Architect Blog

Opening a restaurant is one of the most ambitious—and risky—things a person can do. It's not just the cost of build-out or equipment. It’s the lease you sign before the first plate is served. The staff you hire before revenue exists. The long nights, the tight margins, the hope that people will feel something when they walk through the door. Because while what you serve matters, how a space works—and how it feels—often determines whether people stay, return, and talk about

Every few years, architecture rediscovers a shape. Sometimes it’s because the form genuinely solves a problem. Other times, it’s because the image travels well. As we look toward 2026, two forms keep resurfacing in conversations with clients, developers, and designers alike: the A-frame and the Quonset. They couldn’t be more different. One is angular and nostalgic, tied to alpine retreats and mid-century optimism. The other is curved, industrial, and born from efficiency. Yet

Architectural planning is often misunderstood as a preliminary step—something that happens quickly before “real design” begins. In reality, planning is the design process taking shape. It’s where ideas are tested against reality, where constraints become opportunities, and where the long-term success of a project is either set up—or quietly compromised. At Catalyst, architectural planning is not a checkbox. It’s the framework that allows a project to move forward with clarit

If you’ve ever stood at the edge of a remodel or new build, you know the feeling: excitement, a little adrenaline, and just enough uncertainty to keep you up at night. You may have a vision, a budget range, and a timeline you’d love to keep. Then comes the first decision that quietly determines how smooth—or chaotic—this project becomes: Do you hire an architect first, or a contractor? The honest answer is: it depends. But the useful answer is this: most projects benefit f

Dear Small Business Owner, Opening a brick-and-mortar business is a thrilling leap—full of vision, creativity, and the promise of community impact. Yet with high rewards come high stakes. The unfortunate truth is that wrong assumptions or poor planning in the early stages can spell failure for even the most passionate entrepreneurs. Many enthusiastic business owners “get overwhelmed by the totality of all the rules and requirements to get up and running,” facing what one stud