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Lessons From Lahaina
What Can We learn From The Maui Firestorm? Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB The Lahaina Maui fire storm sent shivers up all our spines. After so...
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NEWS
CRAIKER
Oct 11, 20233 min read
Remembering Napa’s 9/11 Memorial Importance
Chris d Craiker AIA There is no question that the 9/11 tragedy has changed America forever. Our entire process of construction and...
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Oct 11, 20234 min read
How The Recession, Pandemic and Aging AreShaping Our Future
Chris Craiker Our home environment has been evolving over the centuries. Yet, sometimes I think we’re going backwards. The central...
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Oct 11, 20234 min read
Why does Napa Have 6 Building Departments?
Chris d Craiker AIA Napa has six municipalities: American Canyon, Napa City, Yountville, St Helena, Calistoga and Napa County. Each has...
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Oct 11, 20233 min read
Saving Our Inheritance: What We Learn From The Past
Last week I played hooky. I traveled to Hollywood to tour the Hollyhock House on Olive Hill. I grew up a few blocks away and often hiked...
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Aug 29, 20233 min read
Renewable Waste and Energy From Egg Beater Wind Turbines
Chris d Craiker AIA Solar generated energy has become the primary renewable energy source in America and number one electric energy...
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Aug 29, 20233 min read
Architex Angle: AI & Digital Fabrication in Construction
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB Cutting logs to stack for an ancient dwelling and carving stones to stack for a defensive wall were the...
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Aug 29, 20233 min read
The Design Competition that Changed the Wine Country
Chris d Craiker AIA In 1984 Jan Shrem, a businessman and art collector, with his wife Mitsuko moved from Paris to California with the...
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Jul 31, 20232 min read
Will Architect Barbie Save The World?
Chris d Craiker AIA Last weekends Blockbuster Barbie movie brought back memories of one of my first Napa Valley Register articles. In...
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Jul 31, 20233 min read
Napa Porch Fest Part 2
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB When an impromptu outdoor music celebration erupted in Ithaca New York in 2007, an annual summer movement...
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Jul 21, 20233 min read
Front Porches: A Uniquely American Invention: Part 1
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB We tend to take front porches for granted. All across the country, from Maine to Hawaii, they should be...
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Jul 21, 20233 min read
The End of Natural Gas Is Much Exaggerated... Maybe
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB With all the Spring weather issues and California’s overflowing reservoirs, one environmental issue may have...
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Jul 21, 20234 min read
Economic Forecasts Are Like the Weather: Unpredictable
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB As interest rates started to rise in Fall 2022, predictions of an economic downturn grew like dark clouds on...
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Jul 21, 20233 min read
Architecture & Smell: Kindred Bedfellows
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB I recently read an article by a Finnish Architect, Juhani Pallasmaa, describing his child memories. To him, his...
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Jul 21, 20233 min read
How SRO’s Could Lesson Our Workforce Shortages
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB Every day another business complains it can’t find workers to fill their job requests. This isn’t just Napa:...
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Jul 21, 20232 min read
The Great Outdoors: Where the Heart Is
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB Whenever I’m asked to develop a project renovation budget for a homeowner or a multifamily developer, the...
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Jul 21, 20233 min read
The Cost of Building a Home Today
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB In these days of unpredictable inflation, supply lines, labor suppliers and subcontractors disappearing, what’s...
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Apr 5, 20233 min read
Has Napa City Abandoned Slow Down Napa, Increasing Housing Opportunities and Better Architecture?
Let's Hope Not! Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB I don’t often focus on a project going through the processing meat grinder but this one has...
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Apr 5, 20233 min read
Second Homes & Vacation Rentals are a Drag on Napa Housing
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB It’s no surprise that Napa is a prime target for second homes and vacation rentals. According to Brokerage...
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Apr 5, 20233 min read
The Academy Awards Architecture and Gardens
Chris d Craiker AIA/NCARB On Sunday, March 12, the 95th annual Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, will be awarded to artists and...
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