The Monterey Design conference is a biennial conference for architects and designers hosted by the California AIA. Our team always looks forward to it, and three of us will be attending this year.

In this week’s Radio Real Estate, Ellen talks with Mark Schneidman and Tom Oschner about the upcoming AIA ArchitecTours, Santa Barbara’s plans for State Street, and more. Bildsten Architecture and Planning will have a project, Modern Farmhouse Remodel, featured in this year’s tour which takes place on October 1st, 2022.

We were asked to contribute a tip to Redfin’s article 14 Expert Tips to Consider Before You Build an ADU. The article is full of interesting insights from other professionals who work regularly with ADU design and construction. See our tip below, or click here to read the whole article.

By signing Senate Bill 9 into law, Newsom opened the door for the development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California.

The American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara is proud to announce its 12th annual ArchitecTours event. This year’s tour will celebrate “Design Excellence” and will highlight projects that demonstrate green building, small efficient spaces, are built in harmony with nature, demonstrate live/workspaces that meet the needs of a 21st-century workforce…

The Santa Barbara City Council has voted 7-0 to create a master plan for State Street and established a committee to oversee it. State Street, a hallmark of downtown Santa Barbara, has undergone many changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the question of where it will head next is on many people’s minds.

The Santa Barbara chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASB) just concluded its 2020 Design Charrette where members of the design professions and the community at large gathered virtually over the past six weeks to consider this year’s theme to "re-invigorate, re-invent, re-imagine, and re-purpose downtown Santa Barbara for the future".

Santa Barbara City Council adopted the following amendments to the AUD Multi-family Housing Program in the Central Business District (CBD) effective September 3, 2020

In 2020, it became easier than ever to build Accessory Dwelling Units in California, thanks to changes in state ADU law.

We have compiled a comprehensive set of information that may be helpful to you if you are looking to rebuild after losing your home in the Thomas Fire. See below for links to city resources, planning information, required documents, helpful websites, and more.

In collaboration with the AIA of Santa Barbra, Ellen Bildsten, Brian Cearnal, and Detty Peikert organized “Making State Street Work”, a design charrette and day of urban planning and architecture.

Last weekend, SBBIKE raised $43,125 at its Connecting Our Community Fundraiser. SBBIKE is a countywide advocacy and resource organization that has been working to make bicycling safe and accessible in Santa Barbara for more than 25 years.

On May 19th, Ellen Bildsten of Bildsten Architecture and Planning moderated a workshop on Evolving Transportation Trends in Vibrant Communities at the all-day conference hosted by the Coastal Housing Coalition. Formed in 2005 in response to the region’s critical housing shortage, the CHC works to promote affordable housing for the local workforce by communicating with communities and their decision-makers, shaping housing policy and endorsing well-designed and appropriate residential projects.

This week we had the exciting opportunity to use a drone to help make design decisions about one of our projects. Dan Upton and Matt Metcalfe of Dan Upton Construction brought out the drone to help us determine the height at which a roof deck would provide the best ocean and mountain views for a new guest cabana in the hills above Santa Barbara.

Mountain Drive Cabana has won the 2016 Santa Barbara Contractor’s Association award in the New Residential category. The project was designed by Bildsten Architecture and Planning and built by general contractor Dylan Davidson of Creative Structural Design.

The annual housing conference held on May 13, 2016 discussed our record-setting low vacancy rates along with continued escalating rental prices in Santa Barbara County. The keynote speaker Dan Parolek emphasized the importance of providing more affordable community-based living as well as efforts to create higher density housing of the local workforce.

On Saturday October 3rd, local architects and guest gathered together to tour nine homes and businesses, which featured an intriguing personal and construction story that profile many of the design challenges encountered during the building process.

On Friday, April 10, leaders and community members came together at the Coastal Housing Coalition’s Santa Barbara Housing Conference to discuss the significant issues affecting workers county-wide. The South Coast has become a difficult place for many citizens to both live and work in…

Join us this Saturday, April 18, 2015 for the LA Urban Bus Tour organized by AIA Santa Barbara. The bus leaves from Goleta at 8am and will return around 6pm. Registration is $35, click here to register.