Architects as translators: Sustainability in the Texas Hill Country

AIArchitect: LPA Director of Sustainability + Applied Research Ellen Mitchell interviews two architects about what sustainability means in rural America.

Located deep in the heart of Texas where prairies begin to give way to rugged limestone cliffs and clear rivers cut through dry land, the Texas Hill Country is easy to romanticize. But practicing architecture here means respecting limits—water is not guaranteed, and heat is not theoretical. Often, the gap between what a client wants and what their project’s budget can deliver is as expansive as the wide-open sky.

When sustainability advocates like me talk about opportunities in the built environment, we often start with things like EUI targets, decarbonization strategies, and building performance metrics. But in the Texas Hill Country, sustainability doesn’t show up in acronyms or checklists but rather as practical questions: How do we keep this building comfortable? How do we make it last? How do we use less water? And how do we do all of that within a modest budget?

To understand how architects in this part of Texas navigate those questions, I spoke with two AIA members living and working in the Hill Country: Brady Dietert, AIA, and Sara Freudensprung, AIA. They have different perspectives and unique ways of talking about sustainability, but they share a practical yet powerful focus on what works.

Read the full article at AIArchitect.