Welcome

Welcome to the website of Archetype Design and architectural designer
Vishu Magee.

Since 1973 I have been designing homes which integrate contemporary function and green building systems into classic adobe forms. The styles range widely – from rustic and natural to clean and ultra-contemporary.

Non-toxic and native materials are always preferred, with most homes built in adobe, rastra, or pumice-crete. Above all, every house is one-of-a-kind and results from blending client preferences with site conditions and the designer’s creativity. I pay meticulous attention to interior spaces and finishes – and I usually design the landscapes as well.

I am quite versatile: while most of my work is in the adobe vernacular, in 2008 I produced a very successful shingle-style home in the Hamptons, including a geothermal system for heating and cooling. Whatever your vision is, I can render it.

I have designed many remodels, and received awards for Large Kitchen Design, Remodel Design and Grand Award Design from the Homebuilders Association of Central New Mexico in 2009.

This website offers some helpful resources:

The Online Portfolio – some of my best homes.

Green Building – a comprehensive survey of solar and sustainable building systems and techniques.

The Construction Costs Handbook – presenting current building costs for Taos. Useful for homeowners, architects and contractors alike. (Look for the 2012 edition in early March!)

The Residential Design Questionnaire and FAQ’s to help you through the first steps of planning and design.

I hope you’ll find these images and resources useful. Please call me – put my nearly forty years of experience to work on your own project!