The design process always begins with an understanding of the functional, budgetary and scheduling requirements of a project. The needs and aspirations of the client are paramount and their involvement in the project enriches the process, leading to successful results.

I believe that architecture should be contextual: changes to the natural and built environments should be informed but not constrained by what already exists. The terrain, local weather patterns, building orientation, and any existing structures are the phenomena that inform a project. The architect’s work is to synthesize these sometimes conflicting requirements into a seamlessly whole elegant design solution that is spatially intelligent, provokes thought, unfolds over time, and brings pleasure.

Any building must have a poetic sense of place: a timeless quality, not covered in arbitrarily applied ornamentation, but with details that grow out of the project as it develops.

When designing a renovation, addition or conversion, the focus is on correcting spatial and circulation flaws, reorganizing spaces and managing the movement of light, in addition to accommodating clients’ new-use requirements. The results look very natural, often as if they had always been that way.

I think architecture must always be thoughtfully conceived and a delight to the senses, creating a place whose occupants will take pleasure in it for many years to come. Clients should be interested in embarking on a design exploration, a process that is in part an artistic collaboration, from which meaningful and sometimes unexpected results emerge.