Social media is an interesting one, it is something that people talk about in day in day out conversation. It is also has a huge engagement and a short attention span. That said, it is how we make those engagements that really sell. An architects best tool is photography. Hire the best photographers you can afford. If you cannot afford one for your small projects, buy a great camera, learn to use it, and learn some of the best photoshop techniques without overly manipulating or stylizing an image.  While Pinterest is great for growing an interest in what you do, Facebook is great for then updating them with the progress of your projects. However, Facebook falls short is capturing those in your immediate community of building professionals. This is where sites like Houzz come into play. Houzz is your look book, and where you share what you do with other peers. It is where you build your name in this competitive industry. Like with other social media photos are what sell you. Make sure you have the right photography to do this right.

Having the right blog is a tough one, because it requires having the right photos and the right video. Youtube is great for this, not only does it handle video well it allows you to quickly and easily share your projects across many web mediums from your blog to social media to social bookmarking sites. The whole idea is to give your work the cleanest presentation while making it easy for your potential clients to find it and view it. The web can make sales not about who you know, but about how you are perceived.

Our ancestors were experts in taking the best from nature in order to make their life more comfortable. Those who lived in hot, arid areas, painted their houses in white and other light colors in order to keep the heat away, thus ensuring a bearable temperature. On the other hand, the people who lived in cold regions built their homes using blocks of ice and snow and insulated their homes with animal skins.

Sustainable architecture evolved at the same time with the human society, the small villages being replaced by great cities. However, the principles of building in harmony with the environment continued to be valued.

The Roman cities are still an example of efficiency in collecting and re-using the wastes. Their public baths and toilets incorporated systems that allowed the excretions to be collected in large tanks and transformed into fertilizers for the crops. The thermal water collected from the baths was used for washing the laundries.

The Roman villas are a good example of how the natural and artificial elements were harmoniously combined, the spacious, well-ventilated and lightened rooms being oriented to face the luxurious interior gardens and patios. The principles of sustainable architecture were presented for the first time in a work entitled “Ten Books on Architecture”, written by Vitruvius, a famous buildings designer who lived in the Roman Empire.

The Middle Age and the Renaissance were two historical periods marked by numerous innovations in the field of construction techniques. The gothic style used arches as supporting elements for the monumental churches and cathedrals to withstand better the continuous and sometimes intense action of the wind and air currents.

The re-use of the construction materials that came from demolitions was another technique specific to sustainable architecture, intensely practiced during the medieval period, especially at its beginnings.

Many Christian churches were built on the sites of the old Roman temples, using stone, marble and mosaic from the old buildings. The situation was the same in the case of the castles and fortresses that were built to withstand the numerous attacks and prolonged sieges specific to those not so peaceful times.

As for the “new” medieval buildings to follow the principles of green architecture, the Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is one of the most famous examples. Built in 1597, the residence still incorporates an impressive number of windows, allowing efficient temperature control. Sir Charles Wren, the royal architect during the reign of King Charles II, was also renowned for applying these principles in many of the monuments he designed.

After two centuries of “industrial revolution” it is time to embrace once again the principles of sustainable architecture and to live in harmony with the environment, just like our ancestors did, do you not agree?

One of the factors you must to consider is the location of your future home. Just like the real estate companies do, you too should consider hiring a team of specialists familiar with the particularities of the neighborhood, such as the geodesic structure of the soil and the position of your lot. This is the best way to make sure that your future home will be built on stable grounds and no avalanche or flooding can threaten its integrity.

Another important step is to verify the reputation of the Minneapolis architecture firms on your list. If you use the Internet, visiting review sites and specialized forums could help you to find out how the former customers appreciate their services. You should not overlook the rumors either, because unsatisfied clients always recount their experiences to their friends, they neighbors and anyone willing to listen. Last, but not least, you should ask everyone you know for an opinion on the firms on your list.

Every neighborhood in Minneapolis has its own architectural style, so, it is important that you entrust your project to specialists who are familiar with the particularities of each style. This way, your home will match the rest of the neighborhood and will only stand out through the quality of the materials used and the finesse of the details.

There are many Minneapolis architecture firms, with hundreds of successful projects in their portfolio, with teams of experienced architects who can turn even the most ambitious projects into reality. They have the ability to adjust to their clients’ needs without sacrificing the durability or the aesthetics of the buildings they work on.

Of course, the financial implications of the project you have in mind are just as important. In order to make your choice easier, ask the Minneapolis architecture firms that you consider hiring for a price quote.

Write the details of the first quote you receive (construction surface, division of space, materials to be used, etc) on a sheet of paper and ask the representatives of the other companies to prepare you a quote based on the same details.

Some of them may recommend that you use other materials. Listen to their suggestions and motivations carefully, go home and do some research on the subject, and you will certainly figure out if they are to be trusted or they just want to rip you off.

At the end, a comparison of the quotes you received, also taking into account the impression that the preliminary meeting made on you, should be more than enough to ensure that you choose not only one of the best Minneapolis architecture firms, but the most reliable.