A-Frame Revival

July 20, 2020

John Campbell’s Leisure House (1953) in Mill Valley, California. (All images from A-Frame Second Edition, © 2020 Chad Randl/Photograph by Morley Baer)

To the delight of scholars, experts, and the current wave of a-frame, cabin, and tiny-home enthusiasts, Princeton Architectural Press in June issued a second edition of the book A-frame (originally published in 2004), by Chad Randl, the Art DeMuro Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation.

The Architect’s Newspaper recently caught up with Randl in the article “Long out of print, A-frame returns to satiate America’s lust for triangular homes.”

“Once dismissed as outmoded, inefficient, and grandparent-y relics of a bygone era and widely abandoned in favor of resort communities and timeshare condominiums, A-frames are now—thanks in part to the above factors—a hot commodity again,” the article states. “And as such, Randl’s book, long out of print and difficult to find with used copies going for a pretty penny, has also returned for a highly anticipated second edition.”

Randl told the publication that A-frames were a trend in design and preservation communities back when the book was originally published in 2004, but the fervor has now gone mainstream.

“The other important difference is the rise of social media that allows people to share ideas and favored designs in ways that spread rapidly, efficiently, and without the mediation of experts or authorities,” Randl said.

Randl is also the director of the School of Architecture & Environment’s Historic Preservation program.

Read the full story about A-frame in The Architect’s Newspaper.