Almond ADG
Architectural Archives
Practical perspectives on architecture, planning, and the design / construction process — written for clients, owners, and fellow practitioners.
What Actually Drives Construction Cost in Arizona
Owners scrutinise finishes and under-scrutinise the decisions that set the number. Structure, floor plate, site work, and envelope are largely locked in schematic design.
The Arizona Construction Market: What It Actually Takes to Build in the Valley
Building in Maricopa County is a different exercise from building almost anywhere else — jurisdictionally, climatically, and commercially. Here is the map of how each segment really works.
Entitlements and Permitting in Arizona: The Part That Sets Your Schedule
Construction rarely decides a project's timeline — entitlements do. Maricopa County is a mosaic of independent jurisdictions, and the distance between your proposal and the ordinance is the real variable.
Commercial Office Construction in Arizona: What Still Leases
Generic office competes badly now. Buildings that offer shaded arrival, real daylight, efficient floor plates, and covered parking still lease — and those are design decisions.
High-End Custom Homes in Arizona: The Site Writes the Brief
On a desert custom home, the land is the strongest author. Hillside ordinances, view corridors, native plant protection, and solar orientation shape the house before style ever enters.
Medical Office Construction in Arizona: Office With a Different Rulebook
Medical office looks like office and is regulated like something else — higher plumbing and power density, harder accessibility scrutiny, and an occupancy classification that drives the structure.
Ground-Up New Construction in Arizona: Where the Risk Actually Sits
On a new build in the Valley, the expensive surprises are almost never in construction. They are in what the site will and will not let you do — found before you close, or after.
Restaurant Construction in Arizona: The Most Regulated Small Building You Will Ever Do
A 3,000 sq ft restaurant carries more regulatory surface area than a 30,000 sq ft warehouse — health, grease, hoods, make-up air, licensing, and a patio that has to work in July.
Retail and Shopping Center Construction in Arizona: Merchandising Expressed as Architecture
A retail center is a leasing instrument before it is a building. Visibility, access, pad siting, signage rights, and a shell flexible enough for tenants you have not signed yet.
Tenant Improvement and Adaptive Reuse in Arizona: When Not to Build New
The Valley has a deep stock of buildings with good bones and obsolete uses. Reuse frequently beats ground-up on schedule and cost — if you check the right things before signing.
Insulation for Arizona Buildings: Continuous Beats Thick
Past a point, adding depth to a cavity stops helping — thermal bridging through the framing takes over. Here is what actually improves comfort and operating cost in a hot-dry climate.
Arizona Commercial Roofing: Foam, Single-Ply, and Tile in a 110-Degree Climate
Your roof is the hottest surface you own and the biggest single lever on the cooling bill. Here is how SPF, single-ply, and concrete tile compare on Arizona buildings.
Arizona Construction Materials: How the Desert Decides What You Build With
In Arizona, material selection is a climate decision before it is an aesthetic one. Here is how heat, UV, monsoon, dust, and soil drive product choices on Phoenix-metro projects.
Shade Structures and Ramadas: The Cheapest Cooling in Arizona
Shade is a construction product. It stops solar load before it reaches the building, and it converts unusable exterior square footage into space that earns its keep.
Stucco vs. EIFS in Arizona: Which Wall Finish Actually Belongs on Your Building
Three-coat stucco and EIFS look nearly identical from the street and behave nothing alike in the desert. Here is how we choose between them on Phoenix-area projects.
CMU Block Construction in Arizona: Why Masonry Still Wins in the Desert
Concrete masonry uses Arizona's big day-night temperature swing as an asset instead of fighting it — and it is termite-proof, fire-resistant, and nearly maintenance-free.
Low-E Glazing in Arizona: Why SHGC Matters More Than U-Factor
In a cooling-dominated climate you specify glass backwards from how a cold-climate project does it. Solar heat gain coefficient — not U-factor — is the number that decides your cooling load.
The Six Phases of Architectural Design: A Plain-English Walkthrough
Every Almond ADG project moves through six phases — pre-design through construction administration. Here is what each phase covers and what you should expect as the owner at each step.