Our Integrated Design Process involves eight iterative steps that provide a roadmap for any team, on any project, anywhere. By encouraging structured collaboration with all project participants, we find the optimal solution for every problem. This approach enables us to establish and monitor costs from the initial project feasibility through to the final design phase. If costs go up, we know immediately that we are going in the wrong direction and can adapt and simplify the design accordingly.

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Step 1: Orientation and Massing allows the team to begin to understand the external impacts on the development including the physical aspects (sun, wind, biomass, water, shading, local eco systems) as well as the contextual impacts (social and economic), and to use this understanding to arrive at an optimal massing for the development.

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Step 2: Site Design and Water is the point at which the team looks at how the development might maintain, enhance or regenerate the natural eco-systems intrinsic to the site. Solutions for innovative use of water and the creation of green space are developed.

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Step 3: Envelope is when the development truly begins to take shape. Roofs, walls, windows and features are defined and modeled in response to the optimal massing and site design developed in the earlier stages. The dynamic effects of the forms are modeled.

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Step 4: Lighting and Power

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Step 5: Ventilation. We involve the whole team working together to create living breathing buildings. We create beautiful spaces sculpted by natural daylight and fed by fresh air. We eliminate complex systems and replace them with architecturally integrated components that will last for the life of the building with very little maintenance creating buildings that are healthier and more comfortable and far more energy efficient.

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Step 7: Materials utilizes our in-house expertise in evaluating substantiation of materials claims regarding toxicity, third party certifications, manufacturing policies and component lists. We also incorporate art and cultural artifacts to support and reflect community.

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Step 8: Quality Assurance is an integral part of our practice. Every project is carefully peer reviewed and documented to ensure that the knowledge developed during the design phases is transferred through to the construction and operational teams. In this way we preserve the high levels of quality developed during the design phases over the life of the development.