HOW WE WORK

Our design process prioritizes several principles that we believe are paramount to creating a successful project. These principles and design stages are somewhat fluid, and many steps overlap and inform the next. Before we design anything, we investigate the big ideas, the priorities, and the constraints.

Listening

We listen to our clients. And the site. And our construction partners. And to the municipalities we work within. Listening is the most important part of the design and construction process, which is why listening is our top priority in conducting our work. The design process starts with an in-depth interview with a client in order to understand their priorities, their constraints, and their desires. We ask all our potential clients to fill out a general assessment form and participate in a quick onboarding process prior to starting a project.

Site Selection and Understanding of the Site

Sometimes a site has already been selected and procured, and sometimes clients ask us to help them find a suitable site for their project. Regardless, we like to spend ample time understanding the site, whether it is an existing space, an empty lot, or a vast piece of property yet to be developed. We analyze the site constraints, including but not limited to the following:

Light, wind, solar, and water access and availability

Natural vegetation and species characterization

Terrain and site geometrics

Utility access and availability

Zoning and municipal requirements

Existing building features, measurements, opportunities, and constraints

Community, neighborhood, and city queries as warranted by the site location and project scope

Inventory

While the site investigation is occurring, we perform a thorough and complete inventory of our client’s “stuff” along with their hopes and desires for the project. We call this “the priorities of stuff.” This crucial step uncovers the client’s goals for the project and gives them time to think about what is really important in creating a new space. This thorough inventory helps us move to the next stages of the design process.

Paring down

Because our firm specializes and focuses on creating small spaces, our typical clients come to us with the idea of shedding their stuff and reducing their built and environmental footprint. We can also help those who are new to the idea of simplifying physically. During this stage, we review the inventory and prioritize what is absolutely necessary. We ask some of the following questions:

What things are you willing to let go of?

What must you keep, and why?

How do you live and work now?

How do you want to live and work in the new space?

What do you really want and need?

The answers to these questions help us discern what we will be designing and what will be moved into the new space. This helps define the program scope of the new space. Typically, this is the hardest part of the process for most clients.

Priorities: spatial qualities, budget, schedule, non-negotiables

Once the goal setting, site selection, inventory, and paring down stages are well underway, we start to prioritize the most important aspects of the project in order to solidify a final project scope and program. At this time, we will discuss desired spatial qualities, aesthetics, the project budget and schedule, and the non-negotiables based on the exploration thus far.

Design

When does design start? It actually starts the minute our clients contact us. Design is an iterative, back-and-forth conversation between the architect, the client, and the site During the formal design stage, we start putting ideas to paper and initiate space-making based on the findings and due diligence from our previous investigations. Several ideas and concepts are put forth for consideration and discussion. Few ideas are discarded early. The design and drawings become more defined as we progress until we have honed in on a scheme that meets most of the client’s defined project goals and priorities.

Budget

The proposed project budget is an important design parameter. It provides the proverbial side rails for any project. We will revisit the budget early and often since it helps ground everyone in the reality of the mission—building a new space. We prepare initial project budgets and schedules and then collaborate with construction partners at all stages of design. This helps align design expectations with actual cost probability and helps us better understand project implementation.

Construction

The construction stage of any project is why we go through all the previous stages, and we think it is the most fun! By this time, we have completed the drawings, obtained a permit, and have helped our client select a contractor. We offer a breadth of construction services, from typical limited construction administration to full construction management. We believe in being on site working with the construction partners to navigate issues and quickly solve problems that inevitably arise during this phase. It is our pleasure and honor to help realize the vision and goals of a client during construction, and it makes all the hard work worth it!