In the 1950s, architects on both the East and West coasts were enraptured by the goal of building architecture that had a strong relationship to the land.

In Massachusetts, The Architects Collaborative (TAC) drew inspiration from the rural character of a sloping site in Lexington and built 29 homes that changed New England architecture’s relationship to the land. In Palm Springs, Palmer & Krisel popularized building desert-appropriate homes that appeared custom-built, creating one of the first housing tracts comprised of post and beam midcentury Modern homes in Southern California.

Both firms’ interest in creating architecture built for their respective environments was the same–yet the effect of their built communities was dramatically different.

Colin Flavin, AIA is the founder of Flavin Architects. He directs the design of the firm’s residential projects and has cultivated the firm’s unique design approach of Natural Modernism. Flavin’s designs favor sculpted lines and timeless materials assembled with respect for a building’s sited context. Colin presented at Modernism Week on Restoring midcentury Modern Homes (2023) and East Coast vs West Coast Modernist House Design (2022). He has also spoken at the Architecture Boston Expo and for the Builders/Architects/Designers speaker series.

Tim Techler, AIA is the founder of Techler Desing Group.

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