Goals and Building Programs

Custom designed buildings are the three dimensional representation of a building program, as crafted to represent desired function, social comment, sustainability, relation with neighborhood, budget and emotion. As clients often do not have a complete, predetermined building program, our initial interaction with them is typically building the program through consideration of the myriad of goals and needs.

Regulatory Approvals

Property owners too often look at regulation as the severing of their development rights due to the burdens and costs of their implementation. An Architect should be the person turned to for resolving such issues as they are well versed on regulatory intent and driving discussions to the benefit of the all concerned. We have not only gained a reputation for lessening requirements on our client’s projects, but have also consulted with municipalities as they adopt and write new regulation.

Functional Efficiency

As much as esthetic creativity is in the mind of an Architect, buildings mandate functionality. Process, circulation, efficiencies of space and resource usage, are the characteristics similar to all the building types we get involved with and we focus on resolving them all in the initial consideration of a project. Are skills in envelope design are manifested as the structure is wrapped around a functional system. Issues of light, ventilation, comfort of the user, adjacencies and separations are resolved to the user’s benefit once the functional lay is defined.

Compatibility

arises from the discussion of the character of the community…

What is the right design for a community? No answer exists for this question, other than it has to fit, yet so often buildings don’t. One of the first questions to ask is ’How did the community get to its current state?’ Sometimes it is orchestrated, others random. In certain cases the right approach is not a specific piece of Architecture at all, but instead a platform that facilitates an ongoing process.  In some cases modernization of the existing building fabric is the best option. In all cases a design must contribute to the delight of the community.

Joy and Beauty

Joy of inhabiting, due to health of the built environment is dialoged with needs of living systems. Such emotion enlivens the occupant and enhances a working environment.

Beauty results from an architect’s intrinsic deduction of scale, judgment, and taste. An intangible emotion that is attained only from an individual Architect’s talent. The client has to believe in the Architect.