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Sustainable Homes
P
oetry, philosophy, archaeology, and mythology guide my architecture. In the
melding of these concepts is where you will find the inspiration for my work. Telling
the client's story with natural modernism is my primary goal.
In every culture of the world, architects receive great roles within their societies—we have
the responsibility to grasp the bigger picture that guides the building professionals. With
that role, however, comes an imperative responsibility: designs that endure. Should we
choose any path other than an ecologically responsible one, we would be abandoning
our much-needed duty. Equally, the same passion for nature must balance with our
cultural narratives. This graciously green story shines through in my designs as well as
those of my colleagues featured in the following pages.
Sustainability is not a far-fetched idea or something that is almost impossible to achieve.
Conserving is simple and practical. Sometimes it means small choices that add up to
a big difference, and sometimes it is completely reimagining the normal way of doing
things. My vision is grounded in real-life success with large-scale, AIA award-winning
private and public works, including the world's largest solar building for the Tennessee
Valley Authority in 1980. I have planned new urbanist towns and designed an array of
unique individual residences, commercial properties, and institutional monuments. I
coined the term "passive solar" with my early green architectural works in New Mexico.
I also installed the first wind machine in Manhattan, which initiated the Public Utilities
Regulation Policy Act allowing co-generation of wind and solar energy with public
utilities in 1976.
Through innovation and a deep concern for culture and ecology, my hope is that I have
designed and taught a groundbreaking modern aesthetic, while being environmentally
responsible, that will continue to shape and influence the world.
Travis Price, FAIA
Travis Price Architects
Washington, DC
see page 464