Process
Story Process 16

Look, listen, learn, speak, revise

To date the stu­dio has real­ized a remark­able suc­ces­sion of com­pelling projects. Each takes on a honed process of giv­ing voice to all mem­bers of a com­mu­ni­ty. It is the abil­i­ty to lis­ten with inten­tion to the his­to­ry, con­text, and aspi­ra­tions of a com­mu­ni­ty first, and then respond. It is a sto­ry, told through design, about fair­ness, equi­ty, and inspiration.

By cre­at­ing a place for peo­ple and ideas to come togeth­er, archi­tec­ture becomes a medi­um for expe­ri­ences to be shared and mem­o­ries to be made. 

01 Research

Thor­ough research into place, func­tion, and mate­ri­al­i­ty pro­vides an oppor­tu­ni­ty to push a solu­tion beyond the con­fines of what is mere­ly sat­is­fac­to­ry. From build­ing pro­gram to the mate­ri­als used in con­struc­tion, all aspects of a design ben­e­fit from focused investigation.

Story Process 38

02 Col­lab­o­rate
Excep­tion­al work is accom­plished when the client, design team, project users, and com­mu­ni­ty are able to con­fi­dent­ly engage in a thought­ful, can­did exchange of ideas.

Story Process 2
Bloomindale Trail 59

03 Design
Holis­tic design address­es the project at all lev­els, from envi­ron­men­tal con­text to door hard­ware. For any design solu­tion there are a mul­ti­tude of right answers, we define and explore the sub­set of answers that respond most direct­ly to project goals.

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Story Process 28

Two schemes for University of Illinois Urbana Champaign School of Architecture

Story Process 37

04 Iter­ate
Good design is iter­a­tive. A diverse range of study and explo­ration is an essen­tial step in assur­ing that a project achieves its full poten­tial. Through the use of design alter­nates, the team is able to explore and dis­cov­er a project’s full potential.

McDonald's Global Flagship at Walt Disney World, Schemes and Final Design

Mc Donalds Global Flagship 16

05 Syn­the­size
From pre­sent­ing design con­cepts to pro­duc­ing con­struc­tion doc­u­ments, we take great care and pride in the qual­i­ty of our work. Our broad knowl­edge and expe­ri­ence in build­ing design and con­struc­tion pro­duces clear and con­cise doc­u­men­ta­tion for all projects.

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06 Deploy
Con­struc­tion over­sight, mak­ing sure that the project is built as designed, is extreme­ly impor­tant to the suc­cess and longevi­ty of a project. After the design is com­plete and con­struc­tion is fin­ished a great build­ing is a liv­ing, ever chang­ing envi­ron­ment; a beloved space to work, live, and think.

Chicago Riverwalk 3
Story Process 40

Qual­i­fi­ca­tions & Skills

Archi­tec­ture
A typ­i­cal build­ing requires mil­lions of yes/​no deci­sions by the design team. Through our flex­i­ble and respon­sive team struc­ture, we find solu­tions that best bal­ances the demands of pro­gram, build­ing codes and site, con­text, tech­nol­o­gy, cost, and sched­ule.

Land­scape Archi­tec­ture
Our work pairs archi­tec­ture and land­scape design in a har­mo­nious response. From tra­di­tion­al land­scapes to pub­lic parks, the spaces beyond a building’s walls have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to be equal­ly as sup­port­ive to a project’s vision and objectives.

Urban Design/​Planning
We always look to the site, whether it is for the design of a build­ing or in a broad­er urban con­text. We pro­vide plan­ning analy­sis, land use and com­plete streets rec­om­men­da­tions, and streetscape, pub­lic space, and schemat­ic design for new and re-development.

Com­mu­ni­ty Engage­ment
Our pre­ferred process is to look, lis­ten, learn, speak, and revise. We have exten­sive expe­ri­ence engag­ing com­mu­ni­ties in an equi­table process of co-cre­ation for build­ings, pub­lic spaces, and shared visions.

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