Mast and Hoff contrasted the existing features of the space with elements that spoke a more contemporary design language—horizontally stacked plywood, polycarb panels, and steel tubes—adding forward-looking decorations and structural elements. Photo by Kyle Hoff

Workspace Since opening in September 2013, the space has helped catalyze ventures such as 1417 Van Dyke, a live-work concept, and Offworld, an arcade tavern concept that held a pop-up earlier this year. Photo by Kyle Hoff

Practice Space Exterior Mast and his friend and fellow architect Kyle Hoff seized on the concepts of renovation, revitalization, and adaptive reuse when they worked on the layout of Practice Space. Their design approach sought to preserve, highlight, and play off the character of the 3,800-square-foot former garage. Photo by Kyle Hoff

Practice Space “It provides a sense of old and new together, showcasing the opportunity in Detroit,” says Justin Mast, an architect and organizer behind Practice Space. “Development here operates in its own way. People need to figure it out and connect the dots.” Photo by Catie Newell

Metal Curtain at Practice Space Based on the principles of origami and oriented based on the path of the sun, the curtain of triangle-cut, thin-gauge sheet metal creats a contrast of old and new. The addition stands as a visual metaphor for the way Detroit’s past informs future promise. Photo by Catie Newell

Workspace at the Practice Space Incubator Broadly speaking, the Practice Space concept rethinks what an incubator does. In contrast to the dominant trend of seeding tech-based startups to revitalize the region’s economic base, Practice Space supports brick-and-mortar concepts, such as coffee shops and grocery stores, with ideas, implementation and design. Photo by Doug Coombe

Designed by Seth Eshelman in 2006, the Cain furniture series was conceived from a need for simple, accessible furniture. Ranging stools, benches, and chairs, the Cain Collection encompasses the Staach brand’s focus on sustainability in design and manufacturing. The wood used in each Cain Maple Stool comes directly from American mills and is then fabricated by hand with limited use of tools. The choice to reduce tool usage is a purposeful one—it helps achieve a higher level of sustainability by limiting the manufacturing carbon footprint.

The Cain Maple Bench 2 from Staach is comprised of clean lines and a simple silhouette. Available in many color finishes, the bench can be used in an entryway, as additional seating in a living room, or even at a dining room table.

www.heribertoibarra.com 915-252-70701 babel17@hotmail.com

The office contains a platform, where Blake practices drums (or naps with daughter Genevieve).

Practice good hygiene (and get a mini spa treatment in the process) with these luxurious liquid hand soaps.

The building embraces sustainable practices, drawing on passive design elements like natural light and a living roof.

Inspired by modern Japanese minimalism, Hong Kong practice JAAK demolished the walls of this two-bedroom apartment and remodelled it into a studio with an

Built as a live/work space for a sculptor, Indigo by Dutch practice Woonpioniers is an eco-friendly, prefabricated cabin with bent wooden walls.

Inspired by modern Japanese minimalism, Hong Kong practice JAAK demolished the walls of this two-bedroom apartment and remodelled it into a studio with an

Chris Grimley's graphic intelligence really made the book timeline and data graphics communicate in Publishing Practices.

Best Practice Architecture transformed a former garage in the Oak Park neighborhood of Dallas into a light-filled casita filled with art by local makers and vintage finds.

As the name implies, the exterior of Best Practice's Big Mouth House resembles an open-mouthed face with its powder pink framing against the black metal facade.

In the Norwegian town of Larvik in Vestfold County, Oslo-based practice Lund Hagem Architects renovated a summer cabin on a rocky terrain with generous outdoor patios that take advantage of dramatic coastal views.

Designed by London-based practice RUSSIAN FOR FISH, this remodeled Victorian home has an almost completely yellow kitchen. Being in this space feels like being immersed in bright sunlight.

Best Practice added a new roof but kept the existing siding. A fresh coat of paint helps the casita pop, and a new window opening next to the entrance frames a new kitchenette inside.

For this 780-square-foot apartment Hong Kong apartment, local practice MNB Design Studio used plywood, smart storage solutions, and tapped into the principles of origami to create a highly structured, minimalist home.

Built as a live/work space for a sculptor, Indigo by Dutch practice Woonpioniers is an eco-friendly, prefabricated cabin with bent wooden walls. The low-slung bed in the loft accentuates the height of the pitched roof and mimics the experience of camping in the woods.

In the coastal town of Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia, local practice Harley Graham Architects elevates the Australian "garden studio" with this 646-square-foot granny flat. Named Marvel Street Studio, the guesthouse is an addition to a home designed by Paul Uhlmann.

Project designed by Public Architecture, winner of the New Practices San Francisco 2009 competition.

Considering how lovely the pool at the Inn is, there's plenty of reasons to be happy about the Carneros's commitment to green water practices.

The office, located in the historic Bently Reserve building, combines new and old construction for a practice that works with new and old financial traditions.

Later in the week I swung by the offices of Thomas Phifer and Partners, for an interview with the founder about his practice, projects, and design process.

An upstairs yoga practice space.

Fashion designer Josie and her husband Ken Natori are big fans of traditional Japanese architecture, so when Brooklyn-based practice Tsao & McKown Architects designed their home in Pound Ridge, New York, they used a heavy, exposed-timber structure, and included Japanese-style gardens and landscaping.

A tranquil nook allows the homeowner to practice yoga.

Radamés “Juni” Figueroa lived in his art project tree house, made from found materials, for two fortnights, as part of his artist residency at La Practica at Beta-Local. "The Practice" is an interdisciplinary program of research and production focusing on art, architecture, and design, with an emphasis on collaboration.

Graham Hill, a sustainability advocate whose TED talks have delved into the benefits of living small, put his own lessons into practice at his 350-square-foot apartment, which he shares with his partner and two dogs. Quick transitions, like drawing the FilzFelt curtain, convert the living space into a bedroom.

Conveniently located in their backyard, the office allows the couple to run their practice while staying close to their kids.

Shallow shelves in Jung-Ja’s practice room accommodate her many music books.