Everything starts from the Baseline

Philosophy and Design Approach

One of the traits of architecture that often cause it to be referred to as the “mother of all arts” is the blending of the artistic with the pragmatic.  If re-stated in the jargon of sports, one might say “it’s all in play.”  That is, everything could be relevant to a particular design assignment.  What is meant by “everything”?  Well, EVERYTHING.  The history, background, experience, goals, dreams, and wishes of the client, for starters.  The history and context of the site.  The perceptions of the users and the stakeholders.  The talent, background, skills, and expertise of the team.  The budget.  The schedule.  It’s all in play, and everything has to be considered.  

The design process is iterative, and every project will eventually establish priorities, making it likely that certain ideas will fall off to the side while others take on greater prominence in shaping the outcome.  To achieve this, we start every assignment with a “no stone left unturned” approach and refine the information into a clear understanding about the mission of the project.   We are fond of saying at the start, “…when we’re all done, what will have defined the project as “successful” in the eyes of the client?”  The sooner we can answer that question, in collaboration with the client, the better and more focused we can be on creating a successful outcome.

We are driven by an appreciation of human perceptions and the relationships people form with the physical environment.  Winston Churchill said, “We shape our buildings, and thereafter our buildings shape us.”  While we like making things that are physically attractive and unique, most people don’t inhabit sculpture, at least not for any great length of time.  So we must understand the human behavior that accompanies every design assignment, and tailor the design solutions to best support the activities of the users.  That almost always involves creating beauty, in one form or another, because a building that is devoid of beauty will ultimately be unsatisfying to its users, and potentially a failure to its surrounding community.  A large part of our job is to advocate for the inclusion of beauty in every project, recognizing that the term may have many interpretations.  We need to be open-minded about finding the right definition for each particular client and project.

We also feel that human diversity is important in the design process.  The more input and opinions, from a wide range of sources, the better, because this enriches the awareness of everybody involved.  Everybody’s opinion is valued and considered, from the client and their stakeholders to members of the community, from experienced designers to student interns, from consultants to vendors, everybody involved has a voice.  We hear them and listen, consider, and then make our recommendations.

Some might call this a “head in the clouds” approach.  We prefer to think of it as raising the bar and aiming high.  This is balanced by a healthy appreciation for the “get it done” mentality that often is part and parcel to construction projects.  We can and should aim high in terms of design.  But what we design also has to be practical, approve-able, and build-able.