DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Landscape
We design landscapes as well as buildings.  We feel that land forms defined by site contours and drainage, retaining walls and bulkheads have aesthetic potential too important to relegate to civil engineers.  Paving, fountains, seat walls, furniture and planting can enliven outdoor spaces and make them just as important as indoor ones.
Sources
We design unique spaces.  We look for sources of originality and ongoing visual dialogue within our clients, the site, the neighborhood, and our own interpretations.
Expectations
We strive for buildings that are beautiful and exciting, restful and stimulating, interesting and comfortable, functional and economic.  We want our clients to feel that they got more than they anticipated.
Design focus
We provide the right architecture for the people, place, and time involved.  For example, our design of Thousand Oaks School utilizes one-story classroom buildings and the gentle slopes of its Berkeley site to create a delightful series of linked courtyards and bridges that invite the entire community into the school grounds.  Special design elements inspired by historic architecture, incorporated at the request of the local community, create focal points that enhance the historic neighborhood.