Clay is an award winning builder who founded “Hope for Architecture,” an initiative that aims to create buildings that are affordable and will last for centuries. Chapman’s grass roots structural masonry revival is an innovative process fusing the best of old world methods with modern technologies. He combines this resilient construction approach with artful designs that achieve a level of beauty that guarantees buildings will be cherished, generation after generation.

In 2014, Clay and his family moved to Carlton Landing to fine tune the building methodology as well as establish an apprentice program that helps spread these sustainability techniques to a much larger audience. Based upon the success of this initiative and his generosity toward sharing his knowledge with others, Clay was awarded the Barranco Award in 2017. In 2019 he won the Urban Guild’s inaugural Excellence in Exploration Award for The Borough at Carlton Landing. Clay has also won multiple awards for his buildings from the National Brick Industry Association.