Philosophy
Every project begins with learning and understanding our clients’ complex needs. Through rigorous functional analysis and distillation of the program, we work to achieve simple and elegant solutions. We work completely in three dimensions, utilizing the latest modelling and BIM software to both visualize projects with our clients and to integrate with the construction process.
Sustainability
Our approach to design is naturally sustainable. By emphasizing flexibility and adaptability of the architecture, we provide the opportunity for the completed laboratory to have a second life of use and with minimal change. Our lab planning approach yields projects with far less energy consumption and initial capital cost than conventional planning. Attention to plug loads and ventilation techniques are among the tools we use to create safer and more sustainable labs.
Business Model
We look to form partnerships in order to provide services to our clients, no matter how large or small their project needs are. We enjoy the creativity that is fostered through collaboration and maintain working partnerships with larger design firms in the region. Together, we are able to leverage our own skills and expertise with the breadth of resources that a larger firm can provide. Importantly, our small size allows us to complete smaller consulting and architectural projects. From test fits to design work for start up companies, no project is too small.
Mobility
Our office setup is based on the ability to bring our design work to the larger team. While maintaining a presence in Boston, we consider our office transportable. By using cloud based servers, we can access our work from any location, allowing us to work where most effective.
Inspiration
Our clients are our inspiration. One of the primary satisfactions of our work is the realization that the design of a lab can speed the creation of knowledge and discovery. We, as designers, have a role in the advancement of research. Additionally, we are lifelong learners, inspired by the changing landscape of architecture throughout the world. By studying architects who have created new formal expressions of space, we continually expand our aesthetic point of view. Curious about the world, we look to our travels in far ranging places for our inspiration and study.
Process
We always start with an active interview with our clients, learning how they perceive space and view productivity. We ask them to describe themselves in relation to their colleagues and how they aspire to engage with students and collaborators. We balance this personal approach with a view to the future. By imagining how a second generation of use might need to change the space, we seek to remove impediments to the adaptability of the laboratory. Our process involves finding the spirit of the lab through rapidly sketching and diagramming radically different concepts. Once a concept is formed, our mode of study changes to developing a deeper understanding of the details of the lab, all in support of durability, flexibility and performance.
