On Saturday, June 13, Ellen Bildsten, AIA, principal architect at Bildsten Architecture and Planning (BAP), joined attorney Mack Carlson of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP to present "Leveraging California Housing Laws to Build Community" at the AIA 2026 Convention in San Diego. The hour-long session drew on BAP's hands-on experience with California's evolving housing law landscape to show how architects and planners can use state legislation not just as a compliance exercise, but as a genuine tool for community-building.

Every eight years, the state of California determines the RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) number of housing units each jurisdiction is expected to produce locally to collectively address the statewide lack of housing.

In this week’s Radio Real Estate, Ellen talks with Mark Schneidman and Tom Oschner about the upcoming AIA ArchitecTours, Santa Barbara’s plans for State Street, and more. Bildsten Architecture and Planning will have a project, Modern Farmhouse Remodel, featured in this year’s tour which takes place on October 1st, 2022.

We were asked to contribute a tip to Redfin’s article 14 Expert Tips to Consider Before You Build an ADU. The article is full of interesting insights from other professionals who work regularly with ADU design and construction. See our tip below, or click here to read the whole article.

By signing Senate Bill 9 into law, Newsom opened the door for the development of up to four residential units on single-family lots across California.

The Santa Barbara City Council has voted 7-0 to create a master plan for State Street and established a committee to oversee it. State Street, a hallmark of downtown Santa Barbara, has undergone many changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the question of where it will head next is on many people’s minds.

The Santa Barbara chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIASB) just concluded its 2020 Design Charrette where members of the design professions and the community at large gathered virtually over the past six weeks to consider this year’s theme to "re-invigorate, re-invent, re-imagine, and re-purpose downtown Santa Barbara for the future".

Santa Barbara City Council adopted the following amendments to the AUD Multi-family Housing Program in the Central Business District (CBD) effective September 3, 2020

In 2020, it became easier than ever to build Accessory Dwelling Units in California, thanks to changes in state ADU law.

We have compiled a comprehensive set of information that may be helpful to you if you are looking to rebuild after losing your home in the Thomas Fire. See below for links to city resources, planning information, required documents, helpful websites, and more.

In collaboration with the AIA of Santa Barbra, Ellen Bildsten, Brian Cearnal, and Detty Peikert organized “Making State Street Work”, a design charrette and day of urban planning and architecture.

Last weekend, SBBIKE raised $43,125 at its Connecting Our Community Fundraiser. SBBIKE is a countywide advocacy and resource organization that has been working to make bicycling safe and accessible in Santa Barbara for more than 25 years.

This week we had the exciting opportunity to use a drone to help make design decisions about one of our projects. Dan Upton and Matt Metcalfe of Dan Upton Construction brought out the drone to help us determine the height at which a roof deck would provide the best ocean and mountain views for a new guest cabana in the hills above Santa Barbara.

Mountain Drive Cabana has won the 2016 Santa Barbara Contractor’s Association award in the New Residential category. The project was designed by Bildsten Architecture and Planning and built by general contractor Dylan Davidson of Creative Structural Design.