As the consequences of the misuse of natural resources become more apparent, so too does the need for an architecture that finds beauty in ethical and sustainable integration with our natural and social environments. elemental reasserts architecture against the irresponsible trend that regards its practice as self-contained, solitary and ornamental. Drawing on over fifty years of architectural practice, the three founders of elemental continue a tradition directly inherited from such Modernist luminaries as Marcel Breuer, John Hejduk and pioneering sustainable architect Richard Stein. From this vantage, elemental regards sustainable architecture without novelty and as integral to design. Sustainable architecture has always been needed and has always been practiced. The first south facing cave dwelling, the thermal mass of the pueblo wall, and the diaphaneity allowed by the gothic arch all demonstrate a tradition of sustainable architecture as true architecture. That these advances were born from necessity should not have us regard their sustainability as supplemental or moot with the advent of the industrial age. Consider that architectural decisions now affect more than one-third of total energy use in the United States alone. The necessity for sustainable architecture faced by the forbearers of elemental, if less immanent, is only more ominous today. Informed by tradition yet inspired to surpass it, elemental employs the latest technologies, materials and strategies to advance a socially and environmentally integrated architecture.