”The goal of our projects is not upward mobility, re-sale value or status symbols; the goal is homecoming.”

- Wendell Berry

Open Architecture Practice is a small architectural practice in Chattanooga, TN focused on low-energy, low-carbon dwellings situated lightly within the natural environment. We work with you to conceive buildable solutions for your needs and then with the project builders to realize a quality building. We put the planet and people ahead of profit.

According to US Architects Declare, “The interlinked crises of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and societal inequity are the most serious issues of our time…Meeting the needs of our society without breaching the earth's ecological boundaries demands a paradigm shift in our behavior in the building sector.”

We agree. A limitless growth mindset has led to the misuse of our home planet’s precious resources. We strive to build in a way that breaks free from this pattern. We strive to be agents of change. We achieve this on the project level through sustainable design solutions that improve the quality of life for our clients, on the community level by conscientiously inserting beauty and utility into the public realm, and on the global level by building in a manner that meets societal needs without applying increased pressure to Earth’s finite limits.

Bernard Tschumi once said that there are three possible roles for the Architect; Conservative Form-Giver, Critic or Revolutionary. Open Architecture Practice wants to be the latter.

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