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Generations of architects and other creatives have been inspired and educated by the work of Edward T. White. And there’s good reason for that. The world is and always will be full of complex problems in need of creative and effective solutions. Designers and other strategic thinkers have grappled with those kinds of problems for a long time, bringing both the right and left hemispheres of the brain, both intuitive and logical sensibilities, to the task.

ArchiBasics Press feels that while this holistic approach can lead to better designed buildings, cities, and products, it can be also used to creatively address strategic problems not usually thought of as related to design.

Strategic problem-solving has a lot to do with listening and observing people, environments, systems, situations, and contexts, and with a mind-body that puts thoughts and ideas into physical form through drawing, modeling, writing, critiquing, and editing. The value and power of a designed solution is deeply and directly related to the power of the design processes that produce it.

As society moves to Al, Artificial Intelligence, where “thinking” is outsourced rather than being iteratively generated by the same people who go on to develop the solutions, this value is in grave danger of being lost.

Preserving and sharing the strategic analysis and problem-solving approaches championed by Prof. White is the mission of ArchiBasics Press.

Edward T. White, RA, is a retired full professor, author, publisher, and architect. He taught for 54 years, from 1966 to 1980 at the University of Arizona and from 1980 to 2020 at Florida A&M University, receiving teaching awards at both. He led multiple study abroad semesters and presented at numerous conferences, universities, and government agencies including continuing education workshops for professionals.

Professor White was a Visiting Research Architect at the Center for Building Technology at the National Bureau of Standards and contributed to the Center’s publication, Buildings for People. He served on the Committee for Post-Occupancy Evaluation Methodology on the Building Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition, he served as a reviewer for the chapters on site analysis and programming for the Emerging Professional’s Companion published by the American Institute of Architects and co- authored two books with Wolfgang Preiser.

During his time in academics, he also served as director of programming and planning for two architectural practices which, combined with his travels and research, provided the source of much of the inspiration for his writing.

Among the twenty or so books and numerous monographs he originally published as Architectural Media, Ltd. are the titles in The Edward T. White Library now published by ArchiBasics Press.

Barry D. Yatt, FAIA Emeritus, IFMA, CSI, founded ArchiBasics Press in 2005. He is an experienced practicing architect, facility manager, and author. He is a professor emeritus, former associate dean for research, and founding director of the Graduate Program in Facilities Management, at the School of Architecture and Planning of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He wrote the John Wiley & Sons/NCARB monograph Cracking the Codes: An Architect’s Guide to Building Regulations and numerous book chapters and articles on practice education and on design as a process with value beyond the architecture profession.

Prof. Yatt obtained his professional degree from Cornell University, received his architect’s license in 1982, practiced with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Los Angeles and Chicago and with other firms before forming his own practice, and taught full-time from 1990 to 2015.

Barry D. Yatt, FAIA Emeritus, IFMA, CSI, founded ArchiBasics Press in 2005. He is an experienced practicing architect, facility manager, and author. He is a professor emeritus, former associate dean for research, and founding director of the graduate program in facilities management at the School of Architecture and Planning of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. He wrote the John Wiley & Sons/NCARB monograph Cracking the Codes: An Architect’s Guide to Building Regulations and numerous book chapters and articles on practice education and on design as a process with value beyond the architecture profession. Prof. Yatt obtained his professional degree from Cornell University, received his architect’s license in 1982, practiced with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and other firms before forming his own practice in Chicago, and has taught full-time from 1991 to 2014. 

Edward T. White, RA, is a retired full professor, author, and publisher. He taught for 54 years, from 1966 to 1980 at the University of Arizona and from 1980 to 2020 at Florida A&M University. Prior to that, he served as director of programming and planning for two architectural practices which, combined with his travels, provided the source of much of the inspiration for his writing. In addition, he served as a reviewer for the chapters on site analysis and programming for the Emerging Professional’s Companion, published by the American Institute of Architects, co-authored a book with Wolfgang Preiser, and had excerpts from multiple works published in books by Barry Yatt, Andy Pressman, and Milton Shinberg. Among his twenty or so books and numerous monographs originally published by his firm, Architectural Media Ltd., are the titles in The Edward T. White Library published by ArchiBasics Press.