We were lucky to catch up with Arielle Schechter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Arielle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?

I attended North Carolina State University which has a legendary architecture school. I was lucky enough to learn from one of America’s finest architects, Frank Harmon, who became my guide star. I remember he always said “the site is your building.” Basically, this means to pay full attention to the site where your project is going. Pay attention to the light, because north, south, east and west light are all incredibly different. For solar control you really want south light. This gives daylight for longer than east and west. The site will tell you where to put windows, and where to focus the views.

Arielle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Arielle Condoret Schechter, Architect, PLLC, AIA, is a multi award winning architect specializing in Modern, energy-efficient homes with an artistic edge– from tiny, 400 to 1500-square-foot Micropolis® houses to luxurious 8000-square-foot family homes and compounds — as well as other buildings of all types and sizes in the “Triangle” region (Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Carrboro and Pittsboro) and throughout North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. Prominent among her residential designs are are Net Zero/Net Positive Passive houses with data and certifications that prove their success at providing as much or more energy than the houses require, large or small.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I first started my business during a recession and few had work. During this down-time I decided to design a bunch of small houses for people who could not afford full service architects. These became my Micropolis™ houses which went viral when Inhabitant did an article about them. So despite a downside in the economy, all of a sudden I had more work inquiries than I knew what to do with. I would recommend people exercise their ideas and creativity because you never know where it will lead.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I’ve found house tours, such as the yearly Green Home Tour and the NCModernist Modapalooza Tours to be the best source for new clients for me. People get to walk through the 3 dimensional design and it’s much easier for them to visualize than 2D drawings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acsarchitect.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acsarchitect/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariellecondoretschechteraia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acsarchitect/
• Other: ACS Press:
  https://acsarchitect.wordpress.com

Image Credits

Tzu Chen Photography (Haw River House, Lantern House, Baboolal Residence)
Keith Isaacs Photo (Professor’s House)