Architecture – Base building design

Building design often starts with an innate sense of “fit.”  What belongs on the site, where should it be placed, what should it look like, and why?  Should it be a “signature” building, a background/contextual building, or something in-between.  What is the financial pro-forma for the project?  Commercial projects in particular usually have a monetary objective that has to be achieved in order for the deal to “pencil out.”  We have to be aware of all the parameters for the project, and tailor the design to achieve the client’s goals.  As such, there is no particular “Baseline” style.  Each project is unique, with the final appearance of the building driven by the unique parameters of the project.

Interior Design and Renovation

Interior design is where the users have their most frequent experience with a designed environment.  It has been widely reported that most of us spend around 90% of our time indoors, a staggering statistic.  Therefore we feel an obligation to make our interior spaces as healthy and visually interesting as possible.  We focus on visual comfort by creating a good balance of color and material palettes and being smart about light fixture selection and placement.  We pay attention to acoustic comfort so that our spaces support the activities and conversations that take place in a comfortable manner.  We use materials with high recycled content, low or no VOC chemicals, and 3rd party certifications to be as environmentally responsible as possible.

Site Planning-Urban Design

The design of large-scale sites or neighborhoods represent truly special opportunities. Such projects often involve larger teams, with specialty consultants contributing information about traffic, zoning, sometimes historic context or preservation issues, and other considerations.  The list can be extensive.  It is important to have project leadership that can identify all the issues and topics to be addressed, assign tasks to the right contributors, and then blend all the information into an actionable project plan.  Baseline actually enjoys the “project coordination” role, in keeping with its collaboration-based approach to design in general.

Regarding design, the mantra of the modernist master Eliel Saarinen provides a guideline that is still relevant today: "Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context—a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan."  It is an instructive statement on many levels, not the least of which is the importance of recognizing “fit” and being aware of how that is being achieved with the project’s design.

Specialty Consulting

Things that don’t neatly fit in one of the primary service categories can still represent opportunities for positive contributions to projects.  Baseline has provided building area analysis and expert witness testimony in real estate tax law cases.  We have provided “green visioning” leadership for clients who are in the early stages of determining a sustainable design approach for their projects.  We have performed ADA compliance analysis and developed phased upgrade programs for facilities that need to correct deficiencies.  If there’s a need associated with a project and no clear choice of a design professional to fulfill the role, it’s likely that Baseline will have some experience and the ability to help.