Meaningful Design

Need the words Sketchnote or something above and the date indicating this is a blog post (will explain when we talk)
Also needs a subhead
The article title in all caps Skethnote may be tough for the reader. 

 

The Oringer Arts building in Braddock Pa is an example of meaningful design

Since 1988, our firm has been committed to fostering a collaborative process with our clients that increases the value of the built environment through meaningful design. Though our work varies widely—from residential to commercial to religious spaces—our collaborative approach underscores every project, leveraging each client’s unique assets and perspectives to create designs that celebrate the historical, environmental, social, and spiritual assets of places and communities.

The unforeseen challenges and obstacles over the past two years have reaffirmed our firm’s shared vision: to build connections and create impact by engaging our clients and communities in telling their stories through design. Our inherent need to maintain close connections has been revealed over the pandemic, making these aims even more pressing. Our process brings our shared narratives to light, allowing us to cultivate and restore the bonds that will begin to reverse the negative social impacts of this global phenomenon. As we have worked to articulate meaningful design over time, we see it as design.

For each project, the search for meaning becomes a process of discovery, involving research, collaboration, and careful evaluation. Our signature Design Sketchbook is the cornerstone of this approach, welcoming our clients into the creative process by first engaging in “the architecture of making choices.” We work closely with clients to translate their mission, vision, and goals into words and images, creating an evolving visual narrative around the design of their space. The project form and aesthetics are influenced by the social, historical, and cultural implications of our work. This shared collaboration creates a kind of synergy, incorporating the client’s feedback and perspectives into the design.

A Design Sketchbook example

In these Sketchbooks, each page represents one idea in a series of ideas that come together to create the whole. The earliest days of a project might be consumed by getting to know an existing building or understanding a client’s aims. By the end of a project, we have a complete story cataloging our evolution of ideas, our moments of insight, our path to unearthing meaning, and even our process of addressing challenges. The sketchbook is central to our design process, both facilitating collaboration and cultivating meaningful design. It is collaborative to the point that we assume collective ownership.

In this way, the Design Sketchbook embodies meaningful design as a practice. As a communal effort, the sketchbook creates shared space for developing a collaborative vision for each project we undertake. In one sense, the sketchbook is quite literal—a book containing a sequential record of our collective notes, drawings, images, concepts, inspirations, outlines, etc. In another, our sketchbook is a process, a way of collaborating that generates meaningful design.

The aim of meaningful design goes beyond encouraging our architects to feel more invested in their work; it encourages all those that encounter our work feel more invested. The work we produce has a greater purpose infused into every ounce at every stage of its creation. This leads to an architecture that can continue being meaningful as long as it continues to be experienced.

Since 1988, our firm has been committed to fostering a collaborative process with our clients that increases the value of the built environment through meaningful design. Though our work varies widely—from residential to commercial to religious spaces—our collaborative approach underscores every project, leveraging each client’s unique assets and perspectives to create designs that celebrate places and communities’ historical, environmental, social, and spiritual assets.

Over the past two years, the unforeseen challenges and obstacles have reaffirmed our firm’s shared vision: to build connections and create impact by engaging our clients and communities in telling their stories through design. Our inherent need to maintain close connections has been revealed over the pandemic, making these aims even more pressing. Our process brings our shared narratives to light, allowing us to cultivate and restore the bonds that will begin to reverse the negative social impacts of this global phenomenon. As we have worked to articulate meaningful design over time, we see it as design that

1) elevates experience by connecting human emotion to the creation of form and space, and

2) celebrates social and spiritual assets by connecting places with natural systems and history in a way that addresses a range of human emotions and need.

 

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Ohringer

For each project, the search for meaning becomes a process of discovery involving research, collaboration, and careful evaluation. Our signature Design Sketchbook is the cornerstone of this approach, welcoming our clients into the creative process by first engaging in “the architecture of making choices.” We work closely with clients to translate their mission, vision, and goals into words and images, creating an evolving visual narrative around the design of their space. Our work’s social, historical, and cultural implications influence the project’s form and aesthetics. This shared collaboration creates a kind of synergy, incorporating the client’s feedback and perspectives into the design.

In these Sketchbooks, each page represents one idea in a series of ideas that come together to create the whole. The earliest days of a project might be consumed by getting to know an existing building or understanding a client’s aims. By the end of a project, we have a complete story cataloging our evolution of ideas, our moments of insight, our path to unearthing meaning, and even our process of addressing challenges. The sketchbook is central to our design process, both facilitating collaboration and cultivating meaningful design. It is collaborative to the point that we assume collective ownership.

In this way, the Design Sketchbook embodies meaningful design as a practice. As a communal effort, the sketchbook creates a shared space for developing a collaborative vision for each project we undertake. In one sense, the sketchbook is quite literal—a book containing a sequential record of our collective notes, drawings, images, concepts, inspirations, outlines, etc. In another, our sketchbook is a process, a way of collaborating that generates meaningful design.

The aim of meaningful design goes beyond encouraging our architects to feel more invested in their work; it enables all those that encounter our work to feel more invested. The work we produce has a greater purpose infused into every ounce at every stage of its creation, leading to an architecture that can continue being meaningful as long as it continues to be experienced.