Speakers

Russell Versaci, AIA

Principal, Russell Versaci Architecture

Russell Versaci has devoted his career to traditional architecture, first as a designer of award-winning custom homes and, in the past decade, as a writer and national opinion leader who champions traditional architectural design for today. Versaci is the author of Creating a New Old House (Taunton Press 2003), which launched the “new old house” movement in residential architecture. The book outlines a set of principles for creating a new house that looks and feels like an old house. It has become the classic reference for designers, homeowners, and anyone else planning a new traditional home.

Versaci’s second book, Roots of Home, was published in fall 2008 by Taunton Press. Part architecture, part history, Roots of Home tells the story of French, Spanish, English, and Continental customs that shaped American regional traditions, and it shows how our classic styles are being reinterpreted in new old houses across the country.

The magazine New Old House was launched in 2004. Versaci serves as Editor-at-Large and contributes the column “Architect’s Principles”. Through this column he has garnered a national following of homeowners, builders, developers, and designers seeking better ways to build new homes.

Versaci has long been an advocate of the use of factory fabrication as a way to make high quality traditional homes accessible and affordable. His Pennywise collection, which includes the Simple Farmhouse Portfolio and Simple Cottage Sampler, was designed specifically for factory fabrication. It is available from Haven Custom Homes.