How are We Different

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We Aren’t Interested in the Status Quo

Why are so many projects over budget? Why can’t we talk to the builders when we have questions? Why do architects receive so little training in management, when it’s such a huge part of our jobs?

When we asked these questions, we didn’t get satisfactory answers.  So we began searching for them ourselves.  Through each of our separate pursuits into integrated project delivery, lean construction, open-source concepts, and other theories of process improvement, we found each other.  Together, we are forming the type of progressive practice we each yearned to work in.

We know you’re tired of architects who don’t understand your budget concerns and who care more about messing with the canopy until it’s perfect than your project’s needs.

If you’d rather have a project that stretches on and on and involves lots of political positioning, re-work, and change orders, that’s great.  We can recommend several architectural firms who love to practice like that.

If, instead, you’d like to get a great building and keep both your budget and your sanity intact…well, let’s talk.

 

Social and Ecological Responsibility

We assume ecological and social stewardship are basic requirements of living in this world.  Since buildings account for about 70% of natural resource consumption in the U.S., that really applies to architects.  That’s why seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact is ingrained into our normal daily practices, architectural and otherwise.

 

Collaborative Projects

We greatly prefer to do projects where we can work directly with the builders during the design process.  Traditional Design-Bid-Build projects result in bad projects, waste, and animosity.

There are several delivery methods that allow this, including forms of Design-Build and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD).  Even if you are a public entity that requires competitive bidding, there are several key things we can do that will meet your competitive bidding requirements while allowing your design team access to the builders during design.

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