Here is an interesting article on the plight of architects and the downturn in building since the 2008 crash. I find it interesting that the focus is on the bottom line as opposed to simply making good buildings that reflect the stability and ecologically sound principles that will make for healthy living. I am not sure why the cost of a building would be more if we would only look at the footprint and the lifestyle we choose instead of attempting to duplicate the size and the current way of gluttony that we are so enamored of. The first step in this process of designing buildings is to seek the simple, reduce, and yield to what we can do within the context of the forces that course through a property and the local materials at hand, cut back on our energy usage and wear a sweater in the winter, and keep the thermostat at the lowest possible level of comfort. If we continue to manufacture our lives in the factory we simply miss the point of what is “sustainable” in the long term. Resource degradation is the curse that causes the downfall of a nation, and in this case, possibly a world. Although LEED standards are a good step toward a balanced and harmonious building process, it is only a step and a template for the next.