The most recent review of our book, Improvisations on the Land: Houses of Fernau + Hartman, appears in ARCADE Magazine. Written by John Parman, a writer, editor, and West Coast adviser to the Architect's Newspaper, the review captures the essence of the firm's practice and history of improvisation and collaboration - from its inception to the office in present day. Parman describes the book as being "a tutorial on how to practice architecture as [Richard Fernau] and Laura Hartman see it, in which place and improvisation provide valid, potent bases for design."
Parman begins the article by referencing the iconic New Yorker cover from March of 1976 - "View of the World from 9th Avenue."
"Far from being provincial," Parman writes, "the tradition in which F+H is situated is wide-eyed about the world around it. To live in the Bay Area is to be immersed in a place that gathers up sense, encourages openness and flow, and discourages anything that seems too predetermined."
READ John Parman's review by clicking here