019
The most confusing thing about sustainability could be the term itself.
"The G List," July 10, 2010
Is the rift between design excellence an environmental performance getting wider?
"The G List Revisited," August 6, 2016
Are standards of design excellence and sustainable performance in architecture finally coming together?
"Truly Universal Design," December 6, 2010
"Accessible design" should include both mobility and health.
"Cities of Tomorrow," September 8, 2009
Unplanned communities such as favelas could be the future of urbanism.
"Automatic Architecture," May 22, 2008
How automating design and construction could ultimately fulfill the aims of green building.
"Shooting Green," October 4, 2007
What is the most persuasive way to photograph a building and represent more than just what's visible?”