Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1439511
ARCHITECT TED FLATO SAVES THE WORLD ONE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS PROJECT AT A TIME. By Lisa Collins Shaddock. Photography Jonathan Zizzo. O n e t h o u g h t k e p t r u n n i n g through my head as I listened to a rc h i t e c t Te d Flato, co-founder of Lake|Flato architects, as he spoke at the sunny Elegant Additions showroom: If we let designers tackle the world's problems, not only would they be solved, but we would all live in a better — and far more beautiful — place. It's as simple as that. It wasn't even noon, and already I had found the key to solving every issue facing mankind. Granted, I was on a Texas Design Week high, but spend an hour listening to how Flato incorporates landscape in his designs and builds in a way that conserves energy and natural resources while creating beautiful homes and environments, and you, too, will feel there's hope for us yet. Elegant Additions owner, Julie Koch — an elegant addition herself — welcomed the design and architecture crowd to the showroom. While Flato's newest book, Lake| Flato Houses: Respecting the Land (Rizzoli), had not yet arrived in the United States at the time of his talk, guests were treated to a sneak preview of the beautiful images, as well as Flato's insightful explanations of each project and its environmental considerations. His knowledge of the natural world is impressive, but one audience member managed to stump him by asking how trees communicate with one another. "This makes my day," Flato answered with a smile. "These are the questions we need to be asking." Seen: Thomas and Dane Taylor, Jessica Stewart Lendvay, Rhea Ann Chamness, Elizabeth Dodson, Linda Fritschy, Kirk Hopper, Wilson Fuqua, Jason Grigar, Donna Guerra, Noel Hensley, Tiffany Jones, Lyndsay Kennedy, Wendy Konradi, Jessica Pinzon, Christy Berry, Won Jin Park, Luis Elizondo, Adolfo Elizondo, and Laura Burton. LISTEN TREES TO THE Won Jin Park, Luis Elizondo Adolfo Elizondo Natalia Ramirez Thomas & Dane Taylor Shawna Kuykendall Hannah White Kayla Brown, Kirk Hopper Christy Berry Ted Flato, Julie Koch Ted Flato Gabrielle Warrington Jessica Stewart Lendvay