We believe that the best buildings and man-made places in general are designed with a holistic approach where everyone has a voice from the start – client, consultants, builders, operators and – of course – the people who live, work, shop and play in them.
As environmental designers and systems engineers, we contribute to the best value of a project when we are integrated early and involved all the way through the project lifecycle from feasibility, on to design, through construction and into operation.
All our projects are Director-led from start to finish.
Our key principles are:
Early input. By being involved from the start, we can help to define the project’s environmental outcomes, whether it is a building or a masterplan, and help shape the design to achieve the best and most adequate performance. By being there early, we can help develop the building and urban form, the buildings´ envelope and other architectural and urban design features, such as space layout, making the best use of passive design strategies and technical systems.
Hi-tech for lo-tech. We believe in the application of hi-tech analyses to produce lo-tech design solutions. For example, designing and analysing the envelope of a building so that the energy loads it demands are minimal and the building systems needed to meet them can be passive and low energy intensity.
Design to build. The best buildings are made when the interfaces between design and the construction process are open and transparent. We like to work with contractors in a proactive and supportive way, in order to find the best way to communicate and to build.
Make it work. Crucially - and uniquely - we want to stay involved in the post-design phase, encompassing the first years of operation to make sure that the building functions as well as we intended – or better. This means setting up the right maintenance regime, auditing performance and suggesting the tweaks and changes needed to get the best from the building.
Learn for the next one. We love to learn, and learning is vital to what we do. Each project is an opportunity to acquire knowledge, share experience and continuously improve. We invest time and resource in learning and research processes in our work routine.