Fantasy Into Reality

Words: Bronzella Cleveland

SeptemberOctober 2008
Industry News

Fantasy Into Reality
Small Project Award Winner Brings Fantasy Into Reality

Masonry Design Magazine

West Chester, Pa.-based Archer & Buchanan Architecture, Ltd., has won a 2008 Small Project Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The firm was one of just 14 recipients this year out of 158 competing projects.

Archer & Buchanan’s “Butterfly Window” project won in the Small Project Objects category. The ‘butterfly’ window was conceived, for a private museum, from some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s sketches and verbal descriptions of the Hobbit’s propensity to design windows that frame beautiful views while blending the materials and forms of wall, window and roof into a balanced composition: A marriage of form and function, according to the firm.

The tile roof and the supporting stone wall visually envelop the circular window that dictates their form. The window is crafted of solid mahogany with forged iron hardware. The semicircular, operable sashes are center hinged. Like butterfly wings, Archer & Buchanan says, they are delicate yet strong, beautiful yet functional. MD

What Mason Contractors Don't Know Is Costing Them Money
July 2026

Most mason contractors can tell you exactly what a job should cost before it starts. Bid labor hours, material takeoffs, and crew rates per square foot. The numbers are on paper, and they look right. What most can't tell you is whether those numbers held

Erin Koets
Build Smart
MAP Partner
Read More
Preserving Masonry Aesthetics with Concealed Lintel Systems
July 2026

Masonry has long been valued for its ability to create buildings with character, permanence, and visual appeal. Features such as arches, deep reveals, corbelling, and decorative brickwork continue to be popular design elements in modern architecture. Howe

Erica Oliveraz
MAP Partner
Read More
The Sync Up: Aligning Schedule, Labor, and Logistics in Masonry
July 2026

A masonry contractor is only as good as the crew standing on the staging. You can source the highest-grade block, line up the perfect mix, and have every submittal approved weeks in advance, but production ultimately depends on the stamina, skill, and phy

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Sponsored
Read More
Color Trends Shaping Today’s Masonry Projects
July 2026

Homeowners today are coming into projects with a lot more opinions than they used to have. Between social media, home shows and contractor sites, most customers already have a look in mind before you even quote the job. For masonry contractors, having a

Chad Riley
Stone Savvy
MAP Partner
Read More
Interested in working with us? Learn about and join the Masonry Alliance Program →