Behind an unassuming 19th-century facade in Singapore's Joo Chiat neighborhood, Ching Ian and Yang Yeo's renovation of a typical shophouse venerates tradition while looking squarely to the future. Photo by Richard Powers

Outside, the couple clad the house with a rain screen of 1.5-by-1.5-inch strips of spruce to create a “modern rustic barn.” The extra-deep sills of the first-floor window become a bench on the outside and a shelf on the inside.

Alexandra Young's Craftsman-style bungalow in Oakland testifies to the wisdom of patiently accumulating a collection over many years. An ornate masonry fireplace fits easily into the home's historical mood, but like other rooms in the house, it has been updated with a modern fire screen.

Walter Hood is perfectly comfortable carving out serene spaces amid often chaotic urban Oakland, California. Despite the speeding cars overhead, Splash Pad Park is now home to a thriving farmer’s market.

A large personal library, featuring patterned rugs, adds to the home's charm.

Part of the Tassafaronga Village affordable-housing complex in Oakland, California, this 60-unit apartment building anchors the new neighborhood and surpasses California’s already-strict energy standards by 47.5 percent.

Photo via Bay Area Bites.

Photo via Bay Area Bites.

Fiestaby Ford Catering to young urban denizens, the Fiesta incorporates technologies drivers now expect elsewhere in their lives, like smartphone connectivity and voice-recognition software. The gasoline-powered, entry-level model—branded to be “built for the digital generation”—achieves a fuel economy rating of over 40 miles per gallon. The 2014 models are on sale as of June this year. ford.com

Made of polished integral concrete with a Cor-Ten steel base, a fire pit “becomes very much a unique element that sets itself apart in form and color,” says landscape architect Stefan Thuilot, who designed it.

Oakland's Cathedral of Light, designed by SOM, is just a single-story building, but the gracious curves showcase the artistry possible with taller wooden structures. Reaching a height of 136 feet, the wood-and-glass sanctuary exudes a calming presence.

A zigzagging white-gravel path ultimately ends at the final destination: a circular fire pit for conversation.

In addition to her beloved midcentury style, Young developed an appreciation for Scandinavian design while abroad in Europe in her twenties, evident in the pared-down bedroom.

A shot of the Oakland sample warehouse.

Photo by: Meatpaper

Though Mielewski established the formal biomaterials department in 2001, working with these materials wasn't new territory for Ford. Case in point: the 1941 concept car made using soybean resin.

Alexandra Young's Craftsman-style bungalow in Oakland testifies to the wisdom of patiently accumulating a collection over many years. Her house is a personal museum of curios, mostly handcrafted, made in America, or heirlooms.

Jane Watson, Paul McElwee, Brahm Ahmadi, and Malaika Edwards stand by their work.

Ricky Swallow magically recreates the folds and wrinkles of a beanbag in Come Together. Laminated jeutlong. 2002. Courtesy of the artist, Marc Foxx, Los Angeles, Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London; Darren Knight, Sydney; Photo: Fredrik Nilsen.

The old Kim Sing Theatre on North Figueroa Street, home to Ford&Ching. Photo by Jeff Minton.

Formosa’s SmartGauge design for Ford. Photo courtesy of The Ford Motor Company.

Yang Yeo and his girlfriend Ching Ian relax on the back stoop of their renovated and radically updated Singapore shophouse—an archetypal building type in this busy port city. “Shophouses brought back memories of our childhood,” says Yeo.

The OnOff clock comes in alarming colors.

Here's a photo by Lizz Wasserman for LA Racked of the party for LG that we threw at Ford and Ching. The food was delicious!

'If We Build it They Will Come' illustration by Matthew Hollister for The Boston Globe.

Suita comes with a wide array of options.

Come Out to the Coast If the texture looks familiar, the studio's signature Bubble Planters are actually made from casting found bubble wrap with gypsum cement and epoxy resin.

Let them know you care without draining your bank account. These holiday gifts hit the spending sweet spot and work for just about everyone.

This infographic shows exactly where recycled and bio-based materials are found in the 2015 Ford Fusion.

Dr. Deborah Mielewski helms plastics research at Ford and established the automaker's biomaterials department in 2001. Her work involves finding new ways to find natural substitutes for petroleum-based materials. Her team has been instrumantal in introducing and developing soy-based polyurethane foam, nylon carpeting made from post-consumer waste, plastic reinforced with wheat straw, fabrics made from recycled denim, and more. "When my mentors retired and I became the leader of plastics research, I have to admit, I felt a little uncomfortable with the role," Mielewski says. "I viewed myself as an environmentalist, and knew that most environmentalists detested plastic. It ends up in the ocean, filling landfills and never going away. Yet, it is an important material for modern life. I thought to myself that if I could make an impact on making plastics better for the environment that I would really be doing something valuable."

Portrait of Willard Ford by Jeff Minton.

The aluminum structure can be powder-coated in matte black or white. Customers can choose between a wood, stone, or plastic worktop, with or without a built-in drainer. Both the stone and plastic surfaces are weatherproof.