Every process begins with listening.
Mission Driven
We start every project by understanding the mission, vision and values of our clients, and considering how the built environment can reflect and amplify these core goals. This is the foundation for ideation, and the ultimate measurement of design success.
Exploring Options
Designing with options is fundamental to how we work. We approach design as an iterative conversation that tests multiple ideas at successive scales, giving clients the opportunity to make engaged and informed decisions at each step of the process. We employ a variety of tools in this exploration – from hand sketches and digital modeling to full scale, detail mock-ups in our maker workspaces.
Expertise and Humility
We couple strong design expertise with engaging teams that know how to listen. We hold a cultural belief that good ideas can and do come from anywhere. We look to our team, our expert consultants, clients and user groups as rich sources of inspiration. We strive to avoid pre-conceptions, and rather test new ideas through this holistic perspective to help our clients arrive at inspiring results that are a unique expression of their mission, values and vision for the future.
Research and Development
We are fueled by a sense of discovery and a vision for the future. Through our projects, we seek to answer questions that can maximize project potential while helping advance the profession. Our research and development efforts are performed by interdisciplinary design teams who often engage external experts from the design community, universities and medical experts. Whether doing research on innovative approaches to building codes, energy performance, health or high-performing workplaces, we always consider issues at a wide range of scales from the region to the neighborhood, campus, individual building and occupant.
Forging Relationships
More than 80% of our work is with repeat clients, and we view each new project as the beginning of a long term relationship. We highly value and respect all of our project partners, including clients, contractors, engineers, collaborating designers and community members. These relationships not only produce better results, they make our work more rewarding and meaningful.