Versatile, adaptable and flexible are a few adjectives that could be used to describe our approach to custom home design. Because each project has its own unique set of design goals, objectives and constraints, it follows that each design outcome should be unique. We believe that good design responds to the conditions that are unique to the individual project. Conditions affecting design include items such as space requirements, personal and stylistic preferences, lifestyle, energy efficiency, site orientation, topography, zoning requirements, and budget. Understanding the needs, expectations, goals, and visions of our clients is central to our design philosophy. A mutually trusting relationship is the starting point to any design process.

Good architectural design begins with an understanding of the site, its constraints and its opportunities. Site visits are essential to experience the power and potential of a site. While the space and relationship requirements may help shape the floor plan, site conditions will help drive the plan’s configuration and orientation.

The second most important component of the design mix is the external geometry of the structure. Geometry may be shaped by climate, material usage, internal space requirements, or other functional goals. The external geometry gives us our first impressions as we approach a building and sets the tone for everything else to come.

The third key component to well integrated design involves the actual floor plan. A successful floor plan must not only be functional and efficient, it must also integrate harmoniously with the structural framing system, the external geometry and the conditions of the site. Floor plans are very much a part of a larger system of relationships within buildings and should not be viewed as an isolated component.

The final component in our view of successful architectural design revolves around the use of materials and how they are integrated throughout the building. Whether they are structural framing members, interior finish materials or exterior cladding materials, they all must define and demonstrate function, utility and purpose within the overall design scheme.

In our own definition, architectural design is about utilizing materials and products in an organized, creative and harmonious manner to satisfy the functional requirements and the personal needs of an owner while responding to the special environmental conditions of the site. Uniqueness for the sake of being different does not necessarily constitute good design. Good design is universal, timeless and enduring. It is as much about function, character, harmony, balance, and light as it is about style. The diversity of our work is a reflection of our philosophy that one style does not fit all. This has always been true in nature where function is never compromised for aesthetic effect; they always work together hand-in-hand, one always dependent upon the other.