Feature

Exposed Structure

Contemporary living room with limestone support column, oak beam connections, sheltered terrace pier, and courtyard garden.

Journal Article

The Architecture of the Residential Column: Support, Scale, and Spatial Rhythm

A residential column can give a room rhythm, create sheltered edges, or become an awkward obstacle. This architectural essay examines freestanding supports, concealed columns, and terrace piers through proportion, material, connections, circulation, and long-term care, asking when structure deserves expression and when it should recede.

Contemporary great room beneath a substantial exposed transfer girder, opening toward a sheltered garden terrace.

Journal Article

The Architecture of Transfer Beams: Open Plans, Load Paths, and Hidden Depth

An open living room can conceal an intricate path for the loads of the rooms above. Explore how exposed girders, deep ceilings, and thickened walls accommodate transfer beams, and why structural depth, support locations, movement, service routes, and construction sequence shape the architectural character of a luxury residence.