There is a renewed interest in how food is produced and how its creation affects the well-being of both the land and the communities it supports. A similar shift is occurring in architecture, where material culture is emerging as the backbone of design innovation. LEVER Architecture exemplifies this movement with its pioneering "forest-to-frame" model, an approach that reimagines architecture not as an extractive process, but as a regenerative force with positive impacts that extend well beyond the boundaries of any individual building site.
"I think of architecture like cooking," founder Thomas Robinson tells ArchDaily. "Instead of coming with an a priori idea, you're looking at what's in the region, what ingredients are available, what can be regionally sourced." This philosophy of responsiveness and regeneration is central to the West Coast-based practice's approach, with materials playing a critical role, not just in their physical properties, but in where they come from, how they're sourced, and the broader environmental and cultural impacts they carry.
