OUR VALUES
Architecture requires a deep sense of commitment.
We are committed to integrity, transparency, precision and creative thought. We are committed to observing, listening, and reflecting before acting. We are committed to conserving resources and treading lightly on the land. Above all, we are committed to pursuing work which radiates a sense of lightness and positivity and that has the power to resonate at an emotional frequency.
OUR PROCESS
All projects are endowed with a set of sharp constraints and soft potential. Amplifying this potential by leveraging constraints is fundamental to our design process.
We strive to generate a unique design language that balances the sharpness of budgets, codes, timelines and construction with the softness of climate, geography, concept and desire.
For us, process equally engages both technology and the expressive language of the hand. We explore the colorful gaps between rigor and play, thought and intuition.
SPATIAL WELLNESS
Imagine a broken eggshell on the forest floor. The shell appears as an object in nature. Now imagine being inside the shell, looking out at the forest floor. This is a simple analogy for essence of architecture. It is both an exterior form set in nature, and a mysterious interior environment through which we perceive nature.
The more the world becomes unhinged, the more we feel the need to be grounded within ourselves – to be rooted in place and community. We desire spaces that honor privacy and intimacy yet also celebrate moments of gathering and togetherness. - the vessel, nest, the shell.
How can we be inside yet remain connected to nature? What are the spatial qualities of our environment that make us feel well - unwell? How can geometry, light, sound, and texture be curated to pleasure our senses? How can space heal?
These are the questions that inform our practice and design process.
MATERIAL INTELLIGENCE
Materials express the physical aspect of architecture. They communicate to us tactically through touch and visually through patterns of light and shadow. They convey meaning and reflect nature. We design with a reverence for materials, celebrating their unique qualities of density, texture, and lineage when composing a detail.
Stones quarried from the earth tell a mineral story expressed through their grain, color and mass. Living materials, such as wood, cork, and cotton, have their own unique imprinting that reflects their rate of cellular growth and hardness. Dense materials such as glass, concrete, and steel can exhibit the softness and delicacy born from their liquid or molten origins.
